Beowulf LRJ #2

Kelsey Vandegrift
Ms. Peifer
Hour 5 10 IB
8 December 2008

A very important value in the poem Beowulf is the pride and courage men have as warriors. The warriors themselves had enormous courage in Beowulf their leader who was the best among them. "Through the strength of one they all prevailed;/ they would crush their enemy and come through in triumph and gladness" (Heaney 698-700). The warriors followed Beowulf faithfully and with courage. "None of them expected he would ever see/ his homeland again or get back/ to his native place and the people who reared him" (691-693). Beowulf lead by example and there was no one else in the world like him, therefore other men became very brave as well.

An unrealistic part of Beowulf's character is his awesome strength. "...the hero displayed/ high up near the roof: the whole of Grendel's/ shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp" (8833-835). It is impossible for one man to rip an arm off a monster big enough to eat thirty men at once. When the poem would be read out loud the image of Beowulf's strength and actions would have been very powerful and would've had a big effect on the audience. However unrealistic his strength is, it is essential to Beowulf's character. Without his strength, Beowulf would not be the one-of-a-kind man he is. This would diminish his whole persona as a hero.

A very important and affective quote in the story is when Beowulf returns to Hrothgar with Grendel's head. "In he came then, the thane's commander,/ the arch-warrior, to address Hrothgar: his courage was proven, his glory secure" (1644-1646). The image of Beowulf entering the great mead-hall with the head of Grendel in his grasp is such a powerful image. The great monster is finally defeated and Beowulf has proven himself. The passage goes on to say, "... a horror for both queen and company to behold./ They stared in awe. It was an astonishing sight" (1649-1650). This part of the passage shows how magical and unbelievable Beowulf was to his own people. The sight of their leader coming back to them with all danger gone is a remarkable picture to imagine.