Beowulf: Fierce and Compassionate Warrior :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The epic Beowulf is unrivalled of the oldest poems written in English. accord to the Norton Anthology, the poem was composed more the twelve hundred years ago, in the first half of the eight century. Its author may have been a native of what was Mercia, the Midlands of England today, although the late tenth-century manuscript , which alone preserves the poem, originated in the southeast in the kingdom of the West Saxons (Norton 21). Although the poem is of English origin, it speaks of tribes (the Danes and the Geats) that argon from the danish island of Zealand and southern Sweden respectively (Norton 22). The main character, Beowulf, demonstrates that he is a warrior who places heroism and gallantry over his own well-being and life. Beowulf is a hero and an example of a majuscule warrior. His actions give us a good example of the irreligious warrior mentality. The pagan society is a warrior society, in which courage and bravery are exceedingly prevalent. Beowulf fights again st monsters and dragons, and he would rather die in battle, then anyplace else. Beowulf is called upon to help defeat Grendel, who is a monster that has taken over the dormitory of Heorot. He is greeted with great hospitality. Hrothgar, the King of Denmark, is relived to see Beowulf. There is some unbelief by Unferth, who recalls a fight in which Beowulf lost in Battle. Unferth is wrong, and Beowulf says this great line fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good. Beowulf defeats Grendel with great relieve and the people of the hall are gracious to Beowulf.With all his great achievements, he becomes king of his homeland (Geatland). Even in his old age, he button up has an obligation to fight against the evils of nature. Beowulf hears about a dragon who has become extremely upset because a thief stole a cup from a treasure which he had been guarding for several years. When Beowulf asks for volunteers to fight against the dragon, all but one of Beowulfs followers run into the forest in fear. The one who stays with Beowulf, is a young warrior named Wiglaf.