Free Essay On Beowulf: Close Reading

The central themes of one’s identity, and strength and skill are interwoven in the characters and the plot of the poem “Beowulf.” The setting of the poem and the time period in which it is set both characterize the identity of individuals is a string of lineage, where individuals are judged in society according to the repute of their ancestors, and the strength and skill they possess. Basically, Beowulf is a record of heroic deeds, so it is not surprising that the theme of identity, which revolves around individual reputation based on ancestral heritage, is central to the poem. Similarly, since heroism has been expressed and illustrated throughout the poem, and heroism values strength and skill, so of course, this theme is central to the poem as well. Courage is the foundation of the identity of the heroes in Beowulf; it is their strength and skills that represent their bravery, and often these lead them to become selfish. The protagonist, Beowulf often reveals this through his dialogue in this epic poem.
All the characters in Beowulf, from Beowulf himself to Grendel, are presented as decedents of past figures, and their place in society is related to the reputation of their ancestors. For instance, Beowulf stands as a courageous, noble warrior and venerated being not only because he comes from a great line of Geat royalty. As a result, he automatically inherits a marvelous reputation, even before he performs great deeds. The reputations that the kings and warriors in this poem possess are cherished by them. They perform courageous heroic deeds even if it means sacrificing themselves. On his deathbed, Beowulf also admits that he had “risked [his] life often when [he] was young” all because as king, he had a reputation to maintain. Thus, it is evident that everything that the characters in Beowulf do is to further advance their name and legacy.
The underlying warrior culture in the poem “Beowulf” is also based on courage as well. In this epic poem, the courage of a true warrior like Beowulf comes from an absolutely fatalistic attitude and a true warrior is indifferent to death. True warriors know that they will be defeated and will die someday. Everything happens according to God’s will. True warriors remain fearless regardless of the challenge. Their courageous deeds increase their own reputation, so that they become famed, illustrious, and are celebrated for their courage even after their death. Similarly Beowulf comes to the aid of king troubled king Hrothgar, whose kingdom was attacked by the monster Grendel, without asking any questions. Beowulf valiantly decides to fight the monster barehanded, and his courageous is one of the reasons is succeeds in defeating the monster. Beowulf continues performing such admirable acts of bravery until they ultimately lead him to his deathbed.
After Beowulf defeats Grendel, he returns back to Heorot twice, once to kill Grendel’s mother and then a fire breathing dragon. Beowulf never shows signs of fear when it comes to venturing into the territory of these monsters where no one has dared to go before. Soon after successfully defeats Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is then led to face the final monster in the poem, a fire-breathing dragon. Accompanied by Wiglaf, his faithful and trust Swedish companion, Beowulf courageously sets out to battle the dragon in its lair. It is quite evident that Beowulf is willing to live by the fatalistic code of honor that true warriors live by. Beowulf is a true warrior, but courage is not the only thing that makes him a true hero. His victories against these monsters reveal the fact that he is strong and has skill.
The true warriors in the poem, like Beowulf, are constantly obsessed with strength. Warriors in the poem not only go to great lengths to live up to their reputation but also to find opportunities where they can display their physical strength. Of course, Beowulf’s extreme strength is displayed in his battles against the monsters. The biggest example of his fierce strength is when he battles Grendel with his bare hands, not wanting to gain an unfair advantage over the monster. He clutches Grendel’s claw and rips his arm off. Beowulf possesses strength that is straightforward, and he possesses skill that is pure rather than devious. The fact that Beowulf is not only strong but is skillful and smart as well is revealed when starts getting ready to face the dragon.
Beowulf believes in his strength but he decides to take advantage of weapons and armor because he knows that he would not stand a chance against the dragon otherwise. As he says that, “[he] would rather not use a weapon if [he] knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good [his] boast as [he] did against Grendel in days gone by” (2518). Admitting that he cannot face the dragon with the weapons and armor is also a sign of Beowulf’s strength and skill. Beowulf even has a relevant explanation for his use of weapons and armor when going to battle the dragon. He says that, “[he] shall be meeting molten venom in the fire he breathes, so [he goes] forth in mail-shirt and a shield” (2524). Since the dragon has the special advantages, such as the ability to breathe fire and poisonous venom, so it is obvious that even someone as strong as Beowulf would have to level the playing field. Of course, Beowulf’s courage never falters.
Beowulf gallantly goes to battle against the dragon and even though he gets fatally injured during the battle, he succeeds at slaying the dragon. Thus, finally Beowulf lives up to the fatalistic code of honor of heroes and true warriors. It is true that everyone looked up to Beowulf because of his identity, but they also looked up to him because of his heroic traits, especially his courage. No matter how threatening a monster seemed to be, Beowulf always courageous stepped forward to vanquish it. It is evident that Beowulf’s reputation matters to him most of all, and everything he does is to live up to that reputation. Even on his death bed, Beowulf claims that, “[he] risked [his] life often when [he] was young. Now [he is] old, but as king of the people [he] shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face [him] in the open." (2510-2515).
It is evident that like Anglo-Saxon heroes of the time, Beowulf was courageous, strong and had skill. However, his dialogue quoted above also reveals that since ultimately all that Beowulf cared about was his identity. He did everything in his power to ensure that his identity prevailed even after his death, he used his courage, strength and skill solely for this purpose, and this led him to become greedy and selfish as well. Beowulf’s quoted dialogue explains his greed and selfishness. Although to some extent it appears that Beowulf demonstrates his courage, impressive strength and skill while performing daunting tasks in order to protect the innocent and ward off evil. However, his dialogue also reveals that he was not entire the perfect hero that others thought he was and readers are led to believe.
Beowulf’s dialogue on his deathbed can be considered boastful as well. He boasts that although “[he is] old, but as king of the people [he] shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning.” This shows that all of his courageous, heroic deeds and feats were mostly in selfish pursuit of glory. It seems that Beowulf pursues worldly succeed so that his identity is immortalized and so that he glorified for eternity, even after his death. His pursuits definitely have selfish underlying tone. From Beowulf’s statement it is clear that all the glory that he achieved throughout his life was so that he could be remembered even after he died. Only his actions in life could help him increase his chances at eternal glory. It can be argued that Beowulf had initially intended to help innocent people in their times of desperation but his quest eventually shifted to that of personal glory and gratification.
Even at the brink of death, Beowulf makes sure that he is advancing his identity, adding to his reputation, and that his legacy lives on even after he dies. Even on his deathbed, all that Beowulf can think about is the name he made for himself. Of course, even Beowulf is not perfect. His courage, strength and skill make him selfish, and he uses them to selfishly pursue eternal glory. However, despite his heritage, ultimately it was his heroic traits such as courage, strength, and skill that shaped his identity. If Beowulf merely had his identity but no courage and no strength, he would certainly not have been able to defeat Grendel. He would have been as helpless as King Hrothgar and his men. It was because of his fierce strength, pure skills, and unfaltering courage that Beowulf was able to continue performing heroic deeds that allowed him to live up to the reputation that he had inherited from his ancestors.