The Essence of Beowulf

Roberto Sande Carmona
Ms. Peifer 10 IB English
Period 5th
15th of December, 2008

He [Beowulf] picked us out/from the army deliberately, honoured us and judged us/fit for this action,made me this lavish gifts-/and all because he considered us the best/of his arms-bearing thanes. And now, although/he wanted this challenge to be one he'd face/by himself alone-the shepherd of our land,/a man unequaled in the quest for glory /and a name for daring-now the day has come/when this lord we serve needs sound men/to give him their support . Let us go to him,/help our leader through the hot flame/ and dread of the fire. As God is my witness,/I would rather my body were robed in the same/burning blaze as my gold-giver's body/than go back bearing arms. /That is unthinkable, unless we have first/slain the foe and defended the life/of the prince of the Weather-Geats. I well know/the things he has done for us deserve better. (Heaney 2638-2657)

This passage provides an insight into the very core of Beowulf. It shows that the entire epic centralizes around honor, valor, and Beowulf. It represents the level of impact the protagonist had on the people he came across. Never a negative thought is even whispered of him, he is ultimate righteousness. In this passage the audience is provided of how valuable Beowulf is to everything, more specifically his people. He's their provider-"my gold-giver's body" (2653); their leader-"the shepherd of our land"(2644); and he is also self-sacrificing and earned the claim of his people-" the things he has done for us deserve better" (2657).
This section makes the loyalty to and dependence of Beowulf blatantly evident. Any assumptions the reader has of his followers feeling resent towards him are completely vanquished by the power of this passage.
One literary device found is the allusion to God and by that Christianity. It is representative to the probable religion of the author and if we take this to be the truth, it makes the statement much more powerful through the religion. For a Christian, stating " As God is my witness..." (2650), the statement following would be something clearly powerful.
The most effective literary element for this passage however is diction. The voice the author gives to Wiglaf as he unites his fellow arms-bearers using such powerful language is incredible. It creates an increasingly moving and motivating speech and it nearly makes the reader feel as if he/she is one of the soldiers. The word choice does justice to the entire writing, again expressing their feelings for courageousness and honor.
This extract embodies Beowulf's entity-both the character and the work. It puts forth Beowulf's greatness in words other than his own, making it much more impacting. The umbrella of protection Beowulf's was over his people, and his absolute sacrifice for them is what produces this spark in his men and in his immortality through their remembrance.

Works Cited

Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.

Beowulf LRJ #2

Roberto Sande Carmona
Ms.Peifer 10 IB English
Period 5
8th of December, 2008

1. Values

One thing that the characters seem to hold close is friendship. Especially for someone whom wields a large influence or power, like Hrothgar. After his friend Aeschere is taken by Grendel's hag of a mother, the king seems to take a blow that truly collapses his morale.

He[Aeschere] was Yrmenlaf's elder brother/and a soul-mate to me, a true mentor,/my right-hand man when the ranks clashed/and our boar-crests had to take a battering in the line of action. Aeschere was everything/ the world admires in a wise man and a friend. (Heaney 1324-1329)

Often times it is quarreled over weather someone high in the hierarchy of a society should keep ones away or close to him. It is evident that for these strong people, or at least for their ruler, Aeschere was his nearest confidant. The posthumous recognition of Aeschere and impacting words utilized by Hrothgar, make this clear.
However, along with this ideal is that of Beowulf's value of hardened emotions. He tells Hrothgar, "Bear up/an be the man I expect you to be"(95-96). As one of my astute colleagues so put it, " Beowulf tells Hrothgar to put his man-pants on."
This represents the machismo-swayed culture. It is evidence of their beliefs of tough, emotionless warriors as the infra-structure of their societies.

2. Surrealism
One part that although may not exactly be named surreal that seem somewhat unbelievable was that of the quote stated above, where Beowulf tells the king to "bear-up." In these epics, anybody telling the king what to do in such direct terms seems outlandish. But then again that is the very definition of Beowulf as a man. This short instance carries withing itself the entire plot, that of the protagonist's awesomeness. This cuts it clear for the audience, that Beowulf is a character believed to have the power to do essentially anything he feels fit.
Beowulf is the king. He is the absolute power in this time and in this story. For people in this time he was nearly a religious image, something so incomprehensible and unattainable that it provided basically the same surrealism.

3. Favorite Quote

My favorite quote form the passage I have already referenced; where Beowulf tells the King Hrothgar, "Bear up and be the man expect you to be"(95-96). Like stated before, this, in an ancient epic seems so blasphemous that it really sparked thought and debate within myself. To me it was the sentence with most meaning in this section if not from all the sections we read.
Although it does not provide any information about the happenings in the story, to me it really defines Beowulf, and in that it defines the entire story.