Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers much excitement and adventure, but Beowulf's importance is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of seventh-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. In addition, a prominent theme in this epic is the love of a mother for her child. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the mead hall. It shows the role of a mother, and their love for their offspring. Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. However, her heart is filled with anger at the loss of her son at the hands of this same man. A mother who loves their child very much would do everything in their power to make sure their killer got their justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf is one of the oldest existing poems in the English language. Originally written in Anglo-Saxon, it has been translated to give readers the opportunity to enjoy this colorful, heroic poem of England’s epic age. It has been declared as a heroic-elegiac poem because of the various characteristics it clearly possesses. An epic consists of a hero who is larger than life. Epic characters also give numerous speeches that revel something about the past or the speaker’s characteristics. Beowulf does not give many, but from those he gives, the reader leans about his character traits. The language of the epic style is an elevated, rather formal language. Similes, kennings, and many other literary techniques are used throughout the poem. Beowulf clearly contains many epic characteristics and the following essay will present the evidence needed to support this allegation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The love a mother has for her child shows when Grendel’s mother comes to avenge the death of her son at the hands of Beowulf. He was the only human being who had the skills to defeat Grendel's mother was again Beowulf, and he would not say no to another battle. However, this battle with the mother was to take place under water. He got ready and armed for the underwater fight, and accepted the sword, which Unferth handed him. Beowulf took his leave to achieve another victory, but not as confident of himself this time as he was at his first battle.