Examples Of Pride In Beowulf

Beowulf starts boasting as soon as he is introduced to the King Hrothgar. Beowulf tells him, "... every elder and experience councilman / among my people supported my resolve / to come here to you, King Hrothgar / because all knew of my awesome strength" (Beowulf 415-18). His boasting grants him an opportunity to battle Grendel. Later on, after he actually fights Grendel he proudly hangs Grendel's' arm in the wall to prove just how great he is. "Clear proof of this Could be seen in the hand the hero displayed High up near the roof: the whole of Grendel’s Shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp" (Beowulf 832-35), this is an example of symbolic boasting because it represents one of his greatest accomplishments. Beowulf makes many boast, time after time he boast about all his glories. He slowly starts to get more and more prideful till his very end.

Beowulf, a brave warrior, displays characteristics that influenced a positive attitude toward his people. Beowulf’s bravery and loyalty were two characteristics that influenced his people. Arrogance was another characteristic shown by Beowulf. However Beowulf’s arrogance showed a negative effect on the Danes. His arrogance was not as prevalent as his bravery or his loyalty but it still threw off his positive characteristics.

Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.

Without a doubt excessive pride can be the downfall of a man and I argue Beowulf cautioned himself from being excessively prideful and it was Hrothgar who warned him about its dangers. Hrothgar was born into a royal family and was bless with earning the right as king, owning large portions of land, and having a feast everyday (Beowulf 1730-1735) Hrothgar was handed everything and was overwhelmed with excessive pride because he was handed everything and soon “he know no worse / until, within him, his portion of arrogance / begins to increase, when his guardian sleeps, / the soul’s shepherd (Beowulf 1740-1743).” The power and control Hrothgar was handed made him arrogant to the point of wanting to obtain even more power. Hrothgar should have

The actions taken by Beowulf in the Prologue shows a character flaw, because the displays of courage, or bravery, could also be interpreted as pride. Beowulf comes as a foreigner to accomplish the legendary impossible mission. The coast guard concludes that the group is there out of “bravery not punishment,” (339). However, I believe there is a third option: pride. Just by them being there shows the boastfulness of their leader, because Beowulf is leading them into a monster-infested city to complete a mission that no one in over a decade has been able to do.

In Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, courage is undoubtedly the most important trait a man could have. The Geats thrived for 50 years under the powerful and courageous reign of King Beowulf. However, the Danes suffered through twelve winters under Grendel because of King Hrothgar’s fear. The strength and bravery of a strong leader and warrior can lead many countries to peace and power. Throughout Beowulf, many characters exhibit courage, which increases their morale on the battlefield and leads to victory.

Beowulf’s strength is exemplified many times in the story. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty men in his mighty handgrip.” He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all but his last. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explains the reason he lost a swimming match with his opponent Brecca. Not only had Beowulf been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf is also strong enough to kill the monster Grendel with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s mother, he is able to slay her by slashing the monster’s neck with a giant sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf. When he chops off her head, he carries it from the ocean with no difficulty, but it takes four men to lift and carry it back to Heorot. This strength is a key trait of Beowulf’s heroism.

In the poem, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without weapons and to only use his bare hands. “Behind some broad linden shield: my hands Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (267-269).Using only your hands to battle someone not only shows the bravery of him, but shows super strength because bare hands have a small strength to them unlike swords that have an amazing amount of strength. Beowulf decides to show the other Geats how it is really done. Within the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf uses a sword to defeat her named Naegling. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their the best of all weapons, but so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broken the chain on its hilt, and then savage, now, angry and desperate, lifted it over his head and struck with all the strength head left, caught her in the neck and cut through”(530-539). Naegling is one of the most heaviest swords that needs a lot of power to hoist and obtain its strength. Beowulf used all of his might and God was able to give Beowulf the strength he needed to lift Naegling with its cover and use it against Grendel’s mother. Before even fighting in her lair, Beowulf uses his lung strength to stay underwater for hours while killing the other sea monsters. Normally, people cannot hold their breathe for so many hours underwater. Beowulf used his lungs which takes a lot of effort to hold his breathe and he was able to breathe successfully after he got out of the water once he defeated Grendel’s mother which proves that he has strength not only in his arms, but everywhere else in his

Strength is without a doubt one of the most important traits which a hero should possess and the Anglo-Saxon’s felt the same way. Beowulf’s strength can be compared to that of the American comic book heroes, Superman and Batman, for he is deemed the “strongest and greatest of the Geats”. The first time that his strength is witnessed, not just spoken of, is when he kills Grendel by ripping the monstrous villain’s arm off. But his most notable display of strength occurs when he enters into combat with Grendel’s mother. When everything seems to be going all wrong for Beowulf, he spies a “heavy” sword hanging on the wall of her lair. With all his power and might, Beowulf drew the sword, “hammered by giants...and….so massive that no ordinary man could life it”, from its scabbard. He “lifts it high over his head”, the sword clasped

Pride usually carries negative connotations. It is an arrogant, malicious trait which can lead to a person's ruin. Pride, however, can also be a source of positive motivation. It can encourage its host to perform great feats and thus obtain honor. This duality possessed by pride can be examined in two famous Medieval poems, The Song of Roland and Beowulf.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf touches on the vice of pride, and is instilled in the main character, Beowulf, the great and mighty warrior. His boasting and arrogance when first dropping anchor at Heorot transitions throughout the poem, and, in contrast with his ideal kingsmanship, motivates him to accomplish and overcome the many challenges he faces as an epic hero. The contrast of his absent humility in the rise and fall of the story help promote the progression of the story, through its different purposes. Beowulf, when first landing upon Hrothgar’s kingdom, boasts, which does not go unchallenged, so that he might gain the trust of the Danes, but when knowingly facing his last battle, uses bragging to comfort and brace himself for his ultimate demise.

A final example of heroic qualities shown by Beowulf is his power. The mental and physical strength is mandatory to being a hero. No Dane, before Beowulf’s arrival, is able to defeat Grendel because of fear and

“Where is the glory in doing something that others have done” (Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief). A quote befitting of the character Beowulf who slew the abomination known as Grendel to save the people of Heorot, then killing his vengeful mother using the sword Hrunting and finally as his last legendary exploit he brought down a mighty dragon to save his kingdom, the most prominent definition of an epic hero and the epitome of what the ideal Scandinavian hero is. On the surface, this may seem like Beowulf is a selfless hero willing to go to great lengths to save the people around him but after deeper analysis of the story, it may be that Beowulf’s pride and search for glory is what truly drives him.

Although Beowulf was blessed with his extraordinary physical strength and hard-task-achievement, a wise hero, unlike him, should know that all humans are imperfect. Without the assistance of others, people would have been doomed. Therefore, Beowulf is arrogant, and such over-pride leads to his death. This is obvious through Beowulf’s battle with Grendel. Even though the hero himself made “five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from Earth,” as in line 154-155, his arrogance precludes him from foreseeing the danger of Grendel’s mother. Grendel is certainly a strong monster, and his mother is probably the stronger one. During his battle with Grendel’s mother,

Beowulf’s virtues of courage and strength appear throughout the poem during his life as a warrior and as a king. He begins the story with courage and “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381), which are vital to his accomplishments as a warrior. His courage and strength are apparent when he fights Grendel without the use of weapons. Both virtues are crucial to his success in that battle and lead him to become a leader of wisdom and stature. As king of Heorot he uses his courage and strength in the battle against the dragon. Before the fight he has a feeling of uncertainty and it is stated “He was sad at heart / unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. / His fate hovered near, unknowing but certain: / It would soon claim his coffered soul.” (2419-2424). His sense of forthcoming death may illustrates a lack of confidence in his ability to slay the dragon; however, it also shows tremendous courage by involving himself in an unevenly matched fight. Although his physical strength may have abandoned him in his last fight against the dragon, his courage and wisdom intensified his glory beyond his death.