literary research paper beowulf

The Poem “Beowulf”: Character Analysis Essay (Critical Writing)

Beowulf presents one of the most important pieces of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period because of its epic nature and historic value. The poem depicts the heroic deeds of the warrior Beowulf and captures the Anglo-Saxon culture of the medieval period. The poem is divided into three parts for each of Beowulf’s heroic battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. In each part of the poem, Beowulf demonstrates different heroic traits, ultimately creating his image of an epic hero.

Firstly, Beowulf’s story in the poem starts when he offers to help King Hrothgar defeat the monster known as Grendel. The character proves the seriousness of his intentions by boasting about his previous victories in battle with nine sea monsters, demonstrating his courage. In the poem, Grendel is depicted as a monster that appears “bigger than any man” and stronger than the main character (Heaney, 2008, p.93). During his fight with Grendel, Beowulf demonstrates bravery by fighting the monster bare-handed to gain great fame and honor.

Next, in the part of the poem which depicts Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, the character demonstrates his commitment to duty and King Hrothgar by killing Grendel’s mother. Furthermore, Beowulf demonstrates his intelligence when he discovers that his sword cannot hurt Grendel’s mother and finds a magic sword inside her cave. Thus, in addition to bravery and courage often associated with epic heroes, Beowulf possesses such heroic qualities as loyalty and intelligence.

Lastly, Beowulf enters the fight with the last monster as the king of Geats. During his last battle, Beowulf demonstrates care for his soldiers, contrary to his actions in the first parts of the poem. He also shows the will to self-sacrifice, which resonates with one of his loyal soldiers. Together, they kill the dragon, and Beowulf dies not only as a famous hero but also as a responsible leader and ruler.

In conclusion, this essay explored heroic traits in the character of Beowulf. The essay defines how each chapter of the poem captures different heroic traits exhibited by Beowulf, such as bravery and courage, loyalty and intelligence, wisdom and self-sacrificing. Thus, the paper explains how the combination of different heroic traits creates the image of Beowulf as an epic hero and captures the character’s progression from a brave warrior to a wise and responsible ruler.

Heaney, S. (2008). Beowulf: An illustrated edition. W.W. Norton & Company.

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What is Beowulf ?

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Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. It deals with events of the early 6th century CE and is believed to have been composed between 700 and 750. Although originally untitled, it was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme.

Where does Beowulf take place?

Beowulf takes place in early 6th-century Scandinavia , primarily in what is known today as Denmark and Sweden .

Who was Beowulf written by?

The author of Beowulf is unknown. It is possible that the poem was composed by and transmitted between several different poets before it was preserved in a single manuscript that dates to about 1000.

What does Beowulf present to Hrothgar?

Upon his return to Heorot, Beowulf presents to King Hrothgar Grendel ’s decapitated head and the jeweled hilt of the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother.

Was Beowulf real?

There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but other characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. For example, the poem’s Danish King Hrothgar and his nephew Hrothulf are generally believed to have been based on historical figures.

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Beowulf , heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic . The work deals with events of the early 6th century, and, while the date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars believe that it was written in the 8th century. Although originally untitled, the poem was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. It is preserved in a single manuscript that dates to circa 1000 and is known as the Beowulf manuscript (Cotton MS Vitellius A XV) .

Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar has a splendid mead hall known as Heorot, a place of celebration and much merriment. However, the joyous noise angers Grendel , an evil monster living in a nearby swamp. For 12 years the creature terrorizes Heorot with nightly visits in which he carries off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them.

After learning of the Danes’ trouble, young Beowulf, a prince of the Geats in what is now southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to rid Heorot of its monster. Hrothgar is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes him. After an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy—at one point, one of Hrothgar’s men insults Beowulf—the king retires, leaving Beowulf in charge. During the night, Grendel comes from the moors , rips open the heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, who refuses to use a weapon. Beowulf grips one of Grendel’s hands with such force that the monster finally wrenches himself free only when his arm is torn off at the shoulder. Mortally wounded, Grendel returns to his swamp and dies. Beowulf then displays the monster’s arm in Heorot for all to see.

The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot, and a feast is thrown in Beowulf’s honour. However, as the warriors sleep that night, Grendel’s mother, another swamp monster, comes to avenge her son’s death, and she kills one of Hrothgar’s men. In the morning Beowulf dives into her mere (lake) to search for her, and she attacks him. They struggle in her dry cave at the mere’s bottom, and Beowulf finally kills her with a sword. In the cave, Beowulf discovers Grendel’s corpse, whose head he cuts off and takes back to Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more. Hrothgar makes a farewell speech about the character of the true hero, and Beowulf, enriched with honours and princely gifts, returns home to King Hygelac of the Geats.

The second part passes rapidly over Hygelac’s subsequent death in a battle (of historical record), the death of his son, and Beowulf’s succession to the kingship and his peaceful rule of 50 years. However, the tranquility ends when a fire-breathing dragon becomes enraged after a man steals from its treasure-filled lair. The creature begins ravaging Geatland, and the brave but aging Beowulf decides to engage it, despite knowing that he will likely die. The fight is long and terrible—a painful contrast to the battles of his youth. Painful too is the desertion of all his retainers except for his young kinsman Wiglaf, who comes to his aid. They ultimately kill the venomous dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded from a bite in the neck. Before he dies, he names Wiglaf his successor. Beowulf is cremated on a funeral pyre, and his remains are buried in a barrow built by the sea. As his people mourn his death, they also express the fear that, without Beowulf, Geatland will be invaded by nearby tribes.

Beowulf and Literary Criticism

• First Online: 28 September 2016

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• J. C. van Meurs 5  

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This article first appeared in 1955, in volume 39, issue 1 of Neophilologus .

Reprinted from Neophilologus 39 [1955], 114–130.

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Marxist Criticism, Then and Now

Burke, Kenneth: The Philosophy of Literary Form

J. R. R. Tolkien, Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics. Proceedings of the British Academy xxii (1936). References are to the separate edition.

R. E. S. xiv (1938), p. 396 note.

B. J. Timmer, Beowulf: the Poem and the Poet. Neophilologus xxxii (1948), p. 124.

Adrien Bonjour, The Digressions in Beowulf. Medium Aevum Monographs V (Oxford, 1950), p. 70.

Beowulf, edited by C. L. Wrenn (London, 1953), cf. pp. 61 and 70.

Ibid. , p. 43.

See W. W. Lawrence, Beowulf and Epic Tradition. (Cambridge, Mass., 1928), p. 147.

Dorothy Whitelock, The Audience of Beowulf. (Oxford. 1951), p. 1.

See Tolkien, op. cit. , pp. 19–27.

See T. M. Gang, Approaches to Beowulf . R. E. S. iii (1952), p. 11.

Tolkien, op. cit. , p. 21 and W. P. Ker, The Dark Ages . (London, 1904), p. 57.

W. P. Ker, op. cit. , p. 50.

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P. M. L. A. lxviii (March 1953), p. 304.

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Speculum xii (1937).

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Bonjour, op. cit. , p. 307.

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See note 4.

See Bonjour, The Digressions in Beowulf, pp. 1–11.

See Klaeber, op. cit. , p. cvii.

J. R. Hulbert, The Genesis of Beowulf: a Caveat. P. M. L. A. lxvi (1951), p. 1168.

A. Brandl in Paul’s Grundriss der germanischen Philologie. (Strassburg, 1901–1909), 2nd ed., Band II, p. 998.

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H. M. Chadwick, The Heroic Age. (Cambridge, 1912), see esp. pp. 47–56, 73–76 and chapter V.

Ibid. , p. 320.

Tolkien, op. cit. , pp. 27–28.

Joan Blomfield, The Style and Structure of Beowulf , R. E. S. xiv (1938), p. 399.

D. Whitelock, op. cit. , p. 20.

G. A. Smithson, The Old English Christian Epic. (1910) Univ. of California publications in Modern Philology, Vol. I, no. 4.

Cf. Tolkien, op. cit. , p. 24 and Wrenn’s edition of Beowulf, p. 65.

P. F. Baum, The Meter of Beowulf. Modern Philology xlvi (1948–1949), p. 76.

R. W. Chambers, Man’s Unconquerable Mind . (London, 1939), p. 68.

René Wellek and Austin Warren, Theory of Literature. (London, 1949), p. 34.

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van Meurs, J.C. (2016). Beowulf and Literary Criticism. In: Bremmer Jr, R., Porck, T., Ruiter, F., Wilbers, U. (eds) Tracing Paradigms: One Hundred Years of Neophilologus. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33585-8_21

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