Heroic Identity in the World of Beowulf - Essay Example

It is evidently clear from the discussion that the epic poem Beowulf was composed between the 8th and 11th centuries. Later in 1815, this work was published by Grimur Jonsson Thorkelin. The poem portrays the heroic deeds of Beowulf (say, a Scandinavian hero) including his fights with Grendel (say, a monster) and its mother. Besides, Beowulf was proclaimed as the king of Geats. Later, he fought with a dragon and got seriously wounded, which resulted in his death. His body was buried in Geatland with full honor.

So, one can see that Beowulf’s attitude towards life transformed him from a hero to a king.  In the work Beowulf, the anonymous author makes use of the protagonist (Beowulf)’s heroism to expose the relationship between heroism and success in human life. Considering the growth and development of the epic poem within the context of literature, the work is convincing. For instance, the work portrays the development of Beowulf from a warrior to a king. In Liuzza’s work, Wulfgar made clear that “There have arrived here over the sea’s expanse, come from afar, men of Geats; the oldest among them, the fighting men called Beowulf”.

One can easily identify that Beowulf’s heroism/chivalry is the grass root level reason behind his growth and development. Besides, the work provides ample importance to the history of Anglo-Saxon settlement in England. At the same time, the author overlooked Beowulf’s personal life. One can see that details on personal life, especially the feelings of an individual, must be the core of a literary work. As the work is an epic poem which is related to the protagonist’s heroic deeds, the author ignored his personal life.

From a different angle of view, the author overemphasized the folklore which prevailed in Scandinavian nations, not the folklore and folktales of England. One can see that the plot or the theme of this work is not related to British history because it is related to Scandinavian heroism. So, the overemphasis given a foreign hero is not helpful to develop patriotism and a nationalistic feeling among the people. On the other side, the cultural influence of the Anglo-Saxon invasion proves that the same played an important role in the cultural amalgamation.

For instance, the work’s plot proves that Beowulf is a Scandinavian hero, but the work was written in England. So, one can see that the author presented a balanced view of the plot by connecting the same with the positive effect of Anglo-Saxon invasion. In short, the author’s ultimate aim of cultural amalgamation provides a balanced view of heroism. This epic poem is really interesting because one can have a deeper understanding of the oral/folklore tradition of literature which prevailed in Europe.

Besides, Beowulf’s heroism helps one to travel through a virtual reality world of fantasy and adventure. But this work annoyed me because of Beowulf’s tragic death, in the end, proves that his heroic deeds are not compensated. On the other side, his mind was filled with adventure and his life as the king of Geats made him idle. But his untimely death proves that the people of Geats are still under the terror of supernatural creatures. This helplessness faced by the people of Geats is really annoying me as a reader.

If I happen to meet the author, I will ask him/her to change the climax of the work. For instance, Beowulf can hand over his kingdom to his supporters and continue his adventurous journey. This will be interesting because the readers can enjoy more adventurous stories of Beowulf.