Essay on Symbolism in Beowulf - 742 Words

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or ideas. Symbolism is one of the most common practices of writing, and has been used for centuries. Symbols can often tell a story better than a human can because of there deeper meaning. When epic poems became popular during the Anglo-Saxon period they were filled with harrowing tales of bravery, and courage. Epic poems are long narrative poems that often have characters facing impossible tasks and still finding courage to defeat them. While many marvel at the original Anglo-Saxon dialect of Beowulf, Seamus Heanys modern English translation allows all readers to enjoy this tale. Now that it†¦show more content†¦Grendels claw and head are another important symbol. After Beowulf defeats Grendel in a fierce struggle he rips his arm off, and Grendel flees, mortally wounded. Beowulf proudly displayed the hand high up near the roof: the whole of Grendels shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp (Beowulf 334-335). The claw is a symbol of Beowulfs victory, and the fact that it is hung high means that he wants everyone to see it. Beowulf made a boast that he would destroy the monster, and the claw shows that his boast is fulfilled. Grendels mother sees this as an offense, and retrieves her sons arm. Beowulf and his men follow here to a mere where she lives. While underwater Beowulf is captured by her and the two fight in a battle in her underwater cave, which is filled with various treasures. Beowulf defeats Grendels mother and then finds the corpse of her son, Grendel. Beowulf proceeds to decapitate the corpse as the ultimate act of vengeance. Beowulf decides against taking the vast amounts treasure and instead takes the best prize: Glory. In Beowulfs last battle he fights a fierce dragon who guards a treasure trove of great abundance. The trove is filled with treasures from a high-born race (Beowulf 2235).Show MoreRelatedSymbolism In Beowulf724 Words   |  3 PagesHow many people have paid attention to the characters in the Epic â€Å"Beowulf†? Have you noticed the symbolism that each character poses in this Epic Story? Maybe you didnt really observed them enough to realize the have a lot of symbolism behind their character? Lets look at at the Three Monsters that Beowulf had to face and Defeat. One of them being a Strong Ogre/Demon with speed and bloodthirst? Beowulf did not Use a Weapon against Grendel? Well lets take a closer look to this. Every detail canRead MoreSymbolism Of Beowulf716 Words   |  3 PagesIn the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel who is the first monster Beowulf battles snatched up 30 men and it is t o be said that beowulf has the strength of 30 men. Beowulf is an epic poem translated by Burton Raffel. In Beowulf there is three battles with three different monsters, Grendel, Grendels mother, and a dragon. 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Grendel along with his mother portrays evilness and the other is a fire breathing dragon. In the beginning of the story the narrator describes Grendel to be feared among the town and very strong. As said in Beowulf â€Å"He was spawned in that slime, Conceived byRead MoreChristian Allegory in Beowulf1027 Words   |  4 PagesThe Anglo-Saxon poem â€Å"Beowulf† takes the reader back into a time long past; one of family, fate, and fealty. Beowulf offers a glimpse of a society struggling between two different paths, one path being the assimilation into the new Christian traditions and the other is the fast fading past of glorified warriors and family ties. In the poem, the reader can see the attempts of the poet to convey the values and stories of Judeo-Christianity in a society of Anglo-Saxon paganism. 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Throughout Beowulf, swords play a large role of simply a hero’s weapon of choice; however, the motif of swords are crucial to the development of many of the epic poem’s characters, especially Beowulf himself (Culbert 13). The reader is able to perceive Beowulf’s pride, loyalty, and strength all through the bond with his swords;