Thursday, July 18, 2019
ââ¬ÅBeowulfââ¬Â References Essay
à ââ¬Å"Beowulfâ⬠is rich in references to Fate, which is described or as a ââ¬Å"armor of Creatorâ⬠and identical to divine intent, or is shown as an independent force. Really, belief in Fate took primary place in before-Christian ideology of Germans. During the battle with Grendelââ¬â¢s mother, Fate as force unites with Fate as divine intent. Although Beowulf is an instrument in divine hands, in hands of Fate, for his people he IS the Fate ââ¬â he embodies Fate. He says: ââ¬Å"Fate goes ever as fate mustâ⬠(line 455). Beowulf believes in fate and he challenges it ââ¬â when he comes to Chrodgar and asks him to give him honor to protect fortress from monster Grendel, he tells that fate should judge and decide whoââ¬â¢ll stay alive. And if heââ¬â¢ll be killed, so this is fate. He says about fate also when he remembers his contest with Brecca, where they wanted to find out who is the better swimmer, when they swam for 5 days, and then lost each other in the sea; a sea monster attacked him, but again, fate saved Beowulf: by his own words ââ¬Å"Fate often saves an undoomed man if his courage holds.â⬠(ââ¬Å"Beowulfâ⬠) He believed in honesty and fate, so he took off his chain armor and sword and gave all this to his companion ââ¬â he could kill Grendel by sword, but he wanted to win in an honest contest ââ¬â this was his free will. Grendel is (as we can see in text) sent by Fate; they call him ââ¬Å"Cainââ¬â¢s sonâ⬠and a devil, which came to punish the people. Grendel is ââ¬Å"darknessâ⬠and Beowulf is ââ¬Å"lightâ⬠ââ¬â this tension between dark and light is repeated in the text several times. Although Grendel came, expecting ââ¬Å"plentiful meatâ⬠, ââ¬Å"It was his fate that he eat no more of the race of men after that nightâ⬠. Grendel is called ââ¬Å"Grendel, Hellââ¬â¢s friend, Godââ¬â¢s enemyâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Beowulfâ⬠) Beowulf kills Grendel being a Fate instrument: ââ¬Å"The end of Grendelââ¬â¢s life wasà miserable, and he would travelà far into the hands of fiends. Grendel, the foe of God, who hadà long troubled the spirits of men with his crimes, found thatà his body could not stand against the hand grip of that warriorâ⬠. (ââ¬Å"Beowulfâ⬠) When Beowulf embodies ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠, Grendel embodies ââ¬Å"evilâ⬠. Grendel and Daghrevn (lets compare with English ââ¬Å"dark ravenâ⬠) ââ¬â it indicates the real essence of Daghrevn. Remember that in middle age ââ¬Å"Northernâ⬠poetics raven is a symbol of trouble and Fate (Hamilton, M.P, p.113). And when Beowulf kills Daghrevn ââ¬â it embodies the new stage in the life of Beowulf ââ¬â stage of struggle with Fate. In case killing of Grendel is necessity, killing of dragon has element of chance. Mystical power of Daghrevn is higher then even Grendelââ¬â¢s mother had, so here is the Fate. The destiny of Beowulf is decided after he killed dragon ââ¬â from now on the instrument of fate is not Beowulf- it is dragon, who (how it was repeated not once, from formal point of view) was right. But Beowulf also was right. So, Beowulf acts from the God, and dragon from the Fate (Blackburn, F.A, p.45). But, because Fate is a divine justice, both Beowulf and dragon die. In another case it would be that the God had contradictions with himself, it means, with his instrument ââ¬â the Fate, which is immanent to him. Continuum is stabilized. The God is united with his divine instrument ââ¬â the Fate. Works Cited: Anonymous, Beowulf Klaeber, F.R. ed. D.C. Heath & Co. 1950. Hamilton, M.P. ââ¬Å"The Religious Principleâ⬠in An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism. University of Notre Dame Press. 1963. Blackburn, F.A. ââ¬Å"The Christian Colouring in the Beowulfâ⬠in An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism. University of Notre Dame Press. 1963. Ã
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.