Beowulfs call for the dragon to face him on open ground has the same primal feel to it as his youthful decision to fight Grendel unarmed. Previous Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Wiglaf decides that the treasure hoard, because it is tainted by the cowardice of the men who should have supported Beowulf, should become part of Beowulf's funeral pyre and barrow: . [22], Beowulf's eventual death from the dragon presages "warfare, death, and darkness" for his Geats. Reblogged this on Willow's Corner and commented: But then trouble strikes, changing his situation when he's an old man. It towers high and is compared to a cliff. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the dragon's treasure-trove. In addition, the poem Havamal also speaks of how everyone must die, except a mans reputation. The dragon's treasure-trove poignantly represents the vanity of human wishes as well as the mutability of time. He cuts the dragon in the belly to reduce the flames, and Beowulf deals the fatal blow. Beowulf has an almost divine strength, but also something primal and temporal, but just as valuable: the courage of a wolf. ", Peter Gainsford noted in the article "The Deaths of Beowulf and Odysseus: Narrative Time and Mythological Tale Types" that "In the twenty-first century Beowulf does not lack for commentators to defend the literary merit of the dragon episode". Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Rather than directly drawing on the work of Homer and Virgil, the Beowulf poet simply seems to have hit upon the idea of using similar plot devices and character types. [21] The people's fate depend on the outcome of the fight between the hero and the dragon, and, as a hero, Beowulf must knowingly face death. Under Beowulfs reign, the feuding with Sweden eventually ceased when Beowulf avenged Hygelacs death. The dragon's motivation is vengeance even though the poet makes it clear that the fire-breathing reptile, like the deceased warriors, has no use for the cup or any of the rest of the treasure. swift roan Horses played an important role among the royalty, but most of the fighting was executed on foot. The poet has no reservations about giving away his ending. The ancient treasures in the hoard once belonged to a regional tribe of warriors; almost the entire tribe was killed in battle some 300 years previously. WebThe fight with the dragon symbolizes Beowulf's stand against evil and destruction, and, as the hero, he knows that failure will bring destruction to his people after many years of The throne comes to Beowulf, who The problem is that Beowulf was a young man during those glorious battles. Beowulf then asks that a barrow be built on a cliff overlooking the sea that sea travelers will later call Beowulf's barrow. The Seamus Heaney translation is what we recommend, unless youre up for tackling the poem in the original Old English (and if so, good luck!). At this point, we assume that the gold hoard will be taken out of the dragon's barrow and put to use. Indeed, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many scholars endeavoured to show that the author of Beowulf had been influenced by these classical works, but, in summary, the truth appears to be far more interesting. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. Here, the tension is similar but even more frustrating. [30][31] The presence of a companion is seen as a motif in other dragon stories, but the Beowulf poet breaks hagiographic tradition with the hero's suffering (hacking, burning, stabbing) and subsequent death. It begins to emerge nightly from its barrow to torment the countryside, still seething with rage at the theft. He The poem ends with Beowulfs burial at sea, which is described in much detail why this might be is discussed below. WebThe Danes bury the treasure because this was one of Beowulf's last commands before dying after fighting the dragon. Following his victory over the two monsters, Beowulf then returns to the waters surface (at noon which, interestingly, when the poem was written, was actually three oclock in the afternoon, or the ninth hour after dawn) before rejoining his men and journeying back to the hall for mead and rejoicing. Beowulf is indeed a fascinating work and I always look forward to introducing my students to this foundation of hero motifs. Major Themes in Beowulf. When Grendel's mother is able to fight Beowulf in the cave, she has a distinct advantage; his victory is all the more significant. He commissions a mighty shield from the iron-smith, one that hehopes will stand up against the breath of flame. eNotes Editorial, 16 Sep. 2016, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-happens-dragons-hoard-330006. No, it turns out that the first part of Beowulfs name is more probably related to a pre-Christian god named Beow. It is only as a means of creating bonds in society that treasure has value. dawn-scorcher, flame-snake, the worm epithets for the dragon. Hrothgar's great mead-hall, The dragons hoard is buried with Beowulfs ashes. As a monster that represents the opposite of a generous king and therefore is a destroyer rather than creator of society, it should come as no surprise that the dragon would burn Beowulf's mead-hall. On Beowulf What happens to the dragon and its treasure? The defeat of his people had left the treasures to deteriorate. [41], The poet Seamus Heaney, author of a major translation of Beowulf, suggests that Beowulf's attitude towards fighting the dragon reflects his "chthonic wisdom refined in the crucible of experience", that is there is already a "beyond-the-grave aspect" to his resoluteness. Battle-Scylfings Swedes. Not just Beowulf's own life is at stake. Beowulf This section moves us into the third part of the poem, which centers around the aged Beowulfs fight with the dragon. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. When Beowulf hears of the dragon's night raids, the king initially wonders if he could have angered God in some way, bringing this trouble to his people. The circumstances surrounding and leading up to Beowulfs confrontation with the dragon prepare us for a climactic spectacle. xxiii-xxxvii. "What happens to the dragon's hoard?" for a group? Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. [27] The dragon's hoard is representative of a people lost and antique, which is juxtaposed against the Geatish people, whose history is new and fleeting. Since translation is a form of interpretation, I believe Heaneys translation is particularly biased in thinking about Beowulf in the ancient Ango-Saxon tale and makes Beowulf a more complex character than the original tale describes, torn by his glorious role as epic hero and his duty to his people within a carefully constructed social structure. So he does what lesser men would fear to do: he wrestles the monster with his bare hands, eventually tearing off one of its arms. Men must endure their going hence, as Shakespeare has it inKing Lear (a line borrowed for C. S. Lewiss tombstone). Wiglaf kills the dragon halfway through the scene, Beowulf's death occurs "after two-thirds" of the scene,[32] and the dragon attacks Beowulf three times. Beowulf is the oldest extant heroic poem in English and the first to present a dragon slayer. In This depiction indicates the growing importance and stabilization of the modern concept of the dragon within European mythology. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Just as the dead warriors cannot use the treasure, neither can the dragon. . Beowulf Lines 22112515 Summary & Analysis In the previous section, the reader learns only that Beowulf came to the throne after Hygelacs death and ruled for fifty years. The emphasis on the treasure itself in this section rehashes the moral ambiguity of materialism caused by the overlaying of a Christian value system on a pagan story. In the Septuagint, Job's monster is characterized as a draco, and identified with the devil. It also looks back to Greek and Roman epics like Homers Odyssey and Virgils Aeneid. For 300 years, the dragon has peacefully guarded a treasure-trove, originally the riches of a now-defunct tribe but long hidden in a "high barrow-hall, / towering stone-mound" (2212-13). A great dragon lurks beneath the earth, jealously guarding its treasure, until one day a thief manages to infiltrate the barrow, or mound, where the treasure lies. The parallel in the story lies with the similarity to Beowulf's hero Sigemund and his companion: Wiglaf is a younger companion to Beowulf and, in his courage, shows himself to be Beowulf's successor. Reblogged this on Storey on a Story Blog and commented: He is the protector of his people and almost immediately begins preparations to fight the dragon. from your Reading List will also remove any His son, Heardred, inherits the throne, with Beowulf's support, but is also slain. Grendel flees, eventually dying of his wound. Theres an excellent film called The Thirteenth Warrior, in which an exiled Islamic poet joins a band of Vikings to defeat what appears to be a Beowulfian monster attacking a hall. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs You'll be billed after your free trial ends. The final encounter, with the dragon years later, will prove the most difficult of all and although he is successful and overcomes the monster, he will pay the ultimate price: victory will come at the cost of his own life. Talking of Tolkien, it was his influential 1936 essay, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, which was really responsible for a shift in the way that people read Beowulf. Think of Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire, or Frodo for that matter, inThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings (and, indeed, well return to Tolkien shortly). "[8] Furthermore, Tolkien believes the Beowulf poet emphasizes the monsters Beowulf fights in the poem and claims the dragon is as much of a plot device as anything. Please wait while we process your payment. Beowulf now is clearly an old man. That lends special meaning to his victories and to Beowulf's eventual liberation of the hall from the ravages of the ogres. This is a matter of some conjecture, with guesses ranging anywhere between the eighth century and the first half of the eleventh century. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Upon returning home, Beowulf was offered the throne by the widowed Hygd, who knew that her own son was too young and inexperienced to be an effective ruler. Complete your free account to request a guide. In a parallel that cannot be missed, the dragon does the same, in a slightly different way, to Beowulf. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. To a greater or lesser extent, it can be seen in much modern fantasy fiction such as that by Tolkien. and any corresponding bookmarks? Beowulf and Wiglaf (Lines 27112845). The dragon is the opposite of a good king, hoarding treasure instead of rewarding loyalty and building a society. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The dragon was cut in two by Beowulf before he died. I would argue that Grendels mother (who is interestingly only ever referred to as the mother) commits her acts of revenge out of grief, as well as anger. Refine any search. The sword melts to its hilt after Beowulf uses it to decapitate The producers showed some respect for scholarship by including authentic details, for instance the rituals surrounding the ship burial of a Viking chief. The contrast drawn between Hrothgar, who earlier calls on the young Beowulf to eradicate Grendel, and the now old Beowulf, who enlists no such help against the dragon, accentuates Beowulfs valor and instills in us a confidence that Beowulf is still mighty enough to eradicate a menacing foe. After Heardred's death, Beowulf did become king and ruled his people well for 50 years. [37] Raymond Wilson Chambers, in his Beowulf: An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn, says that Beowulf's dragon acts like "the typical dragon of Old English proverbial lore" because he guards treasure. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% The film being referenced in the comment above by poetmcgonagall, is a film adaptation of Michael Crightons excellent Eaters of the Dead which gives a facinating take on the Beowulf/Grendel legend. Hygelac fell while Beowulf survived thanks to his great strength and swimming ability. But the anecdote of the Last Survivor, which tells how the gold came to be buried in the barrow, demonstrates a different ethos. (For more on Tolkien, have a read of our five fascinating facts about him.). As the good king he is, Beowulf has given his life not only to protect his people from the dragon but also to provide his people with enough wealth to take care of them after he is gone. Always conscious of weapons and tactics, Beowulf prepares by ordering a new shield, made of iron, since the dragon-fire would make short sparks of his usual linden-wood. At line 3028, it is written that the messenger's predictions eventually came true. An Interesting Summary | the shadows illuminated, https://goodmusicspeaks.wordpress.com/good-music-speaks-podcast-3/. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. I have a copy of Beowolf which I confess to my shame Ive never read despite it being on my shelf for more than 30 years. The dragon fight is foreshadowed with earlier events: Scyld Shefing's funeral and Sigmund's death by dragon, as recounted by a bard in Hrothgar's hall. funnily enough with a podcast i was listening to yesterday made by a music blogger, who did a 20 minute podcast on the 12 bar blues https://goodmusicspeaks.wordpress.com/good-music-speaks-podcast-3/. The poet relates that many centuries earlier, the last survivor of an ancient race buried the treasure in the barrow when he realized that the treasure would be of no use to him because he, like his ancestors, was destined to die. When Grendel invades the hall, he knows that he strikes at the very heart of the Scyldings. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. The final act of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf includes Beowulf's fight with a dragon, the third monster he encounters in the epic. Beowulf and a troop of men leave to find the dragon's lair. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. At his death, peace in his lands will end, and his people will again suffer a period of war and hardship. 361-62.) Butthe monster which is described as resembling a troll cannot be killed with a blade, as Beowulf soon realises. In his last moments, Beowulf focuses more on his good qualities as a king than as a warrior. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. [40] Tolkien is here quoting a passage from R. W. Chambers's essay "Beowulf and the 'Heroic Age' in England. Beowulf is a classic overcoming the monster story. The dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. But because the specific details of the story are not widely known, numerous misconceptions about the poemabound. Everyone is dead. It opens with an account of a Danish king named Hrothgar, who was the one responsible for building a great hall (named Heorot), a hall which is now being terrorised by the monstrous Grendel. Latest answer posted September 20, 2017 at 7:28:10 PM. Complete your free account to request a guide. Did not Hrothgar warn him of this in the sermon? Sometimes God and wyrd are virtually interchangeable in the poem, possibly the result of Christian substitution. WebWhat happens with the dragon's treasure at the end of the story, and what could this symbolize? They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Accessed 2 May 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. -Graham S. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Beowulf could have become king sooner but was more loyal than ambitious. It is set in Denmark, has a Swedish hero, and when read in the original Anglo-Saxon seems almost more German than English. Beowulfs name, by the way, was long thought to mean bee-wolf, as in the two animals. He burns vast amounts of territory and the homes of the Geats: "the dragon began to belch out flames / and burn bright homesteads". Ive just startd reading Seamus Heaneys translation and I must say its easy to follow so far! Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. Beowulf declined, however, not wanting to disturb the order of succession. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Waking up to find Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Beowulf and his men spend the night at Heorot and wait for Grendel to turn up. Like Beowulf, the dragon uses its strength to accrue a huge mound of treasure, but in the end all the treasure does is bring about its death. The treasure also brings about Beowulfs death. Possibly the poems Christian narrator sees greed for treasure as a kind of spiritual death, suffered by pagans who value treasure over Heaven. [39] Adrien Bonjour opined in 1953 that the dragon's "ultimate significance in the poem" remains a "mystery". Beowulf only succeeds in vanquishing the monster when he grabs a magic sword from the pile of treasure lying in the monsters lair, and is able to behead the monster with the weapon. Why does Unferth question Beowulfs ability? Beowulf is a classic overcoming the monster story. The treasure is to be buried rather than shared by He speaks of the mutability of time and the loss of the good men, heroes, and princes, who no longer have any use for the treasure. The claw is hung high beneath Heorot's roof (most likely on the outside beneath the gables) as a symbol of Beowulf's victory. Only when Hygelacs son met his end in a skirmish against the Swedes did Beowulf ascend the throne. The dragon, like Grendel, only Historical Context Essay: Christianity in Anglo-Saxon Society, Literary Context Essay: Old English Poetry. [45], J. R. R. Tolkien used the dragon story of Beowulf as a template for Smaug of The Hobbit; in each case, the dragon awakens upon the hoard being disturbed by one stealing a chalice and goes into a wrathful rampage until slain by another person. the language of the Angles and Saxons from north Germany)wasOld English (the two terms are used synonymously), and at the very latest the poem was written down some time in the early eleventh century, before 1066 and the Norman invasion, which would bring many French words into English and would pave the way for Middle English (or the English of the Middle Ages). Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Perhaps someone will (or has) written a history of the treasure and the barrow - it could make a very adventurous tale, in which Beowulf's battle with the dragon, and the reinternment of the treasure in his funeral mound (the gold having gone back into the earth for the third time) might be merely one short chapter. The Geats have a long feud with the Scylfings. [24] Before he faces the dragon, Beowulf thinks of his past: his childhood and wars the Geats endured during that period, foreshadowing the future. Although he has been given a strong sword (named Hrunting) by Unferth (a man who had previously doubted Beowulf the sword is given as a token of friendship), Beowulf finds this sword useless against Grendels mother. [11] Also, the Beowulf poet created a dragon with specific traits: a nocturnal, treasure-hoarding, inquisitive, vengeful, fire-breathing creature. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the [35] Conversely, Kemp Malone writes in "The Kenning in Beowulf" that Beowulf's fight with the dragon receives much critical attention, but that commentators fail to note that "the dragon was no fighter. As useless to mortals as in foregoing eras. One sole survivor, who is called the "keeper of rings" (2244), hid the treasures in the high barrow-hall and soon died. [17][18], Beowulf's fight with the dragon has been described variously as an act of either altruism[19] or recklessness. This patterning of three three monsters, each of which proves successively more of a challenge to the hero is found in numerous adventure plots. He thus stands in contrast to the power-hungry usurper Hrothulf. WebIn Beowulf, gold, treasure, and gifts are less important for their economic value than their social value. Before long, however, the aging warrior focuses on his responsibility as protector and prepares to face the monster in battle.
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