Beowulf Essay

Beowulf Essay

Modern Heroes

 

An Epic, is a long narrative poem which celebrates and teaches the values of a particular culture or group of people. Some of the most famous epics come from Greece in poems such as the "Iliad" or the "Odyssey". But not all epics came from Greece, "Beowulf" from what is now England and parts of Western Europe, is one such example. And while epics themselves are the tools from which readers and historians pull cultural values from, the hero of the story is what really drives home the meaning and emphasis of times of which they were created. In modern times, epics have changed yet the general purpose to highlight the ideals and values of a society still exist. "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, although published in 1954-1955 displays many of the same values of modern culture through its heroes such as Frodo and Aragorn. And like Beowulf, Frodo and Aragorn symbolize the individuality of their cultures, but at the same time all they embody major principles that were valuable in Beowulf's time and that are still valuable in our time such as courage, honor, and bravery.

 

The story of Beowulf revolves around Beowulf's courage and his feats of strength. His and his sense of confidence, almost to a fault, reflected the need for strength and courage around the tumultuous time in which "Beowulf" was written, but aren't things that are reflected in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". In fact, while Beowulf performs his acts of strength and courage for wealth and honor, Aragorn and Frodo undertake the quest for the One Ring as an act of duty to the greater good and self-sacrifice. Something important in a post WWII Great Britain, but not praised or necessary in 13th Norse Controlled England. And it is these differences in characterization which change the pace and the shape the overvalues seen in each character for their respective epics and stories. But more so than just characterization shaping the values, when looking at epics historical content must also be taken into account to see what values each hero is representing of their culture.

 

 Furthermore, many similarities exist between the heroes of the Lord of the Rings and Beowulf and the symbols they represented of their culture and times in which they were created. Ideals like courage, honor, and duty were all symbolized in their respective epics and important in the cultures of 13th century England and post WWII England. Just as Beowulf was willing to risk his life to save Hrothgar's people from Grendel, Aragorn and Frodo were just as courageous and honorable in their willingness to take the One Ring to Mordor. And it isn't just their commitment to duty or the honor and courage that they displayed, it's also their perseverance and ability to fight through any situation which were ideals needed within the time period they were written. While Beowulf struggles while fighting Grendel's Mother, he continues to fight and struggle despite almost getting killed several times, while Frodo and Aragorn despite traveling in separate directions they both continue on and fight through hordes of orcs and eventually finish the quest which they took upon themselves. These feats of perseverance from the heroes symbolize the need of each culture for its people to continue staying strong and persevering through difficult situations.

Heroes and the stories that they come from are often products of culture and symbolize the values and ideals of they came from. And that idea rings true with the 12th century epic "Beowulf" and the 1954-1955 "Lord of the Rings". And though they come from the same area but different eras they both symbolize the need for strength, perseverance, honor and courage within their individual societies.