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Nicholas Tirch

Mr. Rosenbusch

Honors English 12

28 September 2020

Beowulf Care for Fame and Glory

Beowulf is a perfect example of the Anglo-Saxon values. Strength, courage, loyalty, and

the person’s glory and fame were all major values that brought respect upon a person, as they

were seen as a prime example of a perfect human and leader for their tribe. Beowulf displays

these values throughout his life and through his service to King Hrothgar’s kingdom. After

hearing of a terrible monster over the land, Beowulf ventures to save the land and gain his fame

and glory, but also display his strength and courage. Beowulf shows these values with his tales

and events displayed throughout his adventure. Demonstrating Anglo-Saxon values everywhere

he went. Truly sacrificing his life for the kingdom for both the fame and glory, but also because

of his courage and strength, Beowulf can be considered the greatest of all time to the Anglo-

Saxon people.

As Beowulf mightily arrives in the Kingdom, he proclaims his strength and courage in

front of King Hrothgar and his men in the tavern space. Claiming that he has ventured all of this

way to serve before Hrothgar’s men and to save the day for the kingdom, and to stop Grendel’s

killing of the people. “Now Grendel and I are called / Together, and I’ve come: Grant me then, /

Lord and protector of this noble place / A single request! I have come so far / Oh shelterer of

warriors and your people’s loved friend / That this one favor you should not refuse me / That I,

alone and with the help of my men / May purge all evil from this hall” (Beowulf 159-166).

Showing his strength and courage here, Beowulf proclaims that denying him from attempting to
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put up a fight against Grendel is a favor that should not be refused. In doing this in front of the

people, Beowulf’s Anglo-Saxon values shine as he willingly steps up to face the monster that no

one has come close to defeating, single-handedly knowing that he may die in the process. This is

a major act of courage for Beowulf, showing he is more than just for the fame and glory, but a

person that is the greatest Anglo-Saxon of all time.

As the suspense of the battle of Grendel and Beowulf grew close, Beowulf had claimed

he would only fight the vicious monster with his bare hands, toe to toe, as he was not scared of

the beast. Ready to fight the monster as he planned to attack the hall as he had before. Beowulf

waited as the battle grew near. Grendel had arrived and the battle between the two erupted in the

hall. Herot was able to hold the battle as it could withstand everything but fire. The sounds of

struggling echoed through and they realized the sounds had changed as Grendel’s tears were

made by Grendel. “As Grendel and Beowulf battled across them. / Hrothgar’s wise men had

fashioned Herot / To stand forever; only fire / They had planned, could shatter what such skill

had put / Together, swallow in hot flames such splendor / Of ivory and iron and wood.

Suddenly / writhing: twisting; struggling / The sounds changed, the Danes started / In new terror,

cowering in their beds as the terrible / Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang / In the darkness,

the horrible shrieks of pain / And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s / Taut throat, hell’s

captive caught in the arms / Of him who of all the men on earth / Was the strongest” (Beowulf

459-472). Beowulf again shows the values everyone looked for in an Anglo-Saxon. Going toe to

toe with this beast who killed many, many people, he also fought him with his bare hands. With

this confidence, when Grendel had arrived the battle changed unexpectedly from the perspective

of Hrothgar’s men. They realized the struggling and shrieks of pain were coming from Grendel,

as Beowulf has defeated the beast, displaying the core four values of Anglo-Saxon beliefs.
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Beowulf repeats to show these Anglo-Saxon values following the monster’s mother’s

attack. Following after her, Beowulf swam and, “...He leaped into the lake, would not wait for

anyone’s / Answer; the heaving water covered him / Over. For hours he sank through the

waves; / At last he saw the mud of the bottom. / And all at once the greedy she-wolf / Who’d

ruled those waters for half a hundred / Years discovered him, saw that a creature / From above

had come to explore the bottom / Of her wet world. / She welcomed him in her claws / Clutched

at him savagely but could not harm him” (Beowulf 570-579). Going after her even when he

could have given up after defeating Grendel, Beowulf still shows his courage and strength when

going to kill the mother. During the battle, Beowulf shows more courage and strength as she has

Beowulf in a difficult position and can almost end the battle, but he perseveres, “And in an

instant, she had him down, held helpless. / Squatting with her weight: on his stomach she drew /

A dagger, brown with dried blood and prepared / To avenge her only son. But he was stretched /

On his back, and her stabbing blade was blunted / By the woven mail shirt he wore on his chest. /

The hammered links held; the point / Could not touch him. He’d have traveled to the bottom of

the earth / Edgetho’s son, and died there, if that shining \ Woven metal had not helped—and

Holy God, who sent him victory, gave judgment / For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens /

Once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting / Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy /

Sword, hammered by giants, strong / And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons / But

so massive that no ordinary man could lift / Its carved and decorated length. He drew it / From its

scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt / And then, savage, now, angry / And desperate, lifted it high

over his head / And struck with all the strength he had left / Caught her in the neck and cut it

through / Broke bones and all. Her body fell to the floor, lifeless” (Beowulf 620-644). Beowulf’s
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strength and courage are represented at all times in the writings. As he keeps pushing for

greatness and selflessly fights the beasts for the good of all the people.

Beowulf shows strength, courage, loyalty, and fame throughout the story. As he fights

beasts and stays loyal to the people and King Hrothgar. He shows his strength in his battles as he

defeats both monsters, one with his bare hands. Courage never falls short as one of the values

shown as he takes on the beasts and perseveres through all his battles. Beowulf can largely be

considered the greatest of all time.

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Works Cited

Harmer, Richard, translator. “Dream of the Rood”. 1970. Raffel, Burton, and Seamus Heaney,

translators. Beowulf. Pearson Education, Inc., 2012.

Stanford, Ann, translator. “The Wife’s Lament”. Pearson Education, Inc., 2012.

Wilde, Oscar, and Jill Nevile. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press, 2008.