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Essay / Underlying message of the poem: Does Beowulf glorify violence? Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay In the epic poem Beowulf, the relationship between aggression and heroism is complicated and thought-provoking, especially when a contemporary reader is confronted with the opinions expressed by the perspective of the Anglo-Saxon cultural base. The challenge is therefore to interpret and understand the complex vision of violence presented by the anonymous Anglo-Saxon narrator. The narrator paints a contrasting picture of the glorious violence, which brings honor to the warrior, and the tragic violence, which permeates the relations between the Anglo-Saxon tribes. The most prominent examples of violence in the epic of Beowulf are the descriptions of Beowulf's battles. These descriptions are long, detailed and usually filled with blood. While this may seem shocking to a modern audience, the framing of these violent descriptions makes it clear that these events are worthy of praise and admiration. When Beowulf first boasts of his honor to Hrothgar, he points out that “all knew of my awesome strength. They saw me swallowed up in the blood of enemies” (Beowulf 418). The text clearly implies that Beowulf's "forceful revenge of the Geats" is glorious and heroic (423). The language surrounding Beowulf and his exploits is haughty and elegant, glorifying the severity of the violence he uses. Likewise, his aggressive actions towards the "monster" Grendel, when "the sinews split and...the bones burst", deserve not only praise, but also a banquet and celebration from all of Hrothgar's kingdom (816 -17). ). This supports Mallory Carlson's statement in her essay ENGL 41: "Violence is at the heart of every action and every cultural norm adopted by the Germanic characters in Beowulf, so much so that the violence actually transcends its thematic nature and begins to develop into a kind of ideal virtue. » Apart from this heroic bull, however, there is a clear difference in tone between the descriptions of the glory of Beowulf and the numerous Anglo-Saxon quarrels. The first, and perhaps clearest, example comes in the form of a poem within a poem. After Beowulf's triumph over Grendel, a scop sings a ballad telling the tragic story of the Danish girl Hildeburgh, who is given as a bride to King Finn of the Jutes as collateral to end a long history of revenge killings. However, a quarrel breaks out once again and “son and brother [and husband], / she lost them...on the battlefield” (1072). Unlike descriptions of Beowulf's battle, which focused on his actions and the violent images of combat, Hildeburgh's story focuses on feelings of loss and on his "sharp moans and chants" as are the members of his family. burned on the funeral pyre (1119). The story ends not with the triumph of either side, but with the loss of many men on both sides, "the valiant Finn slain in his house" and a heartbroken Hildeburgh carried back to her native land (1146) . The story is clearly not one of heroism, but of tragedy. Likewise, the various accounts of Anglo-Saxon tribal history are replete with examples of tragic violence. The decades of battles between the Swedes and the Geats highlight example after example of revenges and battles that only lead to more vengeances and battles. As Carlson says in his essay: “The pattern of violence in Beowulf...creates a kind of cosmic irony. Since revenge is highly valued in Anglo-Saxon cultures, there is always justification for human death. » With the exception of the reign of_)
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