James Bantugan

Mrs. Bradley
AP English 12
Period 2
4 November 2016
Beowulf Analysis
The ancient folk tale of Beowulf has been considered one of the greatest works in
Scandinavian and British literature. Being one of the oldest recorded epics from Northern
Europe, its plot and characters are unique to their culture but is similar to epic tales of other
civilizations. One of the main purposes of composing an epic of this caliber is to integrate
political interaction and discourse with their own kingdom and their surrounding neighbors.
Also, since this was written in a time when Christianity dominated society, there are aspects in
which Christian beliefs and doctrine are inserted all throughout the story. According to How to
Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster, the story of Beowulf is identified to have
the key elements of connections with other great works of literature, religion, and politics.
Although the story of Beowulf is unique to Scandinavian culture, its structure is similar
to many works of literature all over the world. In comparison with the epics of ancient
civilizations such as the Mesopotamians or the Greeks, this Germanic tale also has the important
characteristics of a hero as well as the specific elements of a plot for an epic. In most epics, a
hero is generally someone who inherits some inhuman power or quality that makes them special
from the rest of their society. For example, Greek demigods, which are a mix between a human
and a god, have the mortality of a man as well as a godly power that allows them to survive
impossible battles with mythical monsters. The heroes of epics tend to have an impulsive and

courageous personality as well as a desire to gain honor and glory. They must also complete
some great achievement or quest that their society would value as valiant and heroic. In
Beowulfs case, he isnt related to God but does have abilities no one could physically achieve.
Swimming across a sea for seven days, wrestling with Grendel barehanded and holding his
breath for many hours as he sank to the bottom of a lake are all physically impossible. In terms
of his character and personality, Beowulf was a young energetic warrior from Geatland who took
every opportunity to gain riches and glory. Before dying a warriors death, he killed Grendel,
Grendels mother and the dragon, earned vast amounts of treasure and ensured peace to the
Danish and Geat kingdoms. Beowulf and his great accomplishments caused him to be honored
and admired by his own people. Since this tale follows the structural criteria of an epic, it is
essentially similar to the other great literary works of distant civilizations.
Although the story of Beowulf is an original tale of the Anglo-Saxons, it is heavily
influenced by Christian beliefs and ideas. Prior to being written down centuries after its first
telling, the story of Beowulf was told orally for a few centuries. This means that there may have
been sections of the story in which the Christian aspects may have never existed. For example, in
accordance with Norse mythology, the Scandinavian tribes would have praised the gods instead
of the one true God. Grendel, the supposed son of Cain, would have possibly been the son of an
evil deity in the norse beliefs. Perhaps Grendel may have been imagined or changed since oral
tradition tends to slightly alter the story every generation. Going back to the Christian aspects of
the story, the author wrote in a way that portrays Beowulf as a Jesus figure. Since the author
lived in a Christian society, heroes would have been portrayed as godly and inhumanely
powerful. Beowulfs feats and great deeds have somewhat deified himself, symbolically relating
him to Jesus Christ. He takes on the roles as being a savior and a sacrifice for his people. In the

beginning of the story, Heorot has been plagued by the vicious attacks from Grendel, a humanoid
creature and descendant of Cain. Beowulf, the savior of the Danes, arrives and cleanses the evil
that has been harassing them for twelve years. He portrays as a sacrifice to both the Danes and
the Geats by single-handedly slaying Grendels mother and the dragon, thus protecting them
from all evil. Other aspects of importance include that Beowulf was celibate as was Jesus. Also,
when Wealthow, wife of Hrothgar, gave the chalice of wine to all everyone in Heorot, it not only
symbolized the importance of the hierarchy but also as communion with one another. The wine is
the symbol of Christs blood during the Last Supper.
Since this is a story about glorifying a hero, there is bound to be an essence of political
influence for Beowulfs people. In the prologue, the author lists the lineage of the royal family of
the Danes, talking about how great the kings were in their times, including the current one. The
reason why the author does this is not only to respect the Danish people but to bring glory to
Beowulf when he saves them. Upon arriving in Heorot, the Danes have been severely weakened
from the twelve years of Grendel attacks. Beowulf settles the initial conflict with Grendel and
repays his debt. When Grendels Mother attacks the Danes in revenge, they employ Beowulf to
slay her as well. When they watched Beowulf descend into the water, they broke the warrior
code and left him. This glorifies Beowulf even more because now he brought forth peace to their
kingdom, defeated two monsters on his own and came home loaded with treasure. The author
implicitly made the Danes look weak so that a Geat hero can save them. This would in turn
greatly increase Geat prestige and military might that would influence their neighbors in
diplomacy.
One millenia later, modern scholars still dont know why Beowulf was written down
hundreds of years after it was first orally spoken. Perhaps it was written down to preserve the

memory of a long forgotten hero of the Anglo-Saxons or to entertain lords in their mead halls.
We dont know much about the author who could have been a court poet or a monk in a
monastery as well as the authors intentions of writing it down. All of these points are up to
debate and speculation. One possible reason why Beowulf was written down could have been to
enhance the prestige of a lord or king. Just as how Augustus Caesar hired Virgil to write the
Aeneid in order trace the emperors lineage to Aeneas, a case with Beowulfs story could relate
to this event. Historically, the story of Beowulf was written in 1000 AD in Scandinavia. After
researching this period in the Medieval Era, The Swedes had risen to become the dominant
power in the lands of its current day territory. Perhaps the reason why Beowulf was written was
to enhance the prestige and legitimacy of the Swedish king to relate him to the great hero
Beowulf and to trace his lineage back to his roots. Considering Beowulfs story is full of
references to politics and religion, this may have been the best case as to why Beowulf was
recorded centuries after its origin.
Beowulf is an old and magnificent epic about a mighty and fearless Geat warrior who
slew many monsters and brought forth peace and prosperity to his people. Written down by a
monk in the eleventh century, the storys true origin and intention is unclear. Having its hearth in
Scandinavia, the story is similar to other great epics of ancient civilizations. It contains many
aspects of Christian beliefs and doctrine as well as an essence of political intentions. Overall, the
structure of the epic is complex and embedded in many levels of analysis.