Beowulf Commentary

Jake Wythers
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
12/13/08

Beowulf Commentary

“But the earl-troop’s leader was not inclined
to allow his caller to depart alive:
he did not consider that life of much account
to anyone anywhere. Time and again,
Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend
Their lord’s life, laying about them
As best they could with their ancestral blades.
Stalwart in action, they kept striking out
On every side, seeking to cut
straight to the soul. When they joined the struggle
there was something they could not have known at the
time,
that no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s art
could ever damage their demon opponent.
He had conjured the harm from the cutting edge
of ever weapon. But his going away
out of this world and the days of his life
would be agony to him, and his alien spirit
would travel far into the fiends’ keeping."

This section of Beowulf is important because it characterizes Grendel as a nearly unstoppable foe, a monster who can’t be defeated by ordinary people. In turn, this makes Beowulf and his feat of slaying Grendel more extraordinary. Another interesting thing about this passage is that right after describing the power of Grendel, his inevitable spiritual doom is also foretold.
“No blade on earth, no blacksmith’s weapon could ever damage their demon opponent.” (Heaney 795) This sentence is critical in the passage and in the whole book because it tells the audience that no weapon could harm Grendel. This would make killing him a daunting task, because all the society knew to fight with were blacksmith’s weapons. By defeated such a foe with his bare hands, Beowulf becomes even more legendary and heroic.
This passage, like much of Beowulf, makes use of alliteration in nearly every line. The repeat of consonants calls attention to certain words, especially when read aloud. “Stalwart in action, they kept striking out on every side, seeking to cut straight to the soul.” (780)This sentence in particular has a lot of alliteration. The reader tends to focus more on the S words in the passage, and as such a clearer picture is formed in the reader’s head of the image being described.
Another important literary device in these lines is the usage of kennings. By replacing a common word with a combination of more interesting words, description of objects becomes much more interesting and powerful. For example, “ancestral blades” (796) used in place of “swords”, is a more captivating illustration. A reader becomes more absorbed into the text if there is engaging vocabulary such as this.
This passage was very powerful because of the damnation of the demon’s soul. It is very fascinating to read of the near invincibility of a creature in one line and then to read that he is doomed to suffer eternally in the next. This passage thus provided an engaging contrast between the two main parts of Grendel’s character.

Works Cited
Heaney, Seamus. "Beowulf Fights Grendel" Beowulf. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Beowulf LRJ 3

Jake Wythers
Ms. Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
12/9/08

Beowulf LRJ 3


In this section of Beowulf, "The Battle With the Fire Breathing Dragon", the most important value is pride. Beowulf, the greatest hero, maintains his strong pride even in his old age. "Yet the Prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague" (Heaney 2430) Beowulf made an important decision to face the dragon himself. He saw it as a challenge for himself alone and was proud to face it without any assistance. Beowulf was also too proud to avoid facing the dragon, even if it meant certain death. "I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away." He went in to the fight knowing death was likely, but fought the dragon anyways.

In this final section of Beowulf, the reader sees a much weaker side of the hero. Beowulf is no longer the almost invincible figure read about in the first two sections who fights monsters with his bare hands and swims underwater for a day. "I would rather not/ use a weapon if I knew another way/ to grapple with the dragon... But I shall be meeting molten venom/ in the fire he breathes so I go forth/ in mail-shirt and shield" (2518-2524) Before now, Beowulf did not give any thought to his own safety when going up against foes. This shows that he is more worried about vulnerable and mortal as opposed to the impregnable warrior he was before.

One important reason that Beowulf's death was honorable was that, as a king, it was his job to protect his people. He died while destroying the greatest threat to his kingdom there was. Beowulf knew he was going to die soon as he was old so he went out to take something down with him. Another reason his death was honorable was how stoicly Beowulf accepted the end of his life. "...he still spoke/ for he well knew his days in the world/ had been lived out to the end: his allotted time/ was drawing to a close, death was very near" (2725-2728) It is very wise to be content with your given lifetime, and Beowulf showed that wisdom.



Works Cited
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Beowulf LRJ 2

Jake Wythers
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
12/9/08
Beowulf LRJ 2

1) One value that became very apparent is the importance these people place on boasting and pride. "This formal boast by Beowulf the Geat pleased the lady well" (Heaney 439) This was the lady of the hall's response to Beowulf's boast of slaying Grendel that would seem too prideful today. This shows that the culture valued strength enough that bragging to show pride and confidence was acceptable.
Another important value in this society is bravery. "Beowulf arrayed himself in armor, not at all worrying about his life" (682) Bravery is extremely valuable in a leader such as Beowulf because it inspires respect for allies and fear into enemies. The leader of the Geats is an exemplary hero because he thinks nothing of the danger to himself but would throw himself against any foes to save his people.

2) In "The Battle with Grendel" Beowulf's strength is an unrealistic quality. Beowulf was powerful enough to rip the arm off a fiersome beast like Grendel. "The monster's whole body was in pain, a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone-lappings burst." (816) No one could possibly be strong enough to rip apart the very tendons of a monsters arm. This exaggeration elevates Beowulf's power to make him even more of a hero. The listeners to the story would hold Beowulf to be an icon of strength for their society.

3) My favorite quote in "The Battle with Grendel's Mother" is "The hero observed that swamp-thing from hell, that tarn-hag in all her terrible strength." These colorful descriptors really added a great image for Grendel's mother. They still allow the reader room to picture the monster as they imagine her, however.
Another great quote is "Suddenly the god-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair." This description of Grendel's first attack on the hall is the first time he the reader gets a picture of Grendel. It's very exciting to think of a monster being able to grab 30 people at once to take them away.


Works Cited
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.