Many critics and teachers believe that Beowulf contains themes that are relevant to modern life. This depiction indicates the growing importance and stabilization of the modern concept of the dragon within European mythology. LitCharts Teacher Editions. The story is about overcoming an evil foe, only to have to give way to death at the end: even heroes must accept that they will not live forever, even if their names will. | Latest answer posted October 01, 2013 at 4:34:04 PM. The dragon fight ends Beowulf, while Tolkien uses the dragon motif (and the dragon's love for treasure) to trigger a chain of events in The Hobbit. At line 3028, it is written that the messenger's predictions eventually came true. "[44], In From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy, Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara argue that the Beowulf poet added the figure of the dragon to "the potthat is ladled out of by most modern fantasy writers"; they argued that both numerous works with villainous dragons, as well as literature with benign dragons like the My Father's Dragon books and the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, were influenced by Beowulf's dragon. Also, Beowulf is most commonly described as an epic poem; the label makes its main character, Beowulf, an epic-hero. Upon returning home, Beowulf was offered the throne by the widowed Hygd, who knew that her own son was too young and inexperienced to be an effective ruler. However, Beowulf is nothing if not devoted to God, country, and duty. Talking of Tolkien, it was his influential 1936 essay, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, which was really responsible for a shift in the way that people read Beowulf. bookmarked pages associated with this title. WebThe dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. This is a great commentary on the story of Beowulf. Beowulf and a troop of men leave to find the dragon's lair. [10] The Beowulf dragon is described with Old English terms such as draca (dragon), and wyrm (reptile, or serpent), and as a creature with a venomous bite. Hrethels grief at the accident is great, but because of the peculiar circumstances surrounding his sons death, Hrethel is locked in inaction. The poem then ends with Beowulf, now in his twilight years, slaying a third monster (this time, a dragon), although this encounter proves his undoing, as he is fatally wounded in the battle. He burns vast amounts of territory and the homes of the Geats: "the dragon began to belch out flames / and burn bright homesteads". The earnings of earlmen to earth they entrusted, The gold to the dust, where yet it remaineth. The hoard, because it stands as a symbol of betrayal, is put into Beowulf's barrow where it lies for all time as "useless to men" as when it lay in the dragon's barrow. Ive had the Heaney translation on my shelves for years, but your post has piqued my interest. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Beowulf Lines 22112515 Summary & Analysis Refine any search. Why does the dragon attack Beowulf's kingdom? As Hrothgar warned, and as the Beowulf poet reminds us throughout the epic, all glory is fleeting. Symbolically, Heorot represents the achievements of the Scyldings, specifically Hrothgar, and their level of civilization. He also put up quite a fight when Hygelac died in Frisia; Beowulf escaped by defeating many of the enemy in close combat, carrying off the war gear of 30 men. [43] Joan Acocella states in The New Yorker that "unlike Grendel and his mother, [the dragon] is less a monster than a symbol. To everyone's alarm, however, a terrifying dragon begins to stalk the countryside at night, destroying homes including Beowulf's great hall with his fiery breath. It is also provocative that the Geats, despite being advised by Wiglaf's messenger to burn the treasure, bury it in his funeral mound instead, leaving the possibility that someone could unearth it again in the future. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. [46] Aia Hussein of the National Endowment for the Humanities has written that the fight between Harry Potter and the Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000) by J. K. Rowling was influenced by the confrontation between the dragon and the title character in Beowulf.[47]. Purchasing In proclaiming of Beowulf that He was a good king, the poet echoes his praise of the venerable Shield Sheafson and of Hrothgar (2390). The hall is a home for the warriors who sleep there and functions as a seat of government. Always aware of his battle gear, he orders a new shield to replace his old linden-wood protector; this one is to be covered with the strongest iron. [2] Beowulf is the earliest surviving piece of Anglo-Saxon literature to feature a dragon, and it is possible that the poet had access to similar stories from Germanic legend. And Grendel and his mother are evil in the Christian sense of the word: the author ofBeowulf tells us that they were spawned from Cain (the first murderer in the Bible) when he was cast out of Eden. Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaneys translation in particular equates Beowulf with the dragon, another other figure, in a way that is not replicated by the other translators to emphasize Beowulfs role as a distinct hero. xxiii-xxxvii. Major Symbols in. Beowulf, despite his tendency to boast a bit (isnt that where we get kennings? [5], The dragon with his hoard is a common motif in early Germanic literature with the story existing to varying extents in the Norse sagas, but it is most notable in the Vlsunga saga and in Beowulf. [39], In his 1936 lecture Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, J. R. R. Tolkien noted that the dragon and Grendel are "constantly referred to in language which is meant to recall the powers of darkness which Christian men felt themselves to be encompassed. . The intruder, a slave on the run from a hard-handed master, intends no harm by his theft and flees in a panic with the goblet. A lone Geat fugitive, apparently a servant or slave escaping a cruel master, has stolen a single flagon from the hoard, outraging the dragon and inciting him to vengeance.