Beowulf Quotation Analysis

Beowulf Quotation Analysis

The following quotes are excerpts from Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf.

Weapons - p.33, l.432-42

"'I have heard moreover that the monster scorns

in his reckless way to use weapons;

therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame

and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce

sword and the shelter of the broad shield,

the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand

is how it will be, a life-and-death

fight with the fiend. Whichever one death fells

must deem it a just judgement by God.'"

These words were bravely spoken by Beowulf following his declaration to destroy the gruesome Grendel. In King Hrothgar's hall, Hereot, the mighty Geat refuses to use weapons to defeat the monster.  Here he claims that his power remains not in man's swords and shields, but in God's sovereignty.  But taking a deeper look, we find that the author may have also intended to hint that the Beowulf sought not man's armor, but the "Armor of God", described in Ephesians 6.  A reason why Beowulf would want to wear spiritual armor as opposed to man-made armor is because, as a leader, he would need to stand against distractions which would lead him away from glorifying God.  In Beowulf's last battle, against the dragon, he seems to have lost his trust in the Almighty.  This is symbolized as he wears man's armor and therefore loses the battle and perishes–he trusts his own way of doing something.

Lives Centered on Fame - p.45, l.659-61

"'Be on your mettle now, keep in mind your fame,

beware of the enemy. There's nothing you wish for

that won't be yours if you win through alive."

Through these words, spoken by Hrothgar to Beowulf, one may sense the common source of motivation for men of this time.  Informingly, the king reminds Beowulf, as the time came to wait for Grendel's return, that he should be strong in spirit by remembering his renown and his reward should he defeat the monster.  The strive for fame and glory contradicts the constant crave demonstrated by Beowulf to give glory to his Creator.  But the author makes it clear that Beowulf remains loyal, at least for the earlier part of his life, to God through his sadistic battles.

"...the Geat placed complete trust

in his strength of limb and the Lord's favour" p.45, l.670

Hrothgar's Wisdom - p.117-121, l.1698-1768

"Then everyone hushed

as the son of Halfdane spoke this wisdom.

'A protector of his people, pledged to Uphold

truth and justice and to respect tradition,

is entitled to affirm that this man

was born to distinction. Beowulf, my friend,

your fame has gone far and wide,

you are known everywhere. In all things you are eventempered,

prudent and resolute. So I stand firm by the promise of

friendship

we exchanged before. Forever you will be

your people's mainstay and your own warriors'

helping hand.

Heremod was different,

the way he behaved to Ecgwala's sons.

His rise in the world brought little joy

to the Danish people, only death and destruction.

He vented his rage on men he caroused with,

killed his own comrades, a pariah king

who cut himself off from his own kind,

even though Almighty God had made him

eminent and powerful and marked him from the start

for a happy life. But a change happened,

he grew bloodthirsty, gave no more rings

to honour the Danes. He suffered in the end

for having plagued his people for so long:

his life lost happiness.

So learn from this

and understand true values. I who tell you

have wintered into wisdom.

It is a great Wonder how Almighty God in His magnificence

favours our race with rank and scope

and the gift of wisdom; His sway is wide.

Sometimes He allows the mind of a man

of distinguished birth to follow its bent,

grants him fulfilment and felicity on earth

and forts to command in his own country.

He permits him to lord it in many lands

until the man in his unthinkingness

forgets that it will ever end for him.

He indulges his desires; illness and old age

mean nothing to him; his mind is untroubled

by envy or malice or the thought of enemies

with their hate-honed swords. The whole world

conforms to his will, he is kept from the worst

until an element of overweening

enters him and takes hold

while the soul's guard, its sentry, drowses,

grown too distracted. A killer stalks him,

an archer who draws a deadly bow.

And then the man is hit in the heart,

the arrow flies beneath his defences,

the devious promptings of the demon start.

His old possessions seem paltry to him now.

He covets and resents; dishonours custom

and bestows no gold; and because of good things

that the Heavenly Powers gave him in the past

he ignores the shape of things to come.

Then finally the end arrives

when the body he was lent collapses and falls

prey to its death; ancestral possessions

and the goods he hoarded are inherited by another

who lets them go with a liberal hand.

"O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.

Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,

eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.

For a brief while your strength is in bloom

but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow

illness or the sword to lay you low,

or a sudden fire or surge of water

or jabbing blade or javelin from the air

or repellent age. Your piercing eye

will dim and darken; and death will arrive,

dear warrior, to sweep you away.'"

After having completely defeated Grendels' mother and Grendels head now displayed in Hereot, King Hrothgar commends Beowulf and shares his own wisdom.  The aging king points out differences and struggles for kings–he most certainly desires Beowulf to take the narrow road here.  He gives the example of King Heremond, a man who surpassed the pleasure of leadership and character for his own personal indulgences.  Similar to King Solomon, this king gave up good to indulge in evil–a warning which King Hrothgar proved assertive in advising against. 

Grendel - p.9, l.99-114

"So times were pleasant for the people there

until finally one, a fiend out of hell,

began to work his evil in the world.

Grendel was the name of this grim demon

haunting the marches, marauding round the heath

and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time

in misery among the banished monsters,

Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed

and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel

the Eternal Lord had exacted a price:

Cain got no good from committing that murder

no because the Almighty made him anathema

and out of the curse of his exile there sprang

ogres and elves and evil phantoms

and the giants too who strove with God

time and again until He gave them their reward."

This is near the beginning of the story when the background of Herot is narrated.  Here, Grendel begins to wreak havoc on the country of Dene.  The main idea of this passage is basically this: The beast is a dreadful, malevolent monster who malignantly marauds the masses through the mucky marches.  This may sound like poetry, but looking deeper, we see that this fiend did not simply pop out of a magic cloud of monsters.  The vagabond has a story and an origin: Cain's clan.  In the preceding passage, his origin is quite directly described.

There is also possible symbolism in the characters of Beowulf and Grendel: Grendel/Satan came and destroyed a beautiful thing (creation/Heorot); next, a mighty hero (Beowulf/Jesus) comes; He binds and destroys the dragon (Grendel/Satan).

Although the rest of Beowulf's story would not align with the prophecies in the Bible, there is a redemptive theme here.