P. 74, Lines 1550-1556
Shortly after Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother, the author
makes a sudden and disjointed tie to Christian ideals that completely
undermines the human accomplishments of Beowulf. Beowulf nearly perishes in fighting Grendel’s mother,
and the author attributes this success almost solely to God rather than
Beowulf’s own talent and bravery. It is explicitly said that, “holy God decided
the victory. It was easy for the Lord, the Ruler of Heaven, to redress the
balance once Beowulf got back up on his feet.” To say that God decided the
victory clashes with the Anglo culture at the time, as Anglos determined the
value of a person’s worth based on their courage, strength, and tenacity. The
Christian ideals value kindness and victory through peace. This is a clashing
concept, particularly in this passage, as it is attributing a Christian
explanation to violence and war. The actions that occurred prior to the passage
are incredibly gruesome and over-the-top, further dividing the clashing
concepts.
The fundamental problem that this presents is that the
symbolism within the book becomes harder to follow and becomes less
transparent. It seems to me as though the Christian allusions were tacked on as
an afterthought and were not originally part of the work.
I agree that it seems unlikely that the Christianity found within the poem was part of the original work. However, without examples of the gruesome actions you mentioned, it is difficult to visualize the clashing of concepts. I don't believe the Christian ideals were meant to diminish Beowulf's accomplishments. I think the point was to show that while Beowulf was indeed a hero, he was so because of God. This doesn't mean that Beowulf was any less of a hero than if God wasn't mentioned. It merely changes the ultimate source of Beowulf's character.
ReplyDeleteExcellent comment Jessica, and solid post Chase. While it was a little short, I thought your point was well made that these conflicting modes change our perception of Beo's character. I especially liked your quote. Keep it up.
ReplyDelete