beowulf essay

소개

평가해주세요 :)

목차

없음

본문내용

1758 "O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,
1760 eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.
In the old English epic, Beowulf, Beowulf arrives at Dane from Geat land to help his old friend Hrothgar, King of the Danes, from Grendel. Beowulf wins his first battle, which is with Grendel, very smoothly. Then Grendel`s mother attacks the mead hall to take revenge for her son. Hrothgar`s most beloved follower is killed by Grendel`s mother. Although there is no sign that Grendel`s mother would come back to kill more people, Beowulf attacks the monster`s cave alone. The battle with Grendel`s mother is much more difficult than the one he had with Grendel; however, he succeeds in the battle after a long struggle. The passage above is spoken to Beowulf by Hrothgar during the celebration after the fight with Grendel`s mother. Hrothgar`s speech reflects his own life as well as Beowulf`s future where he becomes King. Hrothgar teaches Beowulf that being wise as well as modest is as important as having strength. This passage of Hrothgar illustrates the theme of pride that runs throughout the text.
First, the passage begins with Beowulf described as "flower of warriors" (1758). The dictionary meaning of a flower is "the colored part of a plant or tree that produces seeds or fruit" (554). Here, flower alludes to the growth in Beowulf since he is a young Geat warrior. This foreshadows Beowulf should prepare himself to be King when he becomes old. Also, Flower may have been used as an ironic comparison since Beowulf does not have any descendents. "Flower" also means "to develop and reach a high level of achievement" (554). This meaning implies on Beowulf since he has already reached a high level of pride by winning the battles which Hrothgar could not have done. Another literal meaning of flower is "the best or most perfect part of something"; Beowulf is the best and the greatest Geat warrior which has given him the pride to boast his strength which is valued in warrior society (554). . However, in my reading, "flower" reflects the life of the great warrior (1758). A flower only blooms for a certain period of time then fades away, which implies the same on Beowulf`s power. By comparing the warrior to a flower, Hrothgar foreshadows Beowulf`s aging, and that the strength would not last forever. Hrothgar`s passage illustrates that Beowulf should not have pride because of his power since his power would soon be gone due to aging.

참고자료

· 없음