Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Beowulf: on death
Why do you think was it necessary for Beowulf to die at the end of the epic? (consider: how would it have otherwise altered the story?) Do you think it was necessary for him to die?
*This should be a full, thoughtful response. Vague, generic, or excessively brief responses will receive a grade of no more than a 50.
This blog is due no later than 8am Wednesday October 24.
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Yes i think it was necessary for him to die. Because it gives an end to the epic poem, instead of thinking what happened to him in the future. At least he died fighting in a heroic way, and slayed the dragon.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was necessary for him to die because all good things must come to an end. Beowulf proved he was the mightiest man anyone had ever seen. If Beowulf did not die, I think it would have sent the reader off thinking about what would happen later on in his life. Beowulf was becoming old anyways, and a story of an almighty hero dying of old age really isn't as cool as if Beowulf was fighting a seemingly invincible dragon and slaying it even after his fatal wounds from the dragon.
ReplyDeleteI think it was necessary because if they didn't they would need to keep writing about him until he finally died. The story would've sucked if they just ended it with him living. The reader would be wondering what he did for the rest of his life. A story with a epic hero who dies in the end shows that the hero is no different than any other human. That he is able to die because he is not invincible.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was necessary for Beouwulf to die. If he didn't die in the poem then the it would go on forever. The most significant part to his death is his past. Once someone dies you always look back in his or her life and see the accomplishments they had or how heroic they were. With Beowulf he was a hero and everyone will remember he was by him killing Grendel, Grendels mom, and the Dragon. If Beowulf never died then the people would probably get sick of him and want another person the lead them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the reason why Beowulf died in the end is that therefore people would look up to him with more respect and appreciation as he died of fighting for his people. It does not mean that if Beowulf is still alive, people would care for him less. For me heroes always have dramatic life, such as extraordinary birth, different childhood and dramatic death etc. Beowulf's death in a way could be seen as a perfect ending of the epic. If not, Beowulf would probably fight for his people till he gets old, when he could not fight anymore. The story would be long and boring that way. After Beowulf's death, Geats soon face the new threat. People would have thought like, "Oh only if Beowulf is here." And Beowulf is not there for them but always a hero living in their hearts.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was necessary for Beowulf to die at the end of the story. by ending the story with Beowulf's death it ENDS the story. Beowulf was a warrior, and he was there to battle when his people needed him. If he didn't die at the end of the story we would still know that he would have had more battles until the day he couldn't fight anymore. If they would have ended the story before Beowulf died it would have left the story unfinished. From a historical perspective, most stories and legends that are told about Hero's end in the Hero's death. Without the hero's death the story could never truly be over, there would always be more to tell. Also, by killing Beowulf it solidifies him as the hero. For example, say Beowulf didn't die. He goes on to fight many more battles but never wins, he fails to beat a monster that in the end destroys his homeland, then he would be remembered by the people as a failure. His death prevents the downfall of the hero, he never gets to old to battle, he simply dies while he is still great warrior and is remembered as the hero.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT response, Jordan!
DeleteThe death of Beowulf was an essential component to the epic itself. The death of the hero promotes that his legacy will be remembered and carried on through out time. His death was necessary, the hero had reached his final point in his journey. It was best that he was killed after the dragon was slain. This was his final gift to the people he had devoted much of his life protecting. Wiglaf and Beowulf's other comrades will carry on this incredible hero's journey. Beowulf's death was the great conclusion to the epic journey. Beowulf had reached his fate. The take shows that even the best of heroes will die in the end. The death of Beowulf puts more emphasis on the idea of fate that the pagons believed in. It was suitable for the time era.
ReplyDelete