Summary:
Recognized in literature as the great Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf can be considered a selfish hero. Beowulf's speech, thoughts, and actions show that Beowulf did anything to succeed, leading him to become a selfish person.
"A Selfish Hero"
Many people recognize Beowulf as the hero of Anglo-Saxon times. Judging by his amazing resume of feats and strengths, this is not hard to believe. However, the epic, Beowulf, illustrates the great length the character had to go through to succeed. Beowulf did anything in his power to prevail, leading him to become selfish. A closer analysis of Beowulf's speech, thoughts, and actions will prove this thesis to be true.
Beowulf's speech proves that he would do anything to prevail, which explains his selfishness. Although defeated in some battles, Beowulf managed to do whatever it took to justify his loses to make himself look successful. This can be seen in his discussion with Unferth. "Then winter churned through the water, the waves ran you as they willed, and you struggled seven long nights to survive. And at the end victory was his, not yours (Lines 248-251)." This phrase from the story comes from the jealous Unferth who attempts to criticize Beowulf's battles. Upon hearing this however, Beowulf accuses Unferth of being drunk in order to make people believe he did not know what he is saying. "Ah! Unferth, my friend, your face is hot with ale, and your tongue had tried to tell us about Brecca's doings (Lines 263-265)." After hearing this, people are lead to believe Beowulf is not taking this criticism seriously, thus making the obviously envy Unferth looked down upon, and making Beowulf appear in control with his loses and in the conversation. As the speech went on, Beowulf addresses Unferth's murder of his own brothers and tells him that he is an unknown warrior. This speech was made in front of many people so Beowulf's words to Unferth were very embarrassing. Beowulf did not care if he was boastful or arrogant, or did not even consider the feelings of others. Beowulf sacrificed the feelings of others in order to make himself appear successful. Through this, one can see that Beowulf went through great lengths to appear successful, even if it meant the sacrifice of others' feelings, thus causing him to be selfish.
Through Beowulf's thoughts, it can be seen that this character did anything to prevail, leading him to become selfish. In the epic, Beowulf goes to Denmark in order to fulfill his pre ordained destiny. Solely because Beowulf thinks it his is wyrd to kill an unbeatable monster, he travels across the sea to defeat him. "Heard how Grendel filled night with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out, proclaiming that he'd go to that famous king, would sail across the sea to Hrothgar (Lines 112- 115)." His drive for success was so great that he believed anything that related to it, including his thoughts alone. Beowulf relied on his destinies to a great extent that he traveled across the sea to Denmark. If one were to have a thought of destiny that he/she would pass a test without studying and take an exam completely unfamiliar with he material, that person may or may not fail. However, the chance of failure is great, that is why most people study for exams. This, in turn, is contradictory to Beowulf who applies full belief in his thoughts, so much to attempt that he attempted to pursue it even if it meant risking everything to find out if his destiny was true. Beowulf travels across the sea thinking it is his wyrd to defeat Grendel, yet not knowing the outcome. He risked his life, his material wealth, and his men. Beowulf did not think of the safety of his warriors, but instead "quickly commanded a boat fitted out." He was not conscious of others' lives, but instead focused on his own success. Through his thoughts, one may see how far Beowulf would go to reach success, and can observe his selfish ways.
Beowulf's actions illustrate that he would do anything to succeed, leading him to be a selfish person. "Human eyes were watching his evil steps, waiting to see his swift hard claws. Grendel snatched the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws (Lines 414-424)." The "Human eyes," this epic referred to were the eyes of Beowulf who was explained to be watching eagerly as Grendel dismantled one of his own warriors. By allowing the death of this warrior, Beowulf was able to observe the evil ogre methods of killing and murdering, thus ensuring his victory. The epic did not explain how Beowulf tried to save the warrior, but instead, described his use of the warrior as a tool to study Grendel's methods and also, used him as a detraction while Beowulf attacked him. This is definite proof of Beowulf's selfishness. If not for the warrior, Beowulf would not be have been able to examine Grendel's ways and no distractions would have occurred. It was Beowulf's plan to let his warrior die, other wise he would have saved him. Beowulf did not consider the hardships the warrior's family would have to go through, but instead cared only about his own successes. His victory of defeating Grendel was more important than saving his own warriors life. Through this action, one can clearly see the depth Beowulf would go to prevail, thus concluding his selfishness.
Beowulf is recognized in literature as the Anglo-Saxon hero. Through this characters speech, thoughts, and actions, one can see the great lengths Beowulf had to face in order to achieve this fame. Beowulf did anything to succeed, leading him to become a selfish person. Beowulf was extremely selfish, yet he is still discussed in classes today and praised for his heroic feats. Through this analysis, one can conclude that sometimes, one must be selfish in order to succeed.
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