Essential Question 2

Discuss the biblical allusion and religious symbolism in Beowulf.

In this portion of the epic poem Beowulf, there are a few religious aspects to take notice of in this story. The author uses these religious aspects to make connnections to God and give more depth to the text. Plus, the reader may be able to relate more to the text because of its biblical allusions and make the story more manageable. This can be seen when the author describes Beowulf's fight,"and had not holy God granted him victory; the wise Lord, Ruler of the heavens...hero had scrambled to his feet" (1537-1540). As in any epic battle of a hero hBewulf struggles at first, but his devotionto God gave him the strength to get up and fight. So religion is crucial in this poem because it is what drives warriors to fight for what they beleive in.

Essential Question 1

There are many social obligations of a hero in the epic poem, Beowulf. These obligations would be, loyal, adventurous, brave, leadership, strong, and ambitious. A hero feels obligated to help others, whoever they may be. A true hero always follow through on their promises, and never goes back on their word. Beowulf says that he,"can council Hrothgar" to "overcome the fiend" (lines 274-275).Here he vows to help Hrothgar vanquish the evil, and the tone in which he speaks in causes Hrothgar's thane to believe in Beowulf. A hero is someone the people can count on, just like how Hrothgar is now counting on Beowulf.
People have said that Beowulf is very strong and powerful; he "has the might of thirty men" (line 378). He may not fear any man but I do not think he is aware of his deification process; he is just brave and has a willingness to help others. I do not think he considers himself a God, he just knows he is the only one who can help Hrothgar to defeat Grendel. And he still waits for the approval of "superiors" before he helps while a God would just do as he pleases.