Fighting Motivation In Beowulf example essay topic

In Beowulf Beowulf's Fighting Motivation In Beowulf, the hero from which this poem takes its name fights battle after battle; proving his heroism and ridding his people of the evil which disrupts their lives by physically battling it. Three specific encounters of this sort occur in the poem: Beowulf's battle with Grendel, with Grendel's mother, and with the dragon. In each battle, it seems as if Beowulf has a slightly different motivation for fighting, although the reasons why this change of motivation happens are left somewhat unclear. There are several possible reasons: perhaps Beowulf's hubris is a part of it, or maybe material rewards such as treasure affect his motivations. It may be that the cause for which he fights changes. Also, it is possible that Beowulf begins to realize his impact when he fights, and, in this way, gains a perspective on the situation.

It appears that Beowulf's motivation for being a hero and battling evil are a combination of both selfish and selfless reasons. In Beowulf's first confrontation, which is against Grendel, it appears that Grendel is challenge to face both physically and as a way of proving Beowulf's heroism to Hrothgar and his kingdom. It is very essential that Beowulf proves himself to Hrothgar. This is because previously, Beowulf's father had done a great deal of fighting for the people. Now, Beowulf's proving himself is almost a test, which he must pass so that the honor that was afforded his family in his father's time may be continued. In his initial boast, Beowulf speaks a great deal of his fame and status among other kingdoms so that Hrothgar might gain more trust in him.

"So, Lord Hrothgar, men known by my people to be noble and wise advised me to visit you because they knew of my great strength: they saw me themselves when, stained by my enemies' blood, I returned from the fight when I destroyed five, a family of giants, and by night slew monsters on the waves ' (ll. 413-19). He continues on in this way, talking of his exploits so that Hrothgar and the people of Geatland might see that he truly has the courage to destroy the plague that is Grendel. He also implies that he has come to destroy Grendel in order to help the people be rid of a great scourge, and to make their lives and homes safer. "I resolved to fulfill the desire of your people, or suffer the pangs of death, caught fast in Grendel's clutches. Here, in Heo rot, I shall either work a deed of great daring, or lay down my life,' (ll.

634-8). Wealtheow and Hrothgar are both impressed by this boast, and in this way, Grendel is a great deal closer to his goal of proving himself, since these two people hold most of the power and make most of the decisions in Geatland. However, Unferth is jealous of Beowulf and his daring exploits and exposes the vanity which is a major factor in Beowulf's fighting. Beowulf does fight for the people, but proving his worth to himself is always high on his agenda. In this example that Unferth cites, he shows Beowulf to have a need to be the best in all that he does: " ' Are you the Beowulf who competed with B reca, vied with him at swimming in the open sea when, swollen with vanity, you both braved the waves, risked your lives on deep waters because of a foolish boast?' (ll. 506-10).

Unferth, in this instance, is implying that Beowulf's fighting is selfish, and therefore the heroism that Beowulf claims to possess is muddied by his hidden agenda. In Beowulf's second conflict, which is with Grendel's mother, more reasons for his fighting are revealed to us. Beowulf first implies that God is a motivation to him in this fight. ' Grendel gripped and grabbed him there, but the Great remembered his vast strength, that glorious gift given of him by God, and put his trust for support and assistance in the grace of the Lord; thus he overcame the envoy of hell, humbled his evil adversary,' (ll. 1269-74). We cannot be quite sure why Beowulf chooses to invoke God at this point; perhaps it is merely insurance that Beowulf takes to guarantee he will win this fight.

However, Beowulf gladly accepts the offers of treasures being promised to him by the Geats before his second confrontation. Thus, material rewards could be a great factor in why Beowulf chooses to fight again: the more he battles, the richer he gets. Aside from these factors, however, the second battle is mainly about finishing the deed that Beowulf set out to do in the first place. If Grendel's mother were to be left alone, she could continue to plague the people as revenge for the death of her son; and more importantly, she could reproduce, and the people would have another Grendel on their hands.

Beowulf does not want to leave his chore unfinished: if he is to prove himself to the people, he must destroy evil so that it is certain there will be no re occurences in the future. Beowulf's third battle provides several more possible reasons as to why he fights, some noble, some not so noble. On the noble side, Beowulf is portrayed as a sort of Christ figure before his final affray: he knows he will most likely die in his last combat, but he continues on, unafraid. One cannot be sure if being compared to Christ by future generations was among Beowulf's hopes, but this does help to improve his status as a hero. ' and I shall still fight for as long as I live and this sword lasts, that has often served me early and late,' (ll.

2498-500). This is a very heroic posture for Beowulf to take as final proof of his bravery and apparent selflessness. However, material rewards are again mentioned, several times in fact, before, during, and after this fight. In line 2535, Beowulf speaks of "gaining the gold' in his battle (it appears that he is speaking of tangible gold in this speech). After the confrontation between Beowulf and the dragon (in which the dragon is slain, but Beowulf is mortally wounded) Beowulf asks in his dying moments to see the treasure he has gained".

' Now hurry, dear Wig laf, rummage the hoard under the grey rock, for the dragon sleeps, riddled with wounds, robbed of his treasure. Be as quick as you can so that I may see the age-old store of gold, and examine all the priceless, shimmering stones; once I have set eyes on such a store, it will be more easy for me to die, to abandon the life and land that have so long been mine,' ' (ll. 2743-52). These last words justify Beowulf's worth to himself, and he takes comfort in knowing that even though he is very near death, he is a very wealthy man. Therefore, even though Beowulf may secretly really be doing it for the treasure, he makes it appear through his boasts that his intentions are purely altruistic. Finally, even though Beowulf could be considered a martyr, he wants to make sure those who live after him remember him as a martyr, and thus extend the fame he has worked so hard to build after his death.

Beowulf also speaks of a monument to be built on his behalf, so that all will remember what he did for the Geats". ' Command the battle-warriors, after the funeral fire, to build a fine barrow overlooking the sea; let it tower high on W haleness as a reminder to my people. And let it be known as Beowulf's barrow to all seafarers, to men who steer their ships from far over the swell and the salt spray,' ' (ll. 2802-8). Although Beowulf is a hero who dies for his people, he wants to be sure that he continues to be hailed and remembered for his deeds even after death. Thus, Beowulf's motivations for fighting evil for the people appear to be a combination of both selfless and selfish reasons.

Beowulf is willing to give his life for the Geats, but he does keep material rewards and fame in mind in the possibility that he should survive. Beowulf is a selfless hero to everyone else but himself: he cares for the people of Geatland, but in a way, they are merely a part of Beowulf's wish to be remembered as a martyr by future generations.