that show are those of bravery, or manliness, and also the value
of vengeance. The bravery aspect shows when Beowulf is talking
to Hrothgar. He says: "'Endure your troubles. Bear up and be the
man I expect you to be'" (Heaney lns. 1495-1496). In this quote,
Beowulf is telling Hrothgar to get his act together, act like a
man, and come with him to hunt down Grendel's mother. This
shows how men are expected to act in the culture they were in.
The urge for vengeance in Beowulf's culture shows when
Hrothgar's friend dies, and he won't rest until his killer is
avenged. He says,"'Rest? What rest? Sorrow has returned.
Alas for the Danes! Aeschere is dead'"(1322-1323). Later in
his speech, Hrothgar talks about hunting down the monster,
but here the reader is informed of the fact that no one will rest
until Hrothgar's friend is avenged.
In Beowulf, there are also quite a few unrealistic aspects
of the story. For example, when Beowulf kills Grendel's mother
"The sword (which he used) began to wilt into gory icicles, to
slather and thaw" (1605-1607). This quote is completely
unrealistic: a sword can't really just melt after killing a beast,
no matter how villainous. However, descriptions like these are
an important part of Beowulf, because through the over-
exaggeration of these situations the reader feels more emotion
and gets more interested in the story; they act as eye-catchers
sometimes.
One of my favorite quotes so far in Beowulf happens when
the reader is first introduced to Grendel's mother. She is
described by the following passage: "An avenger lurked and
was still alive, grimly biding time. Grendel's mother, monstrous
hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs"(1257-1259). This is a very
dark quote, but the brilliant diction used, such as "monstrous
hell-bride" and "brooded on her wrongs," is enough to send
shivers down any reader's spine. This quote certainly isn't
pleasant, but it contains great language and is a brilliant piece
of writing.
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