Beowulf is one of the oldest and most symbolic anglo-Saxony poems. The main reason for this is that it combines many social and psychological problems at that time. To be more specific, king Beowulf is an important hero in English literature due to his mental qualities introduced during the fight with evil. These characteristics represent the author’s positive vision of Monk’s willingness to save the opinion about fighting with evil.
To begin with, it is crucial to define three of the most memorable objects possessed by the main hero. Firstly, this is Beowulf’s armor, which represents the need to be protected even in everyday life due to the great danger when living in a warring society. More specifically, the conflict society is represented by the main negative heroes: Grendel and his mother. Secondly, the giant king’s sword, especially the hilt of it, is one of the most iconic objects that the main hero used. The main purpose of taking it even after it cannot provide the needed function is that the king must always remain the main person of the realm.
Last but not least, Beowulf’s trophy that was taken after defeating Grendel shows his intentions to show to the world that the monster is dead forever. The willingness to save the opponent’s head describes the main hero’s braveness, which is one of the central features that is explained during the poem (Mitchell, 2017). Turning to the Monk’s intentions to save the memory of personal loyalty and determining the good and evil are represented throughout the whole poem. However, from the author’s perspective, the war between good and evil is disclosed in the aspect of the main hero’s struggling with the evil creature, which is not represented as a person. This might also proceed the theory about the author’s preference to determine the individual as a good person in the absolute meaning.
Overall, the author represents three main objects held by king Beowulf: armor, the sword’s hilt, and Grendel’s head. They respectively represent the need to defend at that time, willingness to remain a king even if the weapon is completely destroyed, and demonstration of defeating the evil. Finally, the author’s main purpose was to present personal values and describe the evil as an inhuman creature.
Reference
Mitchell, S. (2017). Beowulf (1st ed.). Amsterdam University Press.