I have read a few translations of Beowulf through out my high school days. The translations by Seamus Heaney are by far the easiest to comprehend, and most entertaining. My favorite section of Beowulf is Grendel's arm. When Beowulf fights Grendel, it shows how much of a hero Beowulf really is. He is fearless, bold, strong, and cunning. One translation i read involved a dilougue where Beowulf asks if the deamon has any weapons. The answer to the question was no. After hearing that the beast was unarmed Beowulf too entered the battle with nothing more then his bare hands. Any story where a man fights a deadly creature with his bare hands is automaticlly entertaing to me.
A theme that i have noticed in the segment Grendel's Arm is loylity. While the men slept Grendel unmercifully butchered many men, until Beowulf arrived to stop him. Even after watching their comrads killed the men who followed Beowulf rose their arms and defended their leader, even though their weapons had no effect against the deamon Grendel.
With the increasing number of translations being written it is becoming easier to understand the story of Beowulf. Some translations try to add there own ideas or events to the story while others define the texts of old for a better understanding. Although there are many translations to the story of Beowulf each one depicts him as a hero. There is no denying that Beowulf has ventured the heros journey. A man travels to a city to rid them of a deamon, he has companions by his side to aid him in his journey, and he is successful in conquring all foes in his path. Beowulf is simply a classic heroic adventure.
Jeff Soto
2 comments:
I liked how you included the detail about the enemy entering the fight with Beowulf without weapons, and so Beowulf did the same. I think that really shows how worthy he is of his actions and victories.
I enjoyed your comment on how the theme of heroism is constant in each translation, since afterall, this is the "heart" of the Beowulf story.
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