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AP English 12
TEACHER
Period 2
16 October 2016
Beowulf Analysis
The epic of Beowulf significantly impacted the heroic stories that came after it.
Using Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it can be
successfully analyzed to find patterns within it and many others.
Much of Beowulf's storyline and character archetypes can be found in literature and
movies throughout history. For example, the main character and namesake of the story,
Beowulf, follows a pattern that makes him the typical hero. In the beginning, he starts
out naive, reckless, and has a lack of good judgment. This is shown when he competes
in a swimming contest with Breca for five days, wearing full armor and carrying
weapons, and risks his life even though he knows that he is the Geats' best warrior and
is needed. He also insults Unferth, who is the presumed heir of the Danes. In order to
become an epic hero like those before him, Beowulf must undergo some learning. In
doing so, he sacrifices something along the way - his naivet in return for gaining
wisdom. By the end of the story, Beowulf becomes a great leader and hero. Despite his
initial faults, Beowulf carries traits that make him worthy of being a hero. He is shown to
be caring when he chooses to save Breca, despite consequently losing the contest, and
is immensely brave by fighting Grendel and his mother, even with the unlikely chance of
his return. Beowulf also possesses physical qualities that make him above average, or

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extraordinary, in compared with regular people. He has the "strength of thirty men" that
allows him to singlehandedly carry Grendel's head but requires four ordinary men to do
the same feat. While underwater, Beowulf can also hold his breath for an extreme
amount of time as shown when he fights Grendel's mother.
Within the story of Beowulf, one can analyze the role that politics plays. Politics is
important because it describes the culture within a society, in this case, the
Scandinavians or Vikings. These people lived in a warrior society, which meant that
warriors, or thanes as the Vikings would call them, were regarded highly. A warrior could
even rise to the status of a king like Hrothgar's ancestor, Shield Sheafson, does in the
beginning of the story. They trained all their lives for war and fought for glory, fame, and
riches. An example of this is when Beowulf gains honor and a strong reputation for his
tribe after defeating the monsters. The Vikings held a strict warrior code, or a set of
rules that they lived by. One of them was that a warrior could not fight with an
advantage given to them. Opponents fought in an equal stance, such as when Beowulf
wrestles with his bare hands because Grendel does not use weapons. To achieve a
legendary status, these heroes had to die a warrior's death, meaning that they had to
fall in battle rather than die peacefully. This is shown at the end of the story when
Beowulf, in his old age, fights the dragon and succumbs to his injuries.
Diplomacy, or relations, is shown heavily in Beowulf between the two tribes, the
Geats and the Danes. The Geats are shown to be polite and request to speak with the
Danes' king rather than simply barging in, and comply with the Danes' request to leave
their weapons at the door in order to do so. After Beowulf vanquishes both Grendel and
his mother, a bond is formed between the tribes. The Danes hold a feast in the Geats'

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honor and reward them with lots of treasure.
Even though the story of Beowulf is set in Scandinavia and the Viking era, it is
heavily influenced by Christianity and its symbols, having been written down by a
Christian monk. There are several examples to support this. For instance, Grendel is a
Descendant of Cain who is exiled because he refuses to repent for the sins of his
ancestor. Another is the unification of the Geats and the Danes during the banquet
scene. During supper, they drink and break bread, which symbolizes the blood and
body of Christ and the coming together of the people. There is also the purification of
the lake or the cleansing of evil. Initially described as a bottomless and filthy swamp that
is implied to reach the fiery depths of Hell, the lake becomes clean when Beowulf finally
rids the evil in it. Most significantly, Beowulf is portrayed as a Jesus Christ figure. With
him showing up to help the fallen Danes, Beowulf undoubtedly becomes their savior. He
is also tempted by evil during his fight with Grendel's mother but remembering his faith,
is able to overcome and save the day. Lastly, he ultimately sacrifices himself to save his
people.
In conclusion, by completing an analysis of the story using Thomas C. Foster's
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it gives a deeper understanding of the
elements found within Beowulf and other epics.