Hamlet: Act 1.

We jump into this story knowing that the problem is that King Hamlet was murdered. It starts with the guards at the grave site. They see the ghost which is believed to be the spirit of King Hamlet (Hamlet's father), but it will not speak to them. They decide they want to have Hamlet come and talk to him because they believe the spirit will then talk. Also, in this act we see that Hamlet's mother marries his uncle (his father's brother) only two months after the death of his father. Angered by this he goes off about it. Later we see his best friend, Horatio, come in with Marcellus. They inform him of their encounter with the spirit and he agrees that he wants to talk with him. Next scene we see Laertes and Ophelia talking. Ophelia is in love with Hamlet, but Laertes says that she will get hurt if she stays with him and that their father does not approve. Laertes and his father think know that he is to be king and think that she cannot be so she will just end up heartbroken. Polonius (Ophelia and Laerte's father) will not allow it and tells her that. Ophelia, however, believes that Hamlet loves her and that he is good. She says that they are meant to be and what he says is wrong. Her father will not believe it and warns her to stay away from him. She says she will obey. When Hamlet meets with the ghost he finds that his uncle was the one who killed his father. The ghost wants Hamlet to get revenge on this man and Hamlet intends to. When Hamlet meets back with his friends (Horatio and Marcellus) they are anxious to find what happened. The only thing he would tell was that there was a villain and that he did come across a real ghost that night. He then made the two swear upon his sword that they would not say to anyone anything that happened that night.

Changed world views of heroes today.

In what ways has the “world view” of hero changed from the Beowulf poem era to today? Cite specific examples from both the epic translation that we have read and from the Grendel excerpt that Mr. Osterhaus read, as well as your own experience. You will NOT need a quotation for this question.

In the era of Beowulf we find that a hero is one who has courage, strength, determination, bravery, loyalty, is a great leader, and more. This, however, is something that has changed from then to now. Today we have children saying that actresses/actors, professional sports players, singers, and others are their heroes. If you look deeper into the difference of these it is shocking. For example, Hannah Montana is seen as a hero to many young girls today, but what really is she heroic for? She has a talent in singing, performing, and acting. Will this save you from a creature like Grendel? I do not think so. It is almost disturbing to compare one like Hannah Montana to Beowulf. You can compare this with anyone of today that kids or even adults may consider their hero and can find about the same bizarre contrast. It makes you reconsider who you should choose to be your hero. This concept is almost as if the word hero has been changed from one who is idealized for the characteristics like bravery and courage to just a role model. Someone we look up to does not seem to be one who should be considered a hero. These people that are role models/heroes to the people of today are no better than the average person. They do minor things and get this undeserved appreciation. The ones who save the lives of others and risk their lives for people they barely know are the type of people who truly deserve our admiration. One example of a person like that today would be the firefighters, who during the 9/11 attacks gave their lives for their country and others. They are the ones that fit the depiction of a true hero. They knew the cost of what their actions may be and did it anyway for the sake of things other than themselves. Firefighters and others like them do not let you down in such a way we see these celebrities every day. The so-called heroes of today are the ones who become on the front pages of magazines who have been caught in an act of wrong doing. While yes, not all celebrities are guilty of these things, but what we see is not in any sense heroic. We should be looking for people who care for others and fit the rightful representation of a hero. I am not saying that celebrities cannot be heroes because they can be very qualified, but what we say about a person that makes them a hero is something to be careful of. Heroes are not considered heroic due to their athletic, singing, or acting ability. They are for the actions and aid they give towards others. For example, Beowulf was a hero who confided in God for what he should do. This helped him in his success completely. He wanted to help others and he fit the characteristics of a hero because of and through the way he was during those actions. To admire a person for their heroic qualities rather than gifts is what we should base our view of heroism on and not on their abilities in areas of athletics and others. One should take care in what they say a hero is and who a hero is. Always think of what the actual heroic ways are and how it is much different in contrast to a celebrity or other role model.

BEOWULF -- The Singing, the Gift-Giving, and The Mother

The singing: note in the reading when the story is interrupted by the singer's stories of days and heroes past. What do you think is the significance of these "flashbacks" in terms of a description of "hero"? Explain at least one incident when the singer sings.

The Gift-Giving: Describe several instances in the story when Beowulf and/or his men are given gifts of gold or some other honor. What do you think is the significance of this Gift-Giving?

The Mother: briefly describe the feat of Beowulf in his battle with Grendel's mother. Make a list of hero traits that Beowulf exhibits.

During chapter 16 and 17 we are introduced to the singer. This singing is also a story being told. The story is about Finn and the war he was bringing about against the king of the Danes, Hnaf. Hnaf's sister was married to Finn. Finn killed Hnaf during this war causing his wife's mourning over her brother and her sons death. She thought it was a way to see her husbands good faith and that those deaths were due to fate through God's decision. They found that not only were the Danes at a loss in this war, but Finn's people too had many fallen to the Danes. There were not enough to keep this war going unless it led to defeat. With not enough men to lead the Danes to their end it made Hengest (Hnaf's follower) flee to the hall where they fought and he stayed. Finn then decided to instead stop the war and make a peace treaty. The treaty was kept, but not for long. They lived under the same roof the Danes without a king and hatred filling each one. Hengest was going to wait for the new year to come and go back to his home, but his yearning for revenge stepped in first. He stabbed Finn in the stomach resulting in his death. They then took everything from Finn they could find and his wife even willing and wanting went with them. This story shows heroically that they both knew what they needed for their people in stopping the war, but that revenge would come. Hengest was just waiting for the perfect time or when he could hold it no longer and was forced to kill him.
In this story gifts seem to be a symbol of thanks and appreciation. Beowulf receives gifts quite a few times. When he kills Grendel the Danes and their king, Hrothgar, give Beowulf a golden banner, helmet, coat of mail, and an ancient sword. These gifts along with a feast show him how much they appreciate him for his courage.
Beowulf thought the fight with Grendel's mother would be an easy one, but he soon found that he was wrong. He went into the lake where she dwelt. He brought with him his chain mail armor, sword, and helmet he was given to help him in the battle. To his surprise she bit through the helmet and along with the other weapons it was not much help. The one thing that did help though was his armor that for the most part kept him from a major injury. Beowulf then had to use his own strength against the mother and thankfully that was enough and he came out on top.

Beowulf Hero or Braggart?

Is Beowulf a true hero or just a braggart with an incredible ego problem?

Support your answer with at least two specific examples from your reading so far (Ch. 1 - 25)

This post is worth 30 points and will be evaluated according to the clarity of your position and the thorough explanation of your two examples.

I think Beowulf definitely shows to be a hero and a braggart. He has many heroic characteristics like courage, strength, and leadership. He obviously knows how to fight and fight for the good of others as shown when he fought Grendel. He came to help Hrothgar and his people to rid them all of this horrible creature. He did exactly that too. Grendel had never felt such fear when up against any human as the fear he faced with Beowulf. He thought himself to be unstoppable, but then came across the path of a human such as the one called Beowulf. Not even any mortals weaponry could defeat him. He was untouchable until now. He discovered that his grip was too tight, and that the longer he lay in that grip the more power he began to lose."The monster's hatred rose higher, But his power was gone. He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split, And broke" (Raffel 36-37 lines 814-818). For glory Beowulf had torn Grendel's arm off. The king and his people gave him much appreciation, glory, filled his ego a little more, and gave gifts for his triumph against the monster. The way he did a lot of this for glory shows his supreme pride issue.
We also see it in previous actions his too. When he first arrived there we even saw it. Unferth was one who tried to go up against Grendel, but Grendel would not kill him. He thought that if he could kill him the he could get glory, but if not then he died in battle against him and would receive glory anyway. Grendel would not give him this and Beowulf boasted about his winnings to Unferth. He told of how he had never had such glory or even tales told about him. He was never bold enough. Unferth decided to come back with that he could not beat Brecca across the sea. Beowulf full of answers said that he had come across sea-creatures versus him in whether he have his life still. It was much more of a battle than Brecca had getting across so he still had his dignity, also Unferth killed his brother. They seemed to go back in forth trying to win the upper hand. This shows how highly Beowulf thinks of himself.
On the other side we, however, find that his hubris is not completely him thinking within himself. He does believe god helps him in his actions. "My life was almost lost, fighting for it, Struggling under water: I'd have been dead at once, And the fight finished, the she-devil victorious, If our Father in Heaven had not helped me" (Raffel 71 lines 1655-1668). As we see it Beowulf portrays both parts. He is a hero and a braggart, but which one truly overcomes the other? Fate seems to be shown immensely and how it is unknown for Beowulf. Will his hubris be the end of him or will his heroic side come out on top? Also, to clarify towards the end I have talked about how his hubris was not all in his way of giving thanks to only himself. This showed that he after all does not show supreme pride (or that in one part thinks he is better than the gods) in that case. He thanks the gods for his successes and gifts unlike those who are completely full of hubris.

Themes.

• loyalty
• human vs. human and creature vs. human
  
• human vs. self
• human vs. society- person vs. world
  
• free will vs. captivity
• free will vs. fate/ destiny
  
• search for power
• search for freedom
• human condition- wants to feel needed and useful- what he does to gain respect and to feel good about him self
• greed
• good vs. evil
• pride/hubris
• God's power in our lives
• revenge
  
• cruelty
  
• hatred
• The idea of is the grass truly greener on the other side
• love
• God's law vs. mortal law
• despair
• hope
• person vs. death
• fear
• legacy
• role of women
• descent to hell
  
• leadership
• braggart vs. hero
• pagan vs. Christian
• beliefs and values in the story
• giving of gifts- gift appreciation
• view of afterlife
• ritual-burial ways also
• spiritual ordeal
• intervention of God/gods
• respect
  

The Quest for Immortality.

All people have some belief of what will become of them after death. From a religious standpoint or if they just believe they will die and be buried. Either way something is to become of them. Most believe that there is some way to give them immortality or to have the ability to live forever. The ancient Egyptians are one group of people that would not have the belief of just physical permanence. They strived to attain everlasting life. The Egyptians believed solely in religion, rebirth after death, quality of their religious life to earn them everlasting, and preservation though mummification. They thought that their afterlife depended on how well they did in their first life, like reincarnation. They also believed that mummification was the only way to having an afterlife. Mummification was preserving a body by embalming it and wrapping it in cloth. Only if this process was done properly could that person move on to afterlife. Like Egyptians before them the Chinese were one of the groups that tried to prevent their death. They used precise methods in attempts to meet this quest. The Times (London) said, "If the Chinese had not believed so passionately in the spirit world and the afterlife, they would never have ensured that their tombs carried such resplendent cargoes. The wealth of refined bronzes, jades and ceramics installed there testifies to the importance of their faith in life after death" (Sept. 10, 1996). The Chinese believed so importantly on this quest that they took these extreme measures. Another thing they used was trying to follow special diets and exercise ways to ensure it. These ways and others ensuring their immortality through their actions gave them a sense of satisfaction and internal peace. It appeased their curiosity as does this belief to other groups of people even today. Mormons, for example, believe that living by their commandments bring joy, stability, freedom, and safety to followers of Christ according to http://www.mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs. Also, most of all their good works are what make a difference in how their afterlife will be. We find that today and in previous times each has had their own belief in how to find that immortality. We see that it has not been forgotten neither will it ever be this never ending quest for immortality.

Tragic Man.

Oedipus is the epitome of Aristotle's Tragic Man. First of all, he has a belief in his own freedom similar to that of the tragic man. Oedipus wants to be released from the prophecy proclaimed to him at birth. The prophecy that was declared to him said that he would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. This frightened his parents leading them to attempt to rid themselves of his presence. They wanted to stop this prophecy through his death. This, however, put it all into motion. When Oedipus was meant to be killed he was saved and then taken to a family that adopted him. Oedipus grew up in that family's house unaware that he was not their biological child. When Oedipus grew old enough to understand the extremity of his prophecy he left home. He wanted to stay as far away from his parents as possible to ensure that the prophecy would not come true, but this made it worse. He ended up thinking that when his "father" died the prophecy was ended, but that brought on his realization that he was adopted and ultimately that he had in fact killed his father and married his mother fulfilling the prophecy.
Oedipus also had pride. He thought he was better than others, and he had pride in that he thought he could escape his fate. He tried to say that he was better that others because of his accomplishments. "Come here, you pious fraud. Tell me, when did you ever prove yourself a prophet? When the Sphinx, that chanting Fury kept her deathwatch here, why silent then, not a word to set our people free? There was a riddle, not for some passer-by to solve- it cried out for a prophet. Where were you? Did you rise to the crisis? Not a word, you and your birds, your gods- nothing. No, but i came by, Oedipus the ignorant, I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from birds, the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark" (182). Oedipus is showing his pride in what he is saying to Tiresias. He brags about he is superior to him because of what he has done versus what Tiresias has done. I think this was a big flaw for Oedipus throughout the story. His arrogance put him in bad situations and arguments. what could be seen as good or bad though, would be that he had a way with power. He knew how to use it. Whether he uses it for good all the time would have to be seen through his kingship, but he had a unique power.
With capacity for suffering it could be seen a few different ways. Oedipus went through his life making sacrifices for his freedom and beliefs. Mainly, he wanted to keep the prophecy unfulfilled. In attempting to do so he shut his "parents" out of his life. He stayed far away to not take chances. Many may know what this is like having to stay away from family for so long, but he learned to deal with it because of the proclaimed prophecy. He thought what he was doing was right and in the end would give him the upper hand so that he would receive freedom from fate. Another was when he found that the prophecy had been fulfilled and that he had to live with what he had done. He did not quite just treat it as I will learn to live with what has happened though. When he found his wife had hung herself because of this he gouged his eyes out. He wanted to be dead. He believed it was wrong and that he should be punished for what he did. This shows that through his actions of trying to prevent what happened he really just brought the inevitable to the surface. This attempt at keeping it away brought it in and brought his suffering to the next level which led to his ruin.
Oedipus is committed to the idea that he can stop fate, but when he finds that it is impossible he follows through with his word. Oedipus said that the murderer of Laius would be exiled. When he found that he was the one who did it at first he did not want to believe it could have been him. However, he knew he had to realize it eventually and he still followed through with the punishment when he did. That shows great leadership and commitment.
Oedipus' vigorous protest was not one of him saying he did not do the crime. He knew he did it and was ready to take punishment. He did, however, cry out. He cried of how could this have happened to him and why must it be so. He did not like what he had become and wanted nothing of it. Taking his punishment as he should have showed goodness in his heart through doing the right thing.
The suffering endured by Oedipus made him who he was and shows that he truly was the tragic man. Oedipus died to his old self and became new. He learned from his agony and the other things he went through in his experiences. Transfiguration or the way he changed from beginning to end shows his place and the greatness of the potential of man as according to Aristotle. He now sees himself as a lower rank of people. His pride lowers and he finds what he must do and fulfill his word by receiving the punishment he deserved. He took what he should and left with only his memory and children left behind.
Lastly his impact on others was huge. With his memory left to tell along with the impact he had in the story we find our own teaching. A teaching that greatly impacted his daughters by giving them an understanding of what life can throw at them. Also, that whether it be good or bad one must deal with it. Like Antigone shows in one act, she enforces her beliefs that her brother has a right to proper burial. This shows the outer side of how important one's beliefs are. We also come to know deeper that feeling and emotion inside a man (or woman) through Oedipus. His suffering and pain teach us about not only him, but help us better understand ourselves. We see through others' experiences and learn from them what we see them endure along life's journey. This could be the same with Oedipus. We should not only look at this book and see a tragic story about a man, but also read between the lines and see the underlying meanings it portrays. We gain a better understanding of the condition of man through stories like Oedipus'.