I read Beowulf back in high school, and I didn't like it much. At the time I couldn't really figure out why. The best explanation of my dislike I could create was, "Beowulf fighting Grendel is the story of a tornado uprooting a tree. Why should I care about the tornado? Why should I care about the tree?" I have now read it again, and with more years under my belt I feel I now have a better grasp of the character and why I hate the story. Beowulf is a Dick.
And before I really start, I want to be clear. I'm looking at this story with modern biases. Yes, if I would look at the story in the original Anglo-Saxon culture, this would be a good story. I'm mostly having fun with the story.
First off, his motivations for all of his fighting are very unsympathetic. This part is mostly the fault of the how the story is told. He says he is doing this to protect his allies, but it is also very clear that he is doing it for the glory of the battle. "I just want a good fight," is not a good motivation if you want a likable character. It also doesn't help that the threat of Grendel is only ever told to us, and we the audience never get to hear the details of the attack while it is happening. Then he has the audacity to make fun of one of the surivors of the first Grendel attack by saying it's his own fault that Grendel killed all his people at arms. NOT EVERYONE IS OF GODLY POWER AND CAN FIGHT A SUPER POWERED MONSTER WITH NO WEAPONS, BEOWULF!
Now we move on to the dragon, or as I will call him, The Metaphor for Mental Illness. First off, he has an obsession with a single thing: treasure. This treasure is the only thing that can keep him calm. He is so aware of his treasures that he notices when only one piece is stolen. With just one piece missing, he lashes out, not knowing how to deal with it and having no one around to help. So what does Beowulf do when he learns of this? Does he try and help this suffering creature? Nope. He goes in for the kill.
So I hope we've all learned a valuable lesson today. Beowulf is a Dick.
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