James 1

Heroism

From the very beginning of the course we have focused on Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-

Norman literature and the stories that play/played a very important role during this time period.

As we read these stories one motif, that seemed extremely important, kept popping up: heroism.

From the stories we have read heroism seems to mean that the hero is willing to sacrifice their

life for the sake of others, they do not show fear in the face of danger/ death, and they believe

that they are fated to be doing what they are doing.

When the motif of heroism was first brought up the first story that came to mind was

“Beowulf.” In the beginning of the story the Danes rise to be a great people and are greatly

respected for hundreds of years until one night, one of the descendants’ of Cain, known as

Grendel, attacks their great hall Heorot. The Danes then leave Heorot until the day Beowulf sails

upon their shores and offers to defeat the monster for them. Beowulf states,

“my one request

is that you won’t refuse me, who have come this far,

the privilege of purifying Heorot,

with my own men to help me, and nobody else,” (lines 429-432).

This quote shows that Beowulf has the qualities of heroism because he is willing to sacrifice his

life and does not ask for help from the Danes to defeat Grendel. Unlike what he says in the

quote, he does not even take the help of his men; he fights and defeats Grendel alone. Before he

fights Grendel he also states,

“I have heard moreover that the monster scorns

in his reckless way to use weapons;

therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame

James 2

and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce

sword and the shelter of the broad shield,

the heavy war-broad: hand-to-hand

is how it will be, a life-and-death

fight with the fiend,” (lines 433-440).

These lines show how he does not show any fear even though he is about to go into a fight that

everyone believes he will not come back from.

Later in the story after Beowulf returns home and ends up becoming king he must face

death once again to protect his people from the dragon. Right before he went to fight the dragon

he felt,

“…sad at heart,

unsettled yet ready, sensing his death.

His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain:

it would soon claim his coffered soul,

part life from limb,” (lines 2419-2423).

These lines indicate how Beowulf believes in fate and that when it is a persons’ time to go, it is

their time to go and they should not fight it. Just like Beowulf showed aspects of heroism, the

main character of the next story does too.

As I was reading “The Dream of the Rood,” for the first time I did not really see how the

story had heroism in it. However, after relooking at the story, I found that as the rood told the

story of Christ’s sacrifice for mankind from its’ prospective that the story did provide aspects of

heroism; from Christ himself. The rood saw, “the lord of mankind/ coming with great haste so

that he might climb up on me,” (lines 33-34). This shows’ how Christ is in ready and willing to

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take on the burden of all the sins of the world and to give mankind another chance at life. He is

willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of mankind, no questions asked. Then, “this young

man stripped himself – that was God Almighty – / strong and courageous; he climbed up on the

high gallows, brave in the sight of many, as he set out to redeem mankind,” (lines 39-41). Here

Christ shows’ no fear while facing death, instead he does just the opposite and hurries to his

death like a man on a mission and knows what he is about. After the death of Christ, “finally

men brought axes/ to fell us to earth. That was a frightful destiny!,” (lines 73-74) and, “he will

come again/ to this middle-earth to seek out mankind/ on Judgment Day,” (lines 103-105). These

lines show that the rood believes that he was fated to bear Christ and that he will come back

some day to save mankind again. Just like there is heroism to be found in this story this motif can

also be found in Thomas of England’s story.

In the passage from “Le Roman de Tristran” it is possible for the reader to see heroism,

but it is much more subtle than in the other two stories. The person who the reader would

normally classify as the hero, Tristran, is not the person who seemed to give off traits of heroism,

but Ysolt, the queen. In the beginning of the passage she hears of Tristran falling ill due to a

poisoned wound and, “as soon as the others are all asleep, they leave very stealthily under the

cover of night by a lucky postern in the wall overlooking the Thames,” (Thomas of England, pg.

134). By Ysolt sneaking out during the dead of night, she is risking her life without thinking

about the danger to reach Tistran to help him heal. It also shows that she does not fear her own

death, but Tristans’ because she could get caught or something could happen while she is out at

sea. While out at sea the boat gets close enough to sea land, but then the winds stop and, “time

and again. Ysolt laments her fate,” (Thomas of England, pg. 135), because she realizes that for

some reason the heavens have fated for Tristran and her to be forever separated in this life.

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Through the stories of “Beowulf,” “The Dream of the Rood,” and “Le Roman de

Tristran” it has been shown how heroism was a very important aspect of Anglo-Saxon and

Anglo-Norman literature. From the characters willingness to sacrifice their lives for the sake of

others, to them not showing fear for themselves in the face of death or danger, and that they

believed that whatever was happening or was going to happen was their fate shows

characteristics of heroism.

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Works Cited

Beowulf. Greenblatt. Pg 36-108.

Greenblatt, Stephen, editor. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th. A. New

York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.

The Dream of the Rood. Greenblatt. Pg 33-36.

Thomas of England. Le Roman de Tristan. Greenblatt. Pg 133-137.