Essay on Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth -- comparison compare c

Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth Fate take overs a significant role in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and William Shakespeargons play Macbeth.. The major events of the poem, such as the triple killings by Beowulf and his own death, are said to have been predestined. In Macbeth, fate is so significant that it is personified by the preternatural Sisters, who drive the action of the play. But if predestination exists, and then there mustiness be an agent that determines destiny. In Beowulf, beau ideal plays this role, and fate is generally accepted as Gods will. In John Gardners Grendel, a novel which serves as a commentary on the poem, fate is totally predetermined, and is the will of no being. By contrast, Macbeths agents of fate are the Witches, who generally go against Gods will. In all three kit and caboodle, fate plays a powerful role, as it did in many prescientific cultures. Fate is a necessary instalment in these plentys lives so that they can have whatever means of justifying aspects of their existence. However, the fatal agents in the works differ in looking at this, one must keep in mind that the three works were written in vastly different time periods, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Beowulf was intended to convert people to Christianity. It cannot be a true story, since it takes place in the sixth century (Raffel, 150), four centuries before Christianity came to Scandinavia. (Creed, 141) Most scholars agree that it was written by a Christian, in order to show how the belief in God can overcome evil. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for a Christian audience, perhaps in an attempt to impress the spic-and-span king, James I. Since King James was an expert on witchcraft, Shakespeare gave the Witches a significant role in ... ...t P. and Stanley B. Greenfield, Old English Poetry Fifteen Essays, Providence, RI Brown University Press, 1967 Epstein, Norrie. The well-disposed Shakepeare, immature York, Viking Pub lishing, 1993. Demmick, Donald. Alienation and the Process of Individuation. http//www.nautisarches.uga.edu (16 February 1997). Gardner, John. Grendel. 1971 rpt. New York time of origin Books, 1989. Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles, A Beowulf Handbook (University of Nebraska Press) Schucking, Levin L. The Ideal of Kingship in Beowulf. In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York Washington Press, 1992. Essay on Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth -- comparison compare cFate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth Fate plays a significant role in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and William Shakespeares play Macbeth.. The major events of the poem, such as the three killings by Beowulf and his own death, are said to have been predestined. In Macbeth, fate is so significant that it is personified by the Weird Sisters, who drive the action of the play. But if predestination exists, then there must be an agent that determines destiny. In Beowulf, God plays this role, and fate is generally accepted as Gods will. In John Gardners Grendel, a novel which serves as a commentary on the poem, fate is totally predetermined, and is the will of no being. By contrast, Macbeths agents of fate are the Witches, who generally go against Gods will. In all three works, fate plays a powerful role, as it did in many prescientific cultures. Fate is a necessary element in these peoples lives so that they can have some means of justifying aspects of their existence. However, the fatal agents in the works differ in looking at this, one must keep in mind that the three works were written in vastly different time periods, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Beowulf was intended to convert people to C hristianity. It cannot be a true story, since it takes place in the sixth century (Raffel, 150), four centuries before Christianity came to Scandinavia. (Creed, 141) Most scholars agree that it was written by a Christian, in order to show how the belief in God can overcome evil. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for a Christian audience, perhaps in an attempt to impress the new king, James I. Since King James was an expert on witchcraft, Shakespeare gave the Witches a significant role in ... ...t P. and Stanley B. Greenfield, Old English Poetry Fifteen Essays, Providence, RI Brown University Press, 1967 Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakepeare, New York, Viking Publishing, 1993. Demmick, Donald. Alienation and the Process of Individuation. http//www.nautisarches.uga.edu (16 February 1997). Gardner, John. Grendel. 1971 rpt. New York Vintage Books, 1989. Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles, A Beowulf Handbook (University of Nebraska Press) Schucking, Levin L. The Ideal of Kingship in Beowulf. In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York Washington Press, 1992.