Ln. 500-529 “…Unferth, a son of Ecglad’s, spoke contrary words. Beowulf’s coming, his sea braving, made him sick with envy… Are you the Beowulf who took on Breca in a swimming match on the open sea, risking the water just to prove that you could win? It was shear vanity made you venture out… and then he out swam you, came ashore the stronger contender. …This time you’ll be worsted; no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel.”
Unferth is jealous of Beowulf because he is so highly regarded; he tries to make him look bad. He makes it seem like Beowulf lost when him and Breca swam against each other. Beowulf corrects Unferth saying that they each swam holding a sword, a naked, hard-proofed blade for protection against the whale-beasts. They swam side by side until the dark and wind drove them apart. That night he was pulled to the bottom of the ocean where he killed nine sea-monsters.
Beowulf will literally do anything to make sure his reputation doesn’t get ruined and he continues to look good. He’s selfish on a level to where he only thinks of himself and his fame. Unferth is somewhat right – Beowulf is vain to a certain level. Oh, and Unferth doesn’t think Beowulf can make it through the night without Grendel killing him – great confidence.
Ln. 587 “…you killed your own kith and kin, so for all your cleverness and quick tongue, you will suffer damnation in the depths of hell…” Killing kin is the worst thing you can do. Unferth is everything a good warrior isn’t; he has killed kin, is a coward, can’t handle his beer, and is envious towards Beowulf. Beowulf points out that if he was as good of a warrior as he’s claiming himself to be, Grendel wouldn’t have been a problem.
Ln. 659. “ …keep in mind your fame…” When Hrothgar tells Beowulf good luck and gives him the hall to guard, he tells him to mind his fame. I think that means that Beowulf should remember his reputation and all of what he’s said to the people of the mead-hall and Wealtheow. He’ll need to be courageous and not back down against Grendel because in the Anglo-Saxon culture, you’ll die with fame if you die in a battle.
Ln. 696 “…but the lord was weaving a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats… the truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has…”
This is a foreshadow to the Geat’s success because of Beowulf. The last sentence is a very Christian statement.
Ln. 733 “…but his fate that night was due to change, his days of ravening had come to an end…” Wyrd. Grendel’s foreshadow to dying.
Ln. 754. “…He was desperate to flee to his den and hide with the devil’s litter, for all in his days he had never been clamped or cornered like this…” Grendel didn’t know what to do when Beowulf surprised him. Grendel saying he wanted to hide with the ‘devil’s litter’ reiterates the fact that he was exiled by God who won’t save him.
Ln. 764. “…it was the worst trip…” this is quite a funny litotes. The worst trip ended with him dying… so it’d definitely be his one and only ‘worst’ trip.
there's a connection here with Unferth and Grendel (the idea of kin-killers and hell). You might research Unferth's name.
ReplyDeleteSome critics believe that Unferth's role is a customary one: someone, other than the king, must test the hero come before the throne. Unferth engages Beowulf in a battle of worlds to see what is up with his "boasts" and to see if he can stand up for himself against Unferth in a match of words. Beowulf soundly defeats Unferth in these flytting match.