Rhetorical Skills in Epic Stories

Epics are always highlighted with grand settings, deadly missions and strong fanciful
characters. In the epic story of Beowulf, as the legendary warrior of the ancient Europe, Beowulf
owns all the heroic values like courage, strength and loyalty. However, he is not one of those
warriors with a strong body and a simple mind. He displays great speech skills in his lengthy
plea to the king of Danes Hrothgar for the mission of killing the demonic monster Grendel. Since
the epic of Beowulf was written in the Old English period, it is not hard to conclude that people
already understood how to use different appeals in speeches to capture the mind of their audience
more than a thousand years ago.
Ethos, a Greek word that means character, is the first type of appeal Beowulf uses in
his speech. Most people have the tendency to rush straight to the subject, especially under the
emergency situation of Grendel threatening the peace of the Danish kingdom. However, Beowulf
introduced himself first: Higlac is my cousin and my king (237). Higlac is the king of the
Danes neighboring territory, whose name Hrothgar probably have heard of. Being the great lord
Higlacs relative and loyal warrior, Beowulfs status becomes more noble and respectful than
any common man. With this simple introduction, Beowulfs credibility increases at once in
Hrothgars eyes. In addition, Beowulf tells that the wisest of his people decided that Beowulf
should come to rescue Hrothgars kingdom (244-246). The recommendation of a wise man from
Beowulfs kingdom further ensures Beowulfs credibility. With the plentiful appropriate usage of
ethos appeal, Beowulf is rather trustworthy to Hrothgar now, and his persuasion is already halfsuccessful.

Beowulf has Hrothgars trust; nevertheless, logos are still necessary to persuade the king.
The greatest prophet cant turn darkness into light just by his fame. Similarly, Beowulf needs
logical reasoning to build his argument. He explains to Hrothgar why the wisest of his people
chose him to come: he earned glory by slaughtering monsters and giants that are beyond human
capability (248-254). The dangerous and glorious accomplishments Beowulf has achieved prove
that he has the ability and power to defeat a horrifying fiend like Grendel. More unbelievably, he
decides not to use any weapon in the fight against Grendel: My lord Higlac might think less of
me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield:
my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the moster (264-269). Even though
people who have heard of Grendel know that he fears no blades or armors, Beowulf, who is
actually not afraid of fighting Grendel with bare hands, proves his courage exceeding most
warriors. Both his bravery and past experience provide sufficient evidence that he could
complete the quest of killing Grendel.
Eventually, if Hrothgar is still hesitating, Beowulf is ready to give him a decisive strike
with pathos, an argument that appeals to the audiences emotions. He let God decide who will
win this battle and said if my time will have come, therell be nothing to mourn over, Grendel
will crunch on our bones, and smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls of his den (275-280).
What can be more distressing and touching than a man prepared for an arduous mission fearless
of his own death? As the king and leader of the Danish people, Hrothgar probably well knows
the pride and burden a warrior carries. Beowulfs vivid description of ones death scene under
Grendels claws is cruel but can truly touch Hrothgar. He completely convinces Hrothgar by his
firm pursuit of justice with no returning.

It is incredible that such strong rhetorical skills are displayed in an epic by an unknown
author living in the ancient time. Nevertheless, writers and orators today still commonly use
ethos, logos and pathos to affect and convince their audience. Most people nowadays probably
dont need to take on a quest and convince the king, nor do they need to stand on a platform and
convince a mass audience. However, the three forms of appeals are still helpful to the teenagers
who want a new cellphone from their parents, the employers who want more salary from their
boss and even the homeless who is seeking shelter and food.

I, _______________________, wrote and typed this paper myself.