Osorio 1

Roger Osorio

Ms. Solomon-Cruz

AP Literature

1-7-20

Impactful heroic deaths?

Tragedies appear most during periods when a people or nation are confident causing

major impact. William Shakespeare was an English poet, one of the best, playwright and an

actor. He was born on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare's initial

plays were written in the customary style of the day, with complexed analogies and rhetorical

expressions that didn't generally adjust normally with the story's plot or characters. Yet,

Shakespeare was exceptionally imaginative, adjusting the customary style to his own motivations

and making a more liberated progression of words Shakespeare’s writing is full of key factors

that affect plot. However, the author of Beowulf is unknown to the public, he/she was only

known as an Anglo –Saxon. The big 3 are motivations of the characters, their deaths, and overall

impact. In this paper, I will be comparing 2 of my favorite Shakespearean writing and 1 of my

favorite fictional heroes, these are: Beowulf (Beowulf, Grendel’s mother, Wiglaf), Hamlet

(Hamlet, Ghost, Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude), and Macbeth (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm,

Macduff, Banquo). In the stories of Hamlet, Beowulf, and Macbeth, many characters face similar

acts of motivation, death, and create a similar overall impact to their stories.

Impact

In his striking pieces of writing, Shakespeare’s main characters and Beowulf are the

target and affect the stories’ plot the most with the death of others having the most affect. Such

as in Hamlet where he affected and changed the life for Ophelia. In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet states,
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“I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God has given you one face and you make

yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures and make

your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I’ll no more on’t. It hath made me mad. I say, we will

have no more marriages. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live. The rest shall

keep as they are. To a nunnery, go.” Hamlet talking to Ophelia and ranting about how women act

3and why it makes him crazy. He then decides that this is the end of their relationship for her.

This leads to Ophelia losing her mind and later committing suicide and having Laertes to fight

Hamlet in what is essentially Hamlet’s final battle. Setting the climax and the rest of the story for

the reader. Hamlet isn’t just the only character impacting others there are few who impact him,

such as his own mother who has doubts about her own son. In act 3 Scene 4 Hamlet kills

Polonius and now Gertrude is worried she might be next. However, Hamlet and Gertrude share

this dialogue, “GERTRUDE: What have I done, that thou darest wag thy tongue

in noise so rude against me? HAMLET: Such an act That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,

Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose from the fair forehead of an innocent love

and sets a blister there, makes marriage vows as false as dicers' oath--oh, such a deed

as from the body of contraction plucks the very soul, and sweet religion makes

A rhapsody of words. Heaven’s face doth glow O'er this solidity and compound mass

with tristful visage, as against the doom, is thought-sick at the act.” With Polonius dead and

Gertrude worried about the sanity of her son. Hamlet lets her know that she is partially

responsible for this crime. Emphasizing that it is her fault for the fact that her son is losing his

mind due to her betraying her ex-husband and marrying Hamlet’s uncle. Which is a bigger sin to

Hamlet than the murder he just committed.

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In Beowulf, lines 433-440, our protagonist says, “I have heard moreover that the monster

scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his

heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-

hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend.” Beowulf, knowing his strength,

decides to take on Grendel hand to hand. Displaying how much confidence the protagonist has in

himself and later showing his scary power against not only Grendel but with the monster’s

mother and the dragon. Setting up the plot for the rest of the story for Beowulf against the

dangerous obstacles in his path. With it leading to his ever-loving downfall. Also, Wiglaf is one

of the kinsmen of Beowulf, he is a loyal and brave young man who reminds us of a young

Beowulf. To support Hrothgar after losing Aeschere to Grendel’s mother, Beowulf says, “Wise

sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every

one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before

death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark.” (Lines 1384-1389).

Beowulf doesn’t want to mourn too much but instead he wants to avenge for Hrothgar’s advisor.

With this when Beowulf is on his final moments Wiglaf hears Beowulf dying wishes and follows

through with it. This creates a new hero who hopefully avenges his comrades like Beowulf did.

In Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth states, “Was the hope drunk. Wherein you dressed

yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so

freely? From this time, Such I account thy love. Art, thou afeard to be the same in thine own act

and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of

life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,” Like the

poor cat i’th’ adage?” With Macbeth in doubt of going through with the plan to kill Duncan,
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Lady Macbeth comes and reminds Macbeth of how badly he wants the crown and even questions

his manliness. With this Macbeth is ready to take the life of the current king and set himself

for all the power he wants, changing the environment and the mood of the story later

on. The impact of a few characters in these pieces of dramatic tales are very similar on how

they lead to the deaths of others. Moreover, Banquo (Macbeth former friend) realized there was

something wrong with the witches’ prophecy. In Act 1 Scene 3, Banquo says, “Thou has it no

king, Cawdor, Glamis, all. As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully

for ‘t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, but that myself should be the root and

father of many kings. If there come truth from them – As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches

shine – Why, by the verities on thee made good, may they not be my oracles as well, and set me

up in hope? But hush, no more.” Banquo’s lines uncover that he is skeptical of Macbeth when he

became the king. He goes back to the witches’ words and realize that Macbeth achieved their

outcome. However, Banquo believes there was some foul play involved with this and worries

that Macbeth must have killed Duncan to get the throne. This fills Banquo with fear, the thought

also gives him hope that what the Witches predicted for him will come true. Yet, he doesn’t

realize that in order for his sons to become king, he will have to die.

With the title characters committing to their motivations it comes with many important

plot details that lead to each other’s demise. Not only that, but the actions of the environment and

other characters can really impact the main character. On the other hand, no Shakespeare or even

heroic story can end without an important death.

Deaths

Shakespeare’s and the Poet’s work in the texts talked about here share a similar cause of

death for the 3 title characters which is Hamlet, Macbeth, and Beowulf dying in battle and
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passing the power to someone else They pass the power to someone even though it’s not from

their hand. In Macbeth, Macduff states “Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands the

usurper’s cursèd head. The time is free. I see thee compassed with thy kingdom’s pearl, that

speak my salutation in their minds, whose voices I desire aloud with mine. Hail, King of

Scotland!” (Macduff, Act 5 Scene 8). With the death of many, Macbeth ponders upon suicide

until he is confronted by Macduff. Leading to a battle, Macbeth does not back down and his head

is found in the hand of Macduff. Macduff has killed Macbeth and Malcolm has acquired his

rightfully deserved throne.

In Beowulf, Lines 2813-2820, Beowulf says, “You are the last of us, the only one left of

the Waegmundings. Fate swept us away, sent my whole brave high-born clan to their final doom.

Now I must follow them. “That was the warrior’s last word. He had no more to confide. The

furious heat of the pyre would assail him. His soul fled from his breast to its destined place

among the steadfast ones.” In the final battle, Beowulf is wounded by the Dragon’s poisonous

bite and is going to die later on. However, Beowulf kills the Dragon and now has to deal with the

wound. Trying to the best he can, Wiglaf cannot prevent the perish of Beowulf. Before he dies,

Beowulf tells Wiglaf to become King and to honor his legacy with the kingdom.

In Tragedy of Hamlet, the main character on his final words in Act 5 Scene 2 states, “O, I

die, Horatio. The potent poison quite o’ercrows my spirit. I cannot live to hear the

news from England. But I do prophesy the election lights on Fortinbras. He has my dying

voice. So, tell him, with th’ occurrents, more and less, which have solicited. The rest is

silence. O, O, O, O. (Dies). While having a duel with Laertes, Hamlet is stabbed by the

poisonous sword that Claudius setup to kill Hamlet. This leads to the death of Hamlet in battle

and the passing of the throne to Fortinbras.

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These characters all face their fate from their final battle with a rival. Final their death

comes a new person to receive the power they left behind. Some by the person they worried

about like Malcolm to Macbeth and Fortinbras to Hamlet. However, some give it to someone

they find can carry on their legacy such with Beowulf and Wiglaf. Yet, each one died and the

story gave their power to someone else. Death is inevitable in these stories for their characters

and is mainly caused by their motives.

Motivations

These writings have a lot do to with the art of revenge which is with many of the main

characters such as the Ghost in “Hamlet,” Grendel’s mother in “Beowulf,” and Macduff in

“Macbeth” just to name a few. In Beowulf, Grendel’s mother is introduced in lines 1333-1344,

where it says, ““She has taken up the feud because of last night, when you killed Grendel,

wrestled and racked him in ruinous combat since for too long he had terrorized us with his

depredations. He died in battle, paid with his life; and now this powerful other one arrives, this

force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman’s death. Or so it seems to thanes in their grief, in the

anguish every thane endures at the loss of a ring-giver, now that the hand that bestowed so richly

has been stilled in death.” After the actions of Beowulf to Grendel, the monster is dead and

without an arm. The mother as any mother would do now seeks revenge for deceased child.

Also, the hero himself wants revenge when the narrator states, “The warrior determined to take

revenge for every gross act Grendel had committed— And not only for that one occasion When

he’d come to slaughter the sleeping troops, Fifteen of Hrothgar’s house-guards Surprised on their

benches and ruthlessly devoured, and as many again carried away, A brutal plunder.” (Lines

1576-1584). Beowulf wants to get his vengeance on anything that has to do with Grendel. Since,

Grendel has killed some of his allies and even Hrothgar’s house guards.
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In Macbeth, the Scottish nobleman, Macduff says, “Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest

slain, and with no stroke of mine, my wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot

strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are hired to bear their staves. Either thou, Macbeth, or else

my sword with an unbattered edge I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shouldst be; By this

great clatter, one of the greatest note Seems bruited. Let me find him, Fortune, and more I beg

not.” Macduff is determined to execute Macbeth and get retribution on the ruthless killing of his

family, as this short discourse from Act 5, scene 7 clarifies. Macduff approaches Fortune to assist

him with discovering Macbeth and execute him, reverberating the job of destiny and the

otherworldly in the play, as spoke to somewhere else by the Witches. Moreover, the rightful heir

to the throne, Malcom states, “Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly

grief." (Act 4 Scene 3). With the power-hungry Macbeth on a killing rampage, Malcom father

was taken by him. With this Malcolm talks to Macduff to prepare their plans to get back at

Macbeth.

In Hamlet, the ghost of the protagonist’s father wants Hamlet to kill his uncle for his

sinful crime against him. This is stated in Act 1 scene 5, “GHOST: Revenge his foul and most

unnatural murder. HAMLET: Murder? GHOST: Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this

most foul, strange, and unnatural. HAMLET: Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as

meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” With this Hamlet lose all focus

on his environment and only wants to kill the King and fulfill his father’s wish. Furthermore,

Laertes returns from France with the awful news of his father and sister, “How came he dead? I'll

not be juggled with: To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the

profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, that both the worlds I give to negligence,

let come what comes; only I'll be revenged Most thoroughly for my father.” (Act 4 Scene 5).
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With his return, Laertes receives the news from Claudius and hears that Hamlet is the guy who

killed his father. With that information Laertes focus turns to revenge and leading into his final

fight with the main character himself.

With all of these target characters ready for a fight to avenge their love ones,

Shakespeare’s characters and Beowulf are really showing a pattern when it comes to their

motivations.

Conclusion

All these characters and pieces of texts are major roles in their stories when it comes to

their impact, death, and motivation. Motivation is one’s way of meeting their goal. Impact is the

character’s or item’s effectiveness for their story, and death is when a person or thing is

euthanized and how it effects the story after they perish. In Shakespearean and the mysterious

poet writing, these factors are mainly shown through the title characters. Your motives can

undoubtedly impact your lifestyle, even your death.