Table of Contents
Why is Unferth jealous of Beowulf?
The bitterness of Unferth’s chiding of Beowulf about his swimming match with Breca clearly reflects his jealousy of the attention that Beowulf receives. It probably also stems from his shame at being unable to protect Heorot himself—he is clearly not the sort of great warrior whom legend will remember.
Who was jealous of Beowulf’s bravery?
Unferth. A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.
What offenses does Unferth accuse Beowulf of committing?
Unferth accuses Beowulf, as a lad, of entering a dangerous, foolish seven-night swimming match on the open sea against a boy named Breca — and losing.
What weapon finally kills Grendel’s mother?
Although his sword, Hrunting, loaned to him by Unferth, fails to penetrate the mother’s hide, Beowulf discovers a giant magic sword in the cave and is able to kill the mother with it. The sword melts to its hilt after Beowulf uses it to decapitate the corpse of Grendel, which lies nearby.
Why is Unferth so jealous of Beowulf?
Further, Unferth appears to be jealous of Beowulf and never responds to Beowulf’s taunt that Unferth once killed his own brother, which could signal either Unferth’s incompetence or some sort of moral failing. Unferth does become more generous after Beowulf defeats Grendel, and lends Beowulf his family sword to fight Grendel’s mother.
What does Unferth mean by foil in Beowulf?
(A foil is a character whose traits contrast with and thereby accentuate those of another character.) The bitterness of Unferth’s chiding of Beowulf about his swimming match with Breca clearly reflects his jealousy of the attention that Beowulf receives.
What does Beowulf say to Unferth about Breca?
Beowulf replies that Unferth is drunk, and tells his version of the story: as youths, he and Breca did… (full context) Beowulf adds that he killed nine sea-monsters in all. He says has not heard that Unferth has done so much, though he has heard that Unferth killed his own brother.
Why did Unferth chide Beowulf about his swimming match?
The bitterness of Unferth’s chiding of Beowulf about his swimming match with Breca clearly reflects his jealousy of the attention that Beowulf receives. It probably also stems from his shame at being unable to protect Heorot himself—he is clearly not the sort of great warrior whom legend will remember.