Writing Feedback / Christianity in Beowulf ; Is Beowulf is a Christian poem or not? [2]

As a math major, I'm not called on to write many essays. As such, my writing ability has gotten a bit rusty.

I have to write an essay on whether Beowulf is a Christian poem or not. Below is the rough draft. Any advice would be quite welcome. Please feel free to be as brutal as you wish, provided that it is backed with something constructive.

Thanks.

Christianity in Beowulf Essay

Beowulf is an epic poem that tells the story of Beowulf and his struggles to overcome three monstrous antagonists. Its origins lie in pagan Denmark. Brought to England by the Anglo-Saxons, it was later composed in a Christianized England. This would lead to many changes in the once purely pagan poem. While Beowulf may contain allusions to Christianity, it is at heart a work of pagan poetry.

The retributive society of Beowulf's setting is quite contrary to the message of the New Testament. Theirs is a society that values might and violence over what are considered Christian values. This is apparent from the very beginning of the poem: "There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes... That was one good king (32)." Obviously, this is not a society that values traits like mercy and pacifism. Churches, the center of Christian life, are conspicuously absent, as are priests. The center of their culture is not the church, but rather the mead-hall.

Many would point to the references to God within the text as proof of the "Christianity" of the poem. Yet nothing in these references explicitly describes a Christian god. They could have easily been references to a pagan deity and simply been changed to the Christian god upon being recorded. In fact, there is no mention of anything from the New Testament throughout the entire poem. Jesus' name does not appear and there is no mention of the Gospels. The only biblical reference found in Beowulf is in regards to Grendel's ancestry: "...Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts (35)." This makes the references to Christianity vague at best. Beowulf's own Christian beliefs could also be described as quite vague.

Beowulf has many traits that are considerably Christian. He is honorable, generous and fair. "Thus Beowulf bore himself with valor; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk, kept his temper and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers (79)." However, he is also very proud. Throughout the poem, he boasts of his own prowess and successes. Even when facing the dragon, his pride gets the best of him: "Yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague. He had scant regard for the dragon as a threat, no dread at all of its courage or strength (82)." Aside from prayers to a higher power, Beowulf has no demonstrably Christian beliefs.

Clearly, the poem is not a Christian poem. It appears that many of what would be considered the Christian elements of the poem were not organic but changed upon its composition. Whether these elements were once pagan elements subverted by the Christian author or just added as an afterthought is unknown. Perhaps the author simply had too much love for the story he had grown up with to alter its message in any considerable way.

Writing Feedback / Doctor Faustus Essay [2]

Please review my Doctor Faustus essay rough draft. It is not completely finished, mainly the conclusion and the the transition to the 2nd paragraph. Any help with where to go with the conclusion would be much appreciated.

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Doctor Faustus is the story of a man who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in his pursuit for knowledge. In the original tale, Faust escapes the Devil's clutches through a loophole. Marlowe decides to take it in a completely different direction, ending his play with Faust's damnation. By changing the ending in this manner, his intentions become quite clear. While Marlowe's Doctor Faustus was written in the guise of a dramatic piece, it is nothing more than a morality play.

Throughout the play, opportunities arise to bring something dramatic into the play. Yet every time, the play continues on its course towards his inevitable damnation. From early on in the play, angels attempt to sway him away from evil. Rather than bringing about any sort of psychological or moral conflict, he instead simply shows his contempt for God and desire for power. "FAUSTUS Of wealth! Why, the signory of Emden shall be mine, When Mephastophilis shall stand by me. What god can hurt thee, Faustus? Thou art safe, Cast no more doubts (1001)." While he does attempt to repent when the Good Angel offers him a chance to repent or upon meeting with the Old Man, his repentant mood passes as quickly as it came to him. "FAUSTUS What shall I do to shun the snares of death? MEPHASTOPHILIS Thou traitor, Faustus: I arrest thy soul For disobedience to my sovereign lord. Revolt, or I'll in piecemeal tear thy flesh. FAUSTUS Sweet Mephastophilis, entreat thy lord To pardon my unjust presumption (1019-20)." His only real change occurs at the end of the play, when his twenty-four years are coming to an end. Though this could have been a chance for a dramatic turn, it instead ends with Faustus being taken to Hell. Clearly, he is condemned to show the audience that even one as great as Faustus could not live in sin and expect to escape it's effects. Another feature that reveals the morality play basis of Doctor Faustus is it's use of good and evil characters.

Throughout the play, the juxtaposition of good and evil is meant to show the sharp contrast between the good and evil characters to his audience. This is especially apparent in the characters on the Good Angel and the Evil Angel. Several times in the play, the two angels make their appearance to Faustus, the Good Angel attempting to bring Faustus back to Christ while the Evil Angel convinces him to continue giving his allegiance to Hell. These characters are allegories for the absolute conflict of good and evil that the play is based around. "GOOD ANGEL Faustus, repent, yet God will pity thee. EVIL ANGEL Thou art a spirit, God cannot pity thee (1005)." The pageant of the Seven Deadly Sins follows this model as well. It is Faustus' cries to Christ, representing absolute good, that cause Lucifer to bring out the Seven Deadly Sins, representing absolute evil, to distract Faustus. It is clear that the use of these absolute, allegorical characters pushes Doctor Faustus into the realm of the morality play.

Obviously, Doctor Fautus' status as a drama is questionable. Through the contrasting of good and evil and the lack of the dramatic within the play, it is more a moral screed than a drama.