Old English Literature (AD 450 – 1066) The Middle English literature (1066 – 1485)

Beowulf is the quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero. He
symbolises the manners and values dictated by the Germanic
heroic code, such as loyalty, courage, courtesy, honour and
discipline. His ironclad commitment to the heroic code with
it's emphasis on glory in life and after death leads him
beyond heroic necessity to excess and pride. However, for
Beowulf to achieve immortal fame after death his heroic
abilities must be challenged. Therefore, heroes and monsters
must exit symbiotically in order to define each other as
heroic or monstrous.