Beowulf's Loyalty

Beowulf faces the internal conflicts, self concern and betrayal, when he is much older and king. Even though he was much older he decided to battle a fire dragon because he was his people’s hero. Though Beowulf had helped so many people when he was young and strong, none of his comrades came to help him. Instead, they ran for their lives. “And only one of them remained, stood there, miserable, remembering as a good man must, what kinship should mean.” (Beowulf 43) Beowulf and his one comrade, Wiglaf, kill the dragon, but Beowulf is injured and soon dies. The last internal conflict Beowulf has before he dies is the betrayal of his people.

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, and the author of Beowulf is unknown. Beowulf is the The setting of Beowulf is in Sweden and Denmark(the book 1231). Beowulf is divided into three parts in which Beowulf fights a dragon, a monster named Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. The Anglo-Saxon people have many values. There are many Anglo-Saxon values throughout Beowulf such as loyalty, strength, bravery, generosity, honor, and glory.

He has not only shown courage but also gives his assurance that he would die or kill Grendel in order to protect this kingdom.In the poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf states that “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 fiend”(Heaney 408-414). While reciting his boast, Beowulf shows a tremendous amount of trust and confidence in himself against the battle with the merciless monsters Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. Another example to show his supremacy is when he battles the dragon and he recites “I would rather not/ use a weapon if I knew another way/ to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast/ as I did against Grendel in the days gone by.” (Heaney 2518-2521). One of the best ways Beowulf promotes faith in himself before battles is with his boasts. The lines quoted above have a lot of significance as it was last boast, he succumbs to his wounds after the battles against the dragon. Anglo-Saxons encourage themselves by gaining glory for self and clan too. This is an important scene as it is the scene after Beowulf's victory over Grendel,“The monster’s whole body was in pain, a tremendous wound apprehended on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone lappings burst. Beowulf was granted the glory of winning” (Heaney 817-819). Epic battle vs Grendel had ended and Beowulf emerged out with his glorious

When Beowulf first hears of the horrendous creature Grendel who slaughtered many of Hrothgar’s men He sails with his men to Herot he gets stopped at the entrance by a soldier. The soldier of course does not trust Beowulf so he asks who his father is. Whoever was your father really mattered, it said what kind of person you were because of your fathers actions. The soldier says to Beowulf “Tell me your name/ and your fathers; no spies go further into Danish/ soil than you’ve already come” (lines 165-168). Beowulf explains who his father was and his intentions in Herot. Beowulf says that he has heard of the monster and all he wants is to help them because they have suffered for too long. The soldier guarding the entrance into Herot let Beowulf and his men enter, the soldier seems to trust Beowulf and he says to him. “’ A soldier should know the difference between words/ and deeds and keep that knowledge clear in his brain. I believe your words, I trust in/ your friendship”’ (lines 200-203). Beowulf sails to Herot to kill a monster that has murdered many men. He does this for many reasons he to help, he wants everyone to see his ability, and he just wants some glory.

The oldest recorded english text, Beowulf, is an epic Anglo-Saxon tale of a man named Beowulf who was greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world. Throughout this tale the key virtues of Anglo-Saxon life: bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship are shown. These virtues are illustrated through the following evidence from the tale.

Beowulf, is an epic hero who battles Grendel, a demon, Grendel's mother, and a fire breathing dragon. His boast and encounters reveal him the strongest warrior around. He is known for his characteristics of Anglo Saxons code of honor including bravery, strength, and loyalty.

When asked to list virtues of a hero, traits such as patience and wisdom usually come to mind. However, in Beowulf, the protagonist possesses a characteristic that is not typically found in a traditional adventurer: conceitedness. The epic poem Beowulf reveals that, in order to achieve glory, a hero must possess a degree of immodesty. Examples of this can be seen when Beowulf first meets Hrothgar and in Beowulf’s response to Unferth’s challenge.

High power could be given to one at any time desired. Loyalty was an attribute Beowulf held throughout his life. Beowulf lived to strengthen and to care for the tribe. Beowulf could become a king, but instead of battling and betraying a friend, he chose to be righteous and loyal. Rather, Beowulf was happy to be able to give his loyal duties to Hrothgar.

Courage, generosity, faithfulness are the qualities that every hero, today, has embodied. Everyone looks towards these figures for leadership and in the Anglo-Saxon religion actually tends to put heroic figures on a high pedestal. Besides the king, heros are looked up to just as much. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon hero because he shows loyalty towards his king, selflessness and a sense of justice in everything he does.

In today’s society, some people have the characteristics of untrustworthiness and cowardliness. However, others choose to have personalities seeded in loyalty and confidence. The story of Beowulf shows these positive attributes through warrior’s loyalty and Beowulf’s bravery. Also, today’s society opts in equality for women, as women have strong and independent traits. Beowulf presents a strong woman figure, Grendel’s mother, as Beowulf not only struggled against her, but she showed the motherly aspects of wanting to fight in anger for Beowulf murdering her son. These traits of loyalty, bravery, and strength were important in the Anglo-Saxon culture, and in essence, still relate to society today as many people want these characteristics in their relationships and movements.

Throughout the 17th and 18th century there has been several works written that allow us to make connections between the author , society, and help define “Anglo Saxons”, “Middle English”, and “Renaissance.” These works have various themes that infuse all three periods of British literature. Though there are several significant themes in British Literature, one theme are most apparent. The theme of loyalty in the Beowulf demonstrates how important loyalty was to the Anglo Saxons, while loyalty is not shown where it is supposed to be in the Canterbury Tales.

Throughout Old English literature, the themes of loyalty and pride have played a large component in the narratives of the protagonists. While Beowulf was written after the Anglo-Saxon tribes had been Christianized the pagan elements of the past still dominated the culture. The retention of these themes within Beowulf reflects the landscape of England at the time, because even though it was Christianized, England still had many pagan elements such as pride within its culture. Conversely, even though Lanval was written at a later date when pagan elements subsumed with Christian elements the concept of chivalry had arisen thus the poem is still tinged with the themes of loyalty and pride. From observing the themes of loyalty and pride in Beowulf and Lanval we can discern the

Beowulf has trust that he has a fair task, considering all the dangers he has overcome in his lifetime. However, he is not just a warrior anymore; he is king and the responsibility for all his people is at higher stake. The fatally wounded king, considered that he affronted God, to be attacked by the dragon. He realises ”That final day was the first time/ when [Beowulf] fought and fate denied him/ glory in battle”, when using a sword and shield he did not fully trust fate to protect him (723-725). Fate failing Beowulf lead to him unfortunate

Much of Beowulf exemplifies the prominent Anglo-Saxon ideals of loyalty. Comitatus, the loyalty code between a lord and his thanes, was the difference between life and death for many Anglo-Saxons. Constantly at war or feuding, it was of the utmost importance a lord could rely on his warriors. Beowulf’s men were behind him through it all- until his greatest defeat- the dragon. It is significant to note that the quest the

Beowulf’s loyalty is most prominent at the end when he fights the dragon. He did not want to fight the dragon because of his age, but felt that he owed it to the king to do it. Beowulf was so highly revered that everyone was deeply saddened by his death.