Characteristics Of Beowulf And The Teaching Of Leadership

Beowulf is a model of leadership for our own times because he is very courageous and his strength is super human like. His skills and traits would not be good in our times though because a leader of a nation in our time doesn’t need to be very courageous and very strong to fight off people or go to war.

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

In the fantasy world found within the story of Beowulf; Hrothgar, the wise king of the Danes, offers Beowulf some important lessons of leadership. Hrothgar, recognizing Beowulf’s nobility and strength, talks to him about how he should act to be a good ruler when he becomes king. The characteristics of good leadership that Hrothgar mentions still hold true today, through people like politicians, and business executives. Hrothgar’s sermon not only provides an insight into what leaders like these should do, it aims to bring to light what leaders should not do.

Beowulf’s virtues of courage and strength appear throughout the poem during his life as a warrior and as a king. He begins the story with courage and “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381), which are vital to his accomplishments as a warrior. His courage and strength are apparent when he fights Grendel without the use of weapons. Both virtues are crucial to his success in that battle and lead him to become a leader of wisdom and stature. As king of Heorot he uses his courage and strength in the battle against the dragon. Before the fight he has a feeling of uncertainty and it is stated “He was sad at heart / unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. / His fate hovered near, unknowing but certain: / It would soon claim his coffered soul.” (2419-2424). His sense of forthcoming death may illustrates a lack of confidence in his ability to slay the dragon; however, it also shows tremendous courage by involving himself in an unevenly matched fight. Although his physical strength may have abandoned him in his last fight against the dragon, his courage and wisdom intensified his glory beyond his death.

On the contrary, people might describe Beowulf as pompous and conceited because of his long speeches of pride. Yes, these speeches do stroke his ego, but his egotistical mindset is no match for 3 monsters, his ego did not beat those monsters he did. His pride comes from a place of fear and weakness and in order to show the people that he has proof of strength, he must show them through pride. These long speeches of pride do not make him stronger, they only make him more right, “no strength is a match for mine” he said while describing his “battle” with Brecca (267). When Beowulf arrives he is an outsider who has come to save them, and only cares about the betterment of people. This kind of thinking is what drives the plot forward, Beowulf's ability to block out the things that make him weak (everybody drowning in his debt) is very powerful, filtering the comments to aid him instead of go to far and make him weak.

A great leader is able to recognize his limitations and how to overcome them. In the case of Beowulf, King Hrothgar foreshadows what is to come for Beowulf if he continues down the same path a previous king had gone. In his sermon, Hrothgar informs Beowulf of Heremod, a “pariah king who cut himself off from his own kind” (McArthur). Hrothgar says that God “allows the mind of a man of distinguished birth to follow its bent,” and because of this, cruel and greedy Heremod “forgets that it will ever end for him,” and “he ignores the shape of things to come” (McArthur). Warning Beowulf not to become like Heremod, Hrothgar advises him to “not give way to pride,” and that “for a brief while your strength is in bloom

Beowulf’s most seen quality in this epic is his confidence. The scene that most directly shows his confidence is his famous boast. “So, every elder and experienced councilman/ among my people supported my resolve/ to come here to you, King Hrothgar, / because all knew of my awesome strength. / They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies/ when I battled and bound five beasts, / raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea/ slaughtered sea-brutes…” (Heaney lines 415-422). Beowulf’s boast is said publically, which shows an inspirational sense of confidence to defeat Grendel. The boast also demonstrates Beowulf’s courage and brave characteristics that makes him appear very heroic. Furthermore, Beowulf’s promise to kill Grendel to the Danes is a confident and risky thing to do, but Beowulf is able to pull it off. In Forbes article, it states that good leaders need to “deliver on [their] promises. Which our hero does that very night, killing the beast by ripping him apart ‘The monster’s whole/ body was in pain, a tremendous wound/ appeared on his shoulder’” (Forbes).

One important thing a leader in this society should do is inspire courage in his followers, even in the face of great adversity. Loughman notes that after the Geats arrive in Heorot and learn that the threat of Grendel is real, “[Beowulf’s] comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives” (Loughman). This shows that Beowulf has the ability to inspire great courage in his fellow men, despite Grendel being known for carrying thirty Danes at once and ruling uncontested for years. Any less of a leader could not have incited such devotion in his companions, but Beowulf does. This idea is also reinforced by the charismatic leader model outlined by Tom Loughman and John Finley in their “Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership.” In it, they summarize that “managers” who lead by performing exemplary actions will be more successful, stating that “[t]hrough these

Leaders now and leaders way back in the day are they all corrupt. How are they viewed now and how are they viewed during the time of beowulf. People may view a leader different during the time of beowulf rather than a leader in today's time. Some people may think that all leaders are corrupt and some may think that only certain leaders are corrupt. The portrayal of Hrothgar during beowulf's time from the canots and how we today criticize leaders from the films and today. Hrothgar is a very respected leader in Beowulf he leads with confidence and takes care of his people. Hrothgar builds a mead-hall for his people to have a good time and drink ale. The people of Hrothgar's kingdom look at him as a respected leader because treats his people well.

A huge part of being a charismatic leader is contributing acknowledgement to who ever deserves it. Also to not subsidize all pride to him self, but Beowulf was not that kind. In the story Beowulf states, “No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster. No one could try. And this dragon's treasure, his gold and everything hidden in that tower, will be mine or war will sweep me to a bitter death!” pg. 63”. This quote illustrates Beowulf desires all the glory to him self and he contemplates that no one else

Coming to The Danes in promises to protect Hrothgar and his men is an example of good leadership. Beowulf brings his band of warriors with him to The Danes to help bring revenge on Grendel, something they needed help doing, and have needed it for a long time. (Post) On the first night the monster came to Heorot, he seized 30 of Hrothgar’s men and swiftly carried them away, bringing terror to The Danes every night for 12 years. (McDowell) Beowulf heard about the fright, and made it a quest to go out and find this mighty Grendel, and put the terror to rest.

With this being the character of beowulf is shown. He would rather be a legend for the people than a leader who has power of the people. With this being the respect, honor and love Beowulf has for the people and the land he lives on is displayed. In the epic poem beowulf is offered the the throne many times but denies taking it until he has no choice.

Beowulf honestly believes that he is invincible and that he is the only one who can defeat the dragon. He says all this before they even leave to go on the mission and it is likely that this is why all the men run when the odds turn against Beowulf. If Beowulf hadn’t been so arrogant, he probably would have chosen a stealthier approach when it came to attacking the dragon and would not have

Based on the readings, I believe that a good hero does not make a good leader. After reading through Beowulf and Hamlet I found that many of the characteristics that made certain characters’ hero’s, did not allow them to become successful leaders. Although many people might think that the words “hero” and “leader” are interchangeable, I found that not to be the case. In the first example, Beowulf suffered from an obsession with personal accomplishment and fame which prevented him from leading his people in a proper way. Hamlet, on the other hand, was a different kind of hero who possessed flaws that stopped him from becoming a good leader. Examples of good hero’s not being good leaders occur in real life as well, not just literature. Many examples of this happening occur in sports where certain players have loads of talent, but no leadership skills.

Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day in this mead hall.” Even Grendel recognizes the hero’s superior strength: “The criminal knew he had not met in this middle-earth another with such a grip.” Other warriors when thinking of Beowulf “would quickly compose a skillful tale in words.” Hrothgar refers to Beowulf as “the best of warriors.”  The Danish queen Wealhtheow compliments after Grendel’s defeat, “You have earned forever the praise of men from near and far.” Hrothgar expounds on good warriors: “This is the best-born man – my friend Beowulf … the best of warriors.” When the dragon burns the mead hall of the Geats and Beowulf prepares to retaliate, he “scorned a host, a large army … he didn’t fear the dragon’s war …” Beowulf is also superior in a moral sense: When Hygelac’s wife Hygd previously offered Beowulf the kingdom, he declined to accept because there was a legitimate heir to the throne. Beowulf’s example of extreme heroism motivates others to extraordinary deeds: Wiglaf, seeing Beowulf’s strength compromised by the dragon’s fire, risks his life to aid Beowulf in his final battle. It is obvious that the hero possesses superhuman qualities. As