Corrupt Leaders In Beowulf

Beowulf’s first demonstration as a leader, comes from him being a protector of his people. Hrothgar quotes this in his sermon as he quotes Beowulf as,”a protector of his people.” (McArthur). He describes Beowulf as a protector because he came to the village to fight off the monster that is Grendel (McArthur). Because of this action, the people of the village now place their trust in Beowulf, which is a common idea in the relationship between people and their leaders. Beowulf can excel at leading the village because everyone in the village thinks that he could do no wrong. Trust is a very essential skill in becoming a reliable leader. Hrothgar exclaims the importance of this by saying,”…and forts to command in his own country…” (McArthur). This means that Beowulf will look out for his people by commanding his country.

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.

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.

The political structure of Beowulf’s setting is very scarcely hinted at and touched on by the original author, and while it primarily takes place in what is modern day Scandinavia in Denmark and Sweden, as referenced by Heaney’s introduction, there are hints of the writer’s English heritage in the epic in regards to the government. The political and societal system in Beowulf is a patriarchal hierarchy with a king at the top, as evidenced by Hrothgar, Hyglac, and eventually, Beowulf’s control over their tribes. Although the king has the most earthly power, God

Beowulf: A New Telling, written by Robert Nye, is a book for adventurers who want to experience a time of good and evil. Beowulf came from an Anglo Saxon Poet around 700 AD in the Medieval time period. It was formed from an old English heroic epic poem. Beowulf: A New Telling was told in around 600 AD. Beowulf: A New Telling shows, if you know your strengths and your weaknesses, you will be able to conquer anything.

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

Leadership is the ability of motivating an assembly of people to act towards a common goal and has the skill to make others want to follow in their direction (Ward). The epic Beowulf, contains various scenes of how the protagonist hero, Beowulf, shows great leadership. Beowulf portrays good leadership by his confidence, his physical strength, and his loyalty, which are important qualities of the Anglo-Saxon time.

Throughout history we have seen different kind of battles and duels, but all of this confrontations have always represented the good vs. the evil. There has been demons, monster, and even the mind of a human itself, but good has always found a way to keep the world balanced. There has always been different ways in which evil has been presented, but I believe that the most awful and dreadful one is the devil. The devil controls every other dreadful creature in the world, he is the reason why evil exists. Even though we always picture monster and demons as the representation of evil, humans can also be evil, and we can be even worse.

The tale of Beowulf has been taught and studied for hundreds of years. As such, it only makes sense logically that scholars should discern certain lessons from the text, relevant to the original tellers’ lives and to our own. Throughout the poem, we see examples of leaders in Hrothgar and Beowulf, both epitomizing great leadership and displaying characteristics that people could learn from today. Beowulf shows us that a great leader inspires courage in his followers, remains true to his word, can swallow his pride, and rewards loyalty and acts of valor.

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

Integrity is the basis for trust in society. Without integrity, religion, education, commerce, and structural leadership cannot succeed. The importance of integrity has been stressed since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree, but they went against God's command at the words of a convincing serpent. Integrity is a strong theme in medieval times often interwoven in code taken and upheld by the heroes of the time. This code is exhibited in much of the medieval tales in British literature. To have integrity in medieval culture is to follow some moral code defined by the society in which one lived. The understanding of what integrity is in the medieval times was determined by the virtuous and honorable life one lives and what values are of importance in the medieval society. Beowulf, as well as Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, depicts the idea of integrity or lack of in the medieval ages.

When people think of a successful king, they often associate them with the hero. However, many fail to notice that no one could own both the title king and the hero at the same time; they need to give up either one of the titles to become a truly successful hero or king. In the famous epic poem, Beowulf, despite Hrothgar rules Danes, another hero, Beowulf, shows up to solve Danes’ problem while the true Danes king sits on his throne and simply gives all honor and credit to Beowulf. To become a truly successful leader, one must know to put down his honor and fame for his people’s safety. Furthermore, a ruler who cares about his people in every aspect fits the title king, not a person who goes off on a quest to defeat the villain for his own

In the 21st century a good leader is someone who is courageous, understanding, selfless, fights for other and not themselves and not a person who has a big ego. Throughout history the meaning or definition of a good leader has changed much. In the Anglo – Saxon time period, Beowulf, was considered to be a great leader and a hero according to his people, for risking his life and saving them from evil monsters. But in today’s world and lifestyle and how much things and times have changed, Beowulf would not be considered to be a good leader or a hero.

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.

In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the story’s most universal theme. The storyteller is very clear who is good and who is evil, Beowulf represents the good and the ability to act selflessly when help is needed from others. Good is also shown throughout the epic as having the ability to abolish villainy. Evil is presented by Grendel, his mother, and a dragon, whose purpose in life is to make the lives of humanity a little more miserable.