Epic of Beowulf Essay

Now let's consider Beowulf's leadership. Beowulf ruled the Geat people for 50 years before he died after defeating the dragon. Beowulf does not give much insight into the protagonists' qualities as a leader or his specific actions while king. Nevertheless, the author reveals that his people were extremely sorrowful at his death, and they repeatedly declared that he was a good king. But perhaps Beowulf's virtues as a leader are not so cut-and-dried, for Beowulf's death left the Geat people in dire straits.

Beowulf is the one of if not the strongest man in his world he has killed many monsters like grendel and fought in countless wars and he makes sure that everyone knows how great of a man he really is taking on task no sane person would take and accepting no reward but the satisfaction of completing the task and his accomplishments to be known. He is boastful and would always love to take all the glory and fame for himself .in the text you see beowulf Constantly boasting about how great and fearless he is Saying things like

When Hrothgar heard of Beowulf and his extraordinary power he knew that Beowulf could take care of the evil Grendel that had terrorized his town for twelve years, then came Grendel’s mother who was strong and challenged Beowulf more than her son but in the end Beowulf came out victorious. Beowulf has not even thought about it twice when they have asked him to fight off plagues, demons, or anything that may come his way as long as he serves the sole purpose of saving his people. The problem was that in his youth Beowulf was only revered by his strength and courage and he loves the attention and the fact that everyone recognizes his abilities. Parties and gifts were thrown to him left and right and even though he gave most of his gifts to Hyglec when he returned home, his pride and confidence just shot through the roof. However, Hrothgar saw the potential that Beowulf had to become just as great or an even better ruler than him and so he takes Beowulf in like a son and mentors him. Preparing Beowulf to one day rule and keep his people

Beowulf simply didn’t do as he pleased, he would get permission from king Hrothgar before he did what he pleased. Beowulf always showed respect to his king, and during the battle with Grendel. Grendel was a terrible monster, but Beowulf didn’t even show up to the battle with armor or weapons! He fought fair, and still won the battle. Winning the battle didn’t just let the people know he respected them, but they began to respect Beowulf not only as a soldier, but a hero.

Beowulf’s strong leadership causes his importance. As Beowulf “…boldly fulfilled his boast to the Danes…” it became clear that he as definitely needed (827). The Danes showed their appreciation to him for the removal of Grendel once and for all. Therefore he is valued by the people since he is willing to fight for the Danes, even though he is not. Because Beowulf had taken on this challenge, his is looked at with courage and bravery by the eyes of the people.

From prior knowledge I am aware that Beowulf is indeed a very honorable individual as he put his life on the line in order to return a favor to King Hrothgar by killing a demon that had been tormenting him and his people. He gained sovereignty over his land in such a bizarre way, yet he remained a noble ruler and was still readily available to dedicate his life in order to ensure the wellbeing of his people. There are multiple excellent examples of such sacrifices throughout the text, such as when he says “ I will boldly win the gold, or else battle, yea an evil death, shall take away your lord.” He has what seem to be the ideal leadership qualities such as supreme dedication, courageousness and respect from everyone, yet I wonder if he possessed

Beowulf seeks fame but also wants the people to look at him as a hero, not only having his family name last forever. He went through so much before he even got to the monsters and with the little energy he had left he defeated the monsters as well. Beowulf was old by the time he got to the monsters but he still managed to do what he could to kill them. I think that Beowulf is one of a kind because he risked his life while his soldiers were still asleep. Lastly, I think that he is a legend and will only influence other people to take leadership and take care of things on their own instead of following or waiting for

Beowulf, who possessed a rare combination of physical strength, mental courage and self confidence, was much more than a brave warrior. What distinguished him from other warriors was that he never misused his superhuman strength and always followed the highest standards of morality. An example of Beowulf’s classy behavior was when Geats were left without a king after Hygelac’s death. Queen Hygd didn’t have confidence in her son’s ability to protect their homeland against invaders. She offered Beowulf “throne and authority” and “Yet there was no way the weakened nation / could get Beowulf to

Everyone wants to know where their place in society is. No matter the time period, gender, or age, everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere. This desire for self-worth determined through society is prominently shown in Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf. During the Anglo-Saxon era, when this epic was written down, an individual’s worth was determined by their place in society. Due to the importance of an individual's place in society, Grendel, Beowulf, and Wiglaf determine their place throughout the epic, Beowulf.

Beowulf is a tale of the mighty acts done by warriors and kings, and throughout the poem, the traits that make up a good king and a good warrior are explored. Perhaps more importantly though, those traits are contrasted. Similarly, this contrast finds itself at its peak when the titular character, Beowulf, assumes the role of King of the Geats. "His transition demonstrates that a differing set of values accompanies each of his two roles."(Sparknotes) further showing how deeply dissimilar the two roles are. Additionally, putting him into a leadership position higher than he's ever been shows just how great he is at ruling people. However, it also shows his shortcomings in being a King, compared to a warrior. Even though they are shown to posess a number of similar qualities, warriors and kings prove to have inherently different functions in society and while Beowulf embodies both roles at different times throughout the work, it is clear he is a much better warriror than he is a king.

“There Hygd proffered him… the king’s seat; she trusted not her son that he would know how to hold his ancestral seats against stranger folk, seeing Hygelac was dead. ”(47). Hygelac, king of the Weder-Geats, has died in battle, and the queen asked Beowulf to rule in her son’s place. Beowulf does not want to be king over Heardred, prince of the Geats. He chooses instead to help Heardred until he was able to rule the Weder-Geats himself. Beowulf only became king when both descendants of Hygelac had perished. “...through shocks of battle, after Hygelac fell and the war-swords had slain Heardred beneath his shield’s shelter...and overthrew the nephew of Heneric in war; thereafter was it the broad realm fell into the hand of Beowulf”(44). Beowulf was a great king to the Weder-Geats for fifty years. He was respected and cared for all of his people. He did not seek out wars, or glory at the expense of his people, but instead protected them from any enemies. “I have ruled the people fifty years; no folk-king was there of them that dealt about me durst touch me with his sword or cow me through terror, I bided at home the hours of destiny, guarded well mine own, sought not feuds with guile,swore not many an oath unjustly”(54). Beowulf shows selflessness in many of his acts, especially when he reigned as king. He did not put his people in unnecessary danger, but instead cared for their needs. This made him a hero to his people as their

What was said earlier was that Beowulf was compassionate about his fellow man, he was kindly, mild, gentle amongst man, and forgiving to his fellow man too. He was like this because he knew man itself cannot thrive on it’s own hate or prejudices but could thrive on life and learning. He sought out the good in people to motivate them as Jesus Christ did. Beowulf did all of these good deeds because he did it for the good of man and because he loathed the powers of evil that tempted man. He did all this for the good of man and because he cared of his people too, in the end of the epic Beowulf was proven to fight hard and save the treasure for his people so they could thrive for many years. One other thing Beowulf did to prove this Christ like sense was that he always thanked god, one example of this is, “By favor of God we won the fight, did the deed of valor, and boldly dared the might of the monster,” (Pg. 19) In just that line not only did he thank God but he was preaching to his men as well like Jesus

Following the structure of the Homeric hero, Beowulf’s only concern is becoming king and dying gloriously in battle to get into Valhalla, a heaven reserved for the brave warriors who died fighting in combat. He is so blinded by his goals that he discounts the well-being of his men.

Two different cultures, two different men but two great kings; Beowulf was described as "a hope for the people" (l. 13, 36). He was a hope for the Geats in his ability to lead, to fight and to inflict change. Even Hrothgar voiced to Beowulf that he "have heard no man of the age that you are utter such wisdom. You are rich in strength and ripe of mind, you are wise in your utterance" (ll. 1840-43, 77). After defeating Grendel and his mother, Hrothgar tells Beowulf this. This foreshadows that Beowulf will be a mighty king in the future. Both are men whom people counted on and looked to for guidance. Both exemplifying what a ferocious warrior resembled and what a true hero was. Hrothgar "was granted glory in battle, mastery of the field" (ll. 63-4, 38). Knowing from experience, the glory of being looked up to as a hero, Hrothgar warns Beowulf of pride and arrogance. He tells Beowulf a story about Heremod, a fighter once known for being brave and destroyed all obstacles that came his way but turned into a monster himself when he

Beowulf is conceited and iss all about glory. He also wanted the material objects that came with it. There is no proof of intelligence and a high lack of skill in leading. He is a self gratifying man that worries about his claim to fame and other objects more than any other thing.