Example Of Loyalty In Beowulf

King Arthur does not realize the importance of his lessons with Merlyn until he becomes king and is put in situations like never before. In the Anglo-Saxon story, Beowulf gains wisdom as an old man, when he realizes his duty is to his kingdom and no longer is about his fame and own glory. “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” (623-625). Here Beowulf has gotten older and realizes that it is time for him to fight for his people, not only for his fame. Sacrifice is not something every hero relates to in their story, but it does occur and is a possible outcome for many leaders.

Beowulf has a strong anglo-saxon values sprinkled through it including a strong sense of loyalty. This sense of loyalty shows up time and time again within beowulf. One of the most notable times loyalty is brought up in beowulf is in The Last Battle. Wiglaf is the character used to show loyalty. Beowulf is in a battle and his soldiers leave out of fear, Wiglaf decides that the most loyal and honorable thing to do is go help his king fight. Even though his chances of survival are low, Wiglaf goes back to help his king. This sense of loyalty that would mean loyalty even until death shows how strongly the anglo-saxons valued loyalty.

In Beowulf, selflessness is a big part of the story, Beowulf goes out and helps the people of another place. He doesn’t have to do it because he doesn’t live there so if he didn’t defeat Grendel it wouldn’t affect him either way. He does it though and not only defeats Grendel but also Grendel’s mother because she came after the people when her son was killed. Beowulf knew that if he didn’t kill her the people would still live in fear. That’s what makes him selfless. He does things that need to be done for others and not so much himself.

First, loyalty is very important to the Anglo-Saxon people. Loyalty is swearing allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else(first and foremost), and Beowulf most likely would not have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes for glory and because of a sense of devotion to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, after he killed a man. Hrothgar paid the death price for

Much information about Ancient Greek culture and what they valued morally can be gained from Homer’s epic,The Odyssey. The Odyssey has a variety of different archetypes that are still relevant in modern times. The legend of Odyssey has been passed down from poet to poet for five hundred years until finally Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey down somewhere between eight hundred fifty and seven hundred fifty B.C. In Homer’s epic there are three archetypes that provide insights to Ancient Greek civilizations and their morals. These are the hero archetype, the monster or villain archetype, and the hero's journey archetype. Each archetype provides an example of what was moral,heroic,and frightening. Odysseus was considered a hero among the people in Ancient Greek times.

Beowulf’s childhood, and much of the culture displayed in Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf, has many examples of familial betrayal. The house where Beowulf was raised was stricken with the killing of brothers, and his adopted father is sick with grief and mourning. Furthermore, the text holds many references to the Cain and Abel story, a story in which a brother is murdered with the motive of jealousy. While these things might lead us to believe that Beowulf would rather not have a family, because the only families that he knows bring grief, he shows a basic human need for family and companionship throughout Seamus Heaney’s translation. Seamus Heaney’s translation also highlights that Beowulf’s need for companionship and family is a basic human need, meaning that it is a natural human response to the world. Even at the beginning of the story, when Beowulf seems

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.

Throughout The Iliad, an epic poem written by Homer, there were numerous warriors and other characters that could be looked upon as heroes; some of these heroes included Achilles, Ajax, Diomedes, Hector, and Glaucus. All of these individuals were heroes because of their remarkable mental and physical strength: they were courageous and were better fighters in war than other ordinary men. The trade of battle was a way of life to the Greeks back in Homer’s time. Children were raised to become great servicemen to their country, and warriors lived to fight for and defend their nation with pride and valor. The heroic code was a strict morality that dealt with matters relating to honor and integrity in battle.

Loyalty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Odyssey by Homer and Don Quixote by Cervantes

The Anglo Saxons were an interesting people that were loyal to their lord. Each group had a leader that commanded and directed the warriors. Loyalty was an important part of the Anglo Saxons culture. In Beowulf, the Anglo Saxons were expected to remain loyal to their leader as he was responsible for protecting them in battle. The leaders of the Anglo Saxons were admired for their courage and determination as they guided the group of warriors in their endeavors. In “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife remains loyal to her lord even though she is treated harshly by him. She chased after him when he left, and continued to love him after he ostracized her. As evident in Beowulf and “The Wife’s Lament”, the Anglo Saxons greatly relied on a noble leader to protect them from danger and direct them towards success; as a result, the followers were loyal to their lord by showing reverence and admiration as well as honouring their legacy, even if the lord neglected to fulfill his duties.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the narrative Beowulf are stories of great bravery and loyalty. Sir Gawain, one of the finest Arthurian romances, is an accurate representation of the code of chivalry, bravery. Beowulf, an epic poem that has been told for centuries, is about a hero with superhuman qualities demonstrating loyalty. Granted these characters are not alike in their actions, they do both display bravery and loyalty in one way or another.

Loyalty is a huge part of the movie, A Knight's Tale. During the Middle Ages, people were very dependent on one another, even though they are separated by class and position. In the movie, William pretended to be a knight, even though he was born into poverty. He took his masters’ armour, who died. Even though, this can cause for him and the others for them to be arrested and killed, he continued.

Grendel’s killing of the men in there sleep shows moral weakness and frailty on his part. The men are defenseless, so it is an unfair fight that further promotes Beowulf’s honorability. Similarly to the wanderer, Beowulf also keeps his word and never complains, regardless of how difficult or dangerous a task seemed. This proves to be one of the key traits of an honorable Anglo-Saxon hero. Wiglaf also demonstrates honor and human goodness when he refuses to back out of the battle. He says, “A warrior will sooner / die than live a life of shame” (2890-2891). Wiglaf would rather keep his honor and lose his life, than live a life of shame because of cowardice.

Oral stories often establish comprehensive guidelines of how to live honorably. Specifically, they exemplify the actions of heroes who value pietas: an unwavering loyalty to one’s boss, state, and family. Characters adhering to it reap physical and spiritual benefits; those that do not are punished accordingly. This relationship is clearly evident in the ancient Sumerian epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, The Iliad, and Virgil’s ancient Roman epic poem, The Aeneid. This paper will argue that these texts show that honor is attainable only through pietas. It will conclude that complete commitment to pietas ultimately promotes personal growth through the renouncement of earthly desires.

Often in literary works from the Aegean and Roman worlds, authors and poets centralize their stories around key figures. These key subjects often exude the qualities necessary to solidify one’s honor and legacy amongst his peers. When we think about a hero in contemporary society we tend to think in retrospect of the qualities that made ancient figures so heroic. Early works of literature help formulate the modern perception of a hero’s intrinsic qualities. In both the New Testament of the Bible and The Iliad of Homer, the respective authors depict two defining characteristics of both Peter and Achilles which categorize them as heroes: their ability to persevere and adapt through insurmountable obstacles, and their pious relationship with the