Exceptional Leadership In Beowulf

Beowulf, the main character of the heroic epic poem Beowulf, conveys fundamental examples for leaders in many aspects of life. Many of the stated ideals are pertinent to a leaders time as a warrior and as a king. In the beginning of the story, Beowulf, the hero of the Geats, aids the Danes and King Hrothgar whose people are harassed by a demon, Grendel. After Beowulf destroys Grendel and his mother, he returns to Heorot, the court of Hrothgar, for a feast of happiness. Here, King Hrothgar gives a speech that advises Beowulf how he should lead his people in the future. Hrothgar’s advice to Beowulf details how he should be the protector of his people and lead them with truth, justice, and tradition as the

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.

Beowulf ‘s confidence in his abilities and courage to carry out his mission exhibits how he could be considered an epic hero. When he first hears of the Danes’ plight with the monster Grendel, Beowulf wastes no time in “his plan to sail the swan’s road and seek out that king” who desperately needs assistance in his troubles (Heaney 201-202). He eagerly accepts his call to action, wasting no time in ensuring King Hrothgar of his “awesome strength” and exhibiting an unwavering self-assurance as he recalls how he “battled and bound five beasts” (Heaney 418-420). In these first encounters with the hero, it is evident that Beowulf’s defining characteristics include his courage and pride. There is no fear or reluctance in his attempt for glory,

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.

As a matter of fact, Beowulf is a strong man who takes it upon himself to protect others and commit many acts of courage, bravery, and pride. At the same time,

The poem Beowulf presents the transformation of Beowulf from a brave warrior to an honorable King. The evolution of Beowulf shows how he fulfills his obligations to the warrior’s heroic code and then transcends into a King who loyally protects his Kingdom. Beowulf’s transformation is shown through a progression of three increasingly more difficult conflicts he must overcome- first with Grendel, then Grendel’s mother and finally against the mighty dragon. These three events are seen "as the three agons in the hero 's life"(Chickering 64). Through these adverse events Beowulf will change from brave young warrior to noble King. This paper will examine the manifestation of heroism in the poem

After the first victory, Beowulf’s “comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives” (Loughman). Beowulf becomes a role model not only for his thanes, but for the Danes of Heorot as well. Following defeat of Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar gives a sermon before the celebration honoring Beowulf begins. Hrothgar says “Beowulf, my friend, your fame has gone far and wide, you are known everywhere….forever you will be your people’s mainstay and your own warriors’ helping hand” (McArthur). King Hrothgar informs Beowulf of his significance to the Danes and how he serves as the backbone of his group of warriors.

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.

In Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, courage is undoubtedly the most important trait a man could have. The Geats thrived for 50 years under the powerful and courageous reign of King Beowulf. However, the Danes suffered through twelve winters under Grendel because of King Hrothgar’s fear. The strength and bravery of a strong leader and warrior can lead many countries to peace and power. Throughout Beowulf, many characters exhibit courage, which increases their morale on the battlefield and leads to victory.

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.

In the poem, Beowulf, there are different examples of leadership that are displayed throughout the poem. History holds knowledge that comes before all of us and this poem helps you learn the knowledge of leadership. Beowulf fills the hero position in the poem, and shows most of the leadership characteristics. In the poem the hero, Beowulf, shows leadership characteristics by showing respect, keeping the commitments that he made, and showing extreme confidence. Beowulf shows respect to his people.

Beowulf exhibits his bravery and courage when he travels to Denmark in aid of King Hrothgar to slay a beast named Grendel, when he jumps in a lake to kill Grendel’s Mother, and when he goes to slay the dragon when basically everyone else deserted him. He shows honor by fighting Grendel with no weapon when Grendel was unarmed. He proves his strength throughout his encounters by overcoming his enemies in battle even when he was pinned

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.

The old English epic poem Beowulf contains numerous timely and perhaps timeless lessons about leadership and motivation, trust and respect, loyalty and sacrifice that could inform modern assessments of leadership. The core messages of Beowulf show courage in adversity, be trustworthy and keep your word, display generosity to your supporters aspire to greatness, achieve wealth and honor, and teach by positive example-could fit very well in most management and organizational behavior courses in US colleges of business today. Beowulf shows great feats of bravery and strength, regardless of the fact that he is, in fact, mortal and can lose his life at any moment. He is strongly driven by his sense of loyalty, but he also has a desire for fame.

     Some literary scholars maintain that Beowulf developed character flaws through the course of the long narrative poem, and that at the time of his death he was a victim of pride, avarice, selfishness and an inordinate craving for glory. The purpose of this essay is to show that he was a tremendous hero from beginning to end.