Generosity In Beowulf

Hrothgar, the king of the Danes is faced with the issue of a horrible monster, Grendel tearing apart his soldiers and causing bloodshed. This is where Beowulf comes along, he is prepared with his men to defeat this monster and when the time comes Beowulf is more than ready to face him. Beowulf

Helping the once great Hrothgar, Defeating the monstrous Grendel, and proclaiming his everlasting honor are all reasons Beowulf earned and preserved his everlasting honor. Honor can corrupt the strongest minded of men, but not in the case of Beowulf. Beowulf used his greed for honor and fame to better himself and improve the reputation of his namesake. He proved himself time and time again through countless quests and deeds, spreading his name across the lands. Due to Beowulf’s

Hrothgar's people understood that Beowulf was a hero and would soon be a great leader. They saw that Beowulf was a hero because he defeated the main outcast which was Grendel, while defeating his mother as well, then Beowulf showed his bravery for the people by attempting to slay the dragon. Beowulf only had his people in mind when he went on these three quests. He never thought about being defeated himself but only thought about defeating the outcasts for the greater good of the

Beowulf starts out as a mighty warrior with nothing to lose, in contrast to his mentor, King Hrothgar, a wise king who wishes to protect his people. Beowulf learns from Hrothgar gaining the qualities fit for a king.

In the beginning of Beowulf, he had been called to Heorot to protect King Hrothgar from “a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark (86).” Due to the deaths of all the other kings since Shields and his guards, he needed the protection from Beowulf himself. He was confident enough in himself to know he would be able to protect all the people, as well as the king from this “god-cursed brute (121)” that is continuing on attacking and killing people. “ There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, high-born and powerful (196-198),” speaks very highly of Beowulf and the power he has once he is given the sword. When Beowulf reaches Daneland he is welcomed in by the King allowing him to “move forward

Beowulf son of the famous soldier Edegtho, comes to the rescue of Hrothgar. Hrothgar king of the Danes, which his land is being attacked by a treacherous monster named Grendel. Beowulf is described as a vigorous, fearless man of the Anglo Saxon times. Beowulf comes from a past generation of tenacious warriors. Like Beowulf’s dad, a famous soldier known far, and leader of many men. The Danes now see why Beowulf is such a fearless warrior. In Beowulf, the hero decides to fight without a weapon for three reasons he wants to be glorious, he is fearless, wanted to help the people of noble place and he wants to honor his people. Beowulf faces many conflicts fighting these dangerous monsters, but manages to defeat Grendel and his mother.

Clearly boasting of his prowess in battle, as it is the fortunes of war that allowed him to build Heorot in the first place, Hrothgar builds “the greatest house / in the world” (145-6). Everyone else is perfecting fine with boasting, yet it is boasting that attracts Grendel’s wrath. There was a demon lurking that “nursed a hard grievance” and this singular display of glory spelled ruin for his entire kingdom (87). Hrothgar learns from this and instructs Beowulf to “not give way to pride” (1760). Yet, even so Beowulf was “too proud” and had “scant regard / for the dragon as a threat” (2345, 2347-8). The fame he won in his past battles blinded him to his fading strength, the emphasis put on glory led to the pride that killed him, once again illustrating that a society focused on honor earned through fighting is dangerous for its

When Wiglaf and the thane’s bury Beowulf, they do not take the golf from the dragon, they bury it with Beowulf, as a sign of respect. Generosity is also another important human trait, which brings the book alive. The author uses wealth to balance the book. After using greed, it needed a balance. Generosity gives the illusion of a balanced book. The concept of Generosity can also be seen with the king, hrothgar. He frequently gives Beowulf and his army food and supplies. Hrothgar’s wife also shows generosity by offering Beowulf the throne, after Hrothgar’s death.

Beowulf, the defender of Hrothgar and Heorot, exhibits far more complicated (and less sincere) shades of revenge than the Grendel’s mother. At the end of the day, Beowulf’s goal is to become the preeminent warrior in all the land. In his society, the only way to gain such widespread celebrity is through courageous and self-endangering acts. Beowulf masks these deeds with a façade of seeking revenge; he supposedly comes to Heorot to save the Danes from Grendel’s terror, but his true motives lie in becoming a hero. His reward is not the pride of doing a good deed; Beowulf is rewarded with lavish and expensive gifts.

This helps reassure Beowulf as an mighty, valiant hero rather than portraying him as a mediocre, ordinary mortal. The kingdom of Hrothgar is agitated and frightened by the attacks of the vile Grendel, who is unable to be defeated nonetheless harmed by a warrior's sword. “I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none”(Beowulf Poet 38). Grendel shrieks at the sound of jubilant music as well as the sounds of joy coming from Hrothgar’s mead hall. To compensate for this agonizing pain, Grendel decides he is going to kill some of Hrothgar’s men. Grendal murdering Hrothgar’s men reassures Grendel’s evil nature and his constant intent to carry out malice. Hrothgar looks far and wide for a brave, noble warrior who will help rid them of this behemoth. Beowulf accepts the strenuous task of obliterating the malevolent Grendel in order to retain the kingdom of Hrothgar and his people. Beowulf accepts Hrothgar’s task not for the wages he will receive, but for the bravery and honor that come with killing such a magnificent beast. The acceptance of this challenge bolsters the fact that Beowulf is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the people rather than a person of greed who is in it for their

The world of Beowulf is constructed upon the rules of hospitality and requisites of reciprocity. As Marcel Mauss asserts, there are no free gifts. Regardless of time and place, a gift of any sort “obliges a person to reciprocate the present that has been received” (Mauss 9). While it might appear so, Beowulf’s arrival at the shores of Denmark to proffer his help to Hrothgar to kill the monsters is not a simple act of selflessness. He partakes in a system of exchange that underlies

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.

Though Hrothgar is a strong king, he lacks the courage to instill a powerful spirit into his men when leading them into battle.

Continuing, even though he did not defeat Grendel by himself, Hrothgar demonstrates the wisdom a king needs to rule his kingdom. At the arrival of Beowulf’s troops, Hrothgar knew distinctly that he needed to gain their loyalty in order to let Beowulf fight Grendel, so he generously gave plenty of drinks and he even brought out his own wife to please them, “…the Helming woman went on her rounds, / queenly and dignified, decked out in rings, / offering the goblet to all ranks,” (620-622). Hrothgar utilizes his tactful mind to gain these warriors’ trust, even though he could not fight anymore like Beowulf, the Danes’ king’s wisdom remains and makes him qualify as a king. Furthermore, Hrothgar gives advice to Beowulf, which reveals the insight Hrothgar has and the great worldview he yields. He says to Beowulf, “…beware of that trap. / Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, / Eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.” (1758-1760). In these lines, Hrothgar warns Beowulf about the danger pride wields, which can infiltrate the strongest warrior; he pointed out the most dangerous trap, which people in that time period ignored easily when they become a leader.

The king of Danes, Hrothgar, was first introduced as an accomplished and wise king. He comes to be well known as a young king when he protected Beowulf's now departed father, Ecgtheow. Hrothgar wergild peace with Ecgtheow's enemies so that the bloody feud would end. With Hrothgar doing this generous deed to help Ecgtheow and his kingdom out Beowulf devotes his assistance in the beginning of the poem. One thing that makes Hrothgar a good king is that he always seems to stay true to his word, as is told at the beginning, “the king kept well his pledge and promise to deal out gifts, rings at the banquet” (53-55). It was clear that Hrothgar was an exceptional military leader with his bravery and strength but he is aged now and cannot fight the same as he used to. The Danes are then faced with an evil and wicked monster, Grendel, who terrorizes his realm. Beowulf asks Hrothgar if he could fight this battle for him to pay back his family debt and Hrothgar agreed. Hrothgar makes a promise to reward Beowulf if he succeeds in killing the monster Grendel. He says, “For his gallant courage I’ll load him with gifts…. shall know not want of treasure or wealth