Hrothgar's Speech

Because “Beowulf” provides our historical past, therefore everyone should read the poem since it provides historical knowledge and has survived Henry VIII fires account of being an ancient poem that no one knows the author to the epic. According to the epic, Beowulf helps with seeking literary pieces when seeking the truth of history. For example, the likely popularity of surviving medieval works is another reason to study them.

The poem of Beowulf follows the Geat warrior Beowulf as he saves the Danish nation and eventually leads his own. Written after 597 AD, the story was told during a period when Catholics sent missionaries to the Vikings, offering a unique view of the warrior culture, where fame was the ultimate goal of one’s life. The growing Christian movement brought about Beowulf, a Christian view of a pagan past, and while it seems as though the poem glorified Beowulf’s achievements, the poet included some passages that conflict with the warrior culture at the time, indicating a cultural shift. The poet praised Beowulf’s ability as a thane but criticized Beowulf’s inability to give up his quest for glory, causing the reader to question whether fame and glory truly fulfils one’s life.

“If this combat kills me, take care /of my young company, my comrades in arms. /And be sure also, my beloved Hrothgar, /to send Hygelac the treasures I have received.” (lns. 1480-1483) This quote shows that Beowulf thinks first of his people, then of his possessions. The quote starts with Beowulf facing the fact that he may not come back from this fight alive, revealing that although he has superhuman strength, he is still human and can die. The very next thing Beowulf says of Hrothgar is a request to keep the young men that came to fight with him safe should he not survive. This shows Beowulf’s compassion towards his fellow warriors and that they are his main concern. Lastly he makes sure that Hrothgar knows what to do with Beowulf’s earthly possessions. By requesting that his possessions be given to his king Beowulf shows his selflessness and loyalty to his people.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf touches on the vice of pride, and is instilled in the main character, Beowulf, the great and mighty warrior. His boasting and arrogance when first dropping anchor at Heorot transitions throughout the poem, and, in contrast with his ideal kingsmanship, motivates him to accomplish and overcome the many challenges he faces as an epic hero. The contrast of his absent humility in the rise and fall of the story help promote the progression of the story, through its different purposes. Beowulf, when first landing upon Hrothgar’s kingdom, boasts, which does not go unchallenged, so that he might gain the trust of the Danes, but when knowingly facing his last battle, uses bragging to comfort and brace himself for his ultimate demise.

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.

“No better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” This is an ultimate description of the heroic events of Beowulf, an old Anglo-Saxon poem about a warrior who battles and destroys three horrifying monsters. Although written long ago, the emotions expressed within this work, emotions of bravery, valor, and ethics still speak to us centuries later. The anonymous author of the poem convinces us through the masterful use of various literary elements that emphasize its meaning and message. Conflict, imagery and setting are three literary elements that contribute to the effectiveness of the poem.

Beowulf transitions from warrior to king in the second part of the poem. Instead of relying on his own beliefs and practices, he emulates the heroic king Hrothgar. Beowulf becomes more concerned with the lives of his subjects and takes a more conservative ruling stance. Hrothgar prepares Beowulf well to take over the thrown and teaches him to honor his warriors, protecting his people and maintain a stable Kingdom. Hrothgar reminds Beowulf of the Greek tragedians and teaches that pride without humility will result in a tragic fall (Chickering 1383). He also teaches Beowulf about Christian beliefs like wealth is accumulated through the grace of God and should be shared unselfishly (Chickering 1384).

A. The king is sad and depressed that his kingdom has fallen into such a state of disrepair. He is overjoyed to learn that Beowulf, whom he knows from stories and his father, Ecgtheow, has come to fight Grendel. Hrothgar promises Beowulf treasure if he can defeat the monster.

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.

Hrothgar’s courage and strength diminishes as he moves out of Heorot into huts sitting outside his grand hall. He no longer feels like the king he once was because he cannot protect his kingdom. Even Hrothgar’s men lose their courage and faith that Beowulf will triumph over Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s Mother, the Danes retreat in fear:

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 theme of Beowulf is heroism. Beowulf himself represents the heroic ideal because of his features, strength, and courage, but also because of his intelligence and honor. Beowulf is proud of his strength and great his honor. When Beowulf goes to Heorot, waiting for Grendel, he refuses to keep a weapon. He believes in himself that he can defeat the monster who has devoured many men without using any weapons. It turns out that Beowulf's intelligent approach was right. Glory is also one of the themes in Beowulf. In the beginning, Beowulf comes to Hrothgar's rescue, not just out of generosity but out of a desire to win glory for himself in

Thanks to this “sermon”, the reader can understand the difference between being a wise king and a brave warrior, which is also one of the main themes of the poem. Hrothgar is the model for maturity and wisdom: before becoming king he had been a warrior like Beowulf too, so he knows what he is talking about when he compares strength and fortune to a “trap”. He is the symbol of stability and tries to share this values with Beowulf, who is exactly his opposite. The young hero embodies, on the contrary, the manners and values of the Germanic code, like loyalty and pride. But pride is presented here as a “double-edged sword”, because if it is not controlled can lead to death. Hrothgar, trying to prepare Beowulf for the ascension to the throne, becomes an inspiring model for him. However, as explained previously, Beowulf demonstrates at the end to be a brave king, but not a wise one… He becomes older and more powerful, but he seems not to have grown up mentally, because ‘till the very end he is focused on reaching glory (to the detriment of his people’s safety) even if he knows that it is inevitable for him to lose. This passage is a sort of forecast of what the reader will read next and demonstrates that heroism means nothing if it is not “blown over” by

Beowulf is essentially a record of heroic deeds. The opening passages introduce the reader to a world in which every male character is introduced as his father’s son. The men in this poem are unable to speak of their identity or even introduce themselves without referring to family lineage. This obsession with family history is so prevalent because of the poem’s emphasis on family ties and brotherhood. Characters take pride in forebears who have done great things, and they strive to live up to the same standards as their predecessors.

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