Loyalty As A Virtue Of Ethics

Loyalty is a vital characteristic. “ I remember how we sat in the mead hall, drinking and boasting of how we’d be brave when Beowulf needed us. He who gave us these swords and armor: all of us swore to repay him when the time came, kindness for kindness with our lives, if we needed them (pg 60 lines 745-750)”. In this quote, a follower of Beowulf named Wiglaf was expressing his thoughts and feelings as he was watching his great leader die. Wiglaf decided that kindness repays with kindness.Loyalty with loyalty. Beowulf was very loyal to the Geats. What Beowulf said, he meant. This was critical because it reminded Wiglaf how loyal Beowulf had been to him. It would only be right to repay it back to Beowulf, which is what he did. The Geats wouldnt have wanted an unloyal leader and neither would anyone else. By Beowulf actions, words and promises, it showed that he was true to his word and loyal to his

Loyalty was also displayed by Beowulf. He showed loyalty to the Danes and his people as well. On lines 281 and 282 Beowulf says, “and if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac.” By saying this it shows his loyalty to his people because he wants them to know what happened to him. Beowulf

But within one heart sorrow welled up: and a man of worth the claims of kinship cannot be denied. His name was wiglaf, a son of weohstan’s, a well-regarded Shylfing warrior related to Aelfhere.(744-754).” This quote shows that Beowulf's strength and loyalty to himself, the Geats, and the Danes brings companionship and loyalty from others to himself, and because of that he has one person that is willing to help out of a whole army. This proves that a little loyalty can go a long way especially when others or yourself need it.

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

     Loyalty can also come without fight or bravery. When Arthur went to the lake to seek the sword Excalibur, he swore to grant Avalon?s Lady whatever gift she someday desired. Also, Merlin was known for telling Arthur about the future and what could happen if Arthur did not listen to him, and because of that, Arthur was loyal enough to Merlin to follow his wishes. Aside from being told what to do and what not to do, when Arthur was wounded and in the process of dying, Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere were not going to leave Arthur unattended. They carried him to the next town. Also, when Queen Guinevere heard of the death of King Arthur, she ran off to Amesbury and became a nun, where she cursed herself for all her wrongdoing. Despite how it sounds, she expressed loyalty to the death of Arthur, by cleansing her soul so that she may join him again, one day in the after-life.

Beowulf shows loyalty to his men, responsibilities, and Hrothgar. "...you would always be in a father's place for me when I am gone: be guardian of my young retainers, my companions, if battle should take me. The Treasure you gave me, beloved Hrothgar, send to Hygelac." (46) This quote from “Beowulf” shows Beowulf’s loyalty to his men. In case he would not return from battle, he told Hrothgar to take care of his men and pass down his riches to Hygelac. He shows his loyalty to his responsibilities by always delivering the promises he makes. When he comes to the rescue of the Danes, he boasts about his ability to defeat Grendel. Lines 407 to 426 detail Beowulf asking permission to fight in Hrothgar’s honor. Beowulf’s father was a friend of Hrothgar’s. Hrothgar actually saved his father’s life and that is why Beowulf comes from the land of the Gaits to defeat Grendel and his mother soon after.

During Beowulf’s time, a trait many Anglo-Saxons valued was loyalty. This trait was necessary in the pagan warrior culture that Beowulf lived in and was a key factor in many actions he did. For example, he participated in many events that were grueling for any person, but for Beowulf he would do it in the name of his nation. This is shown when he states, “They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies / when I battled and bound five beasts, / raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea / slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats” (419-423). Beowulf is willing to put himself through long lasting hardships in order to represent his nation. Also, it may appear Beowulf originally kills off Grendel for the Danes (his other fights have been strictly for the Geats) but really, he is paying off a debt to the Danish king for protecting his father’s life and ending a feud started by his father. The king briefly explains this occurrence when telling Beowulf, “There was a feud

Loyalty has always been seen as a commendable trait, not only in human beings but in any creature, all through history. Soldiers have admired their enemies for their loyalty to fallen comrades, thousands of stories have been written about the intense loyalty animals portray for their owners, and even companies in the workforce look for loyalty in potential employees. Loyalty has been seen as something that distinguishes the trustworthy from the untrustworthy, and something that sets the great apart from the good. The archetypal hero commonly has a cause, whether it be another person or personal beliefs, that they are loyal to, and this unwavering loyalty is what makes them appear so highly in the eyes of the reader. Loyalty can be found in practically any work of literature, but within The Torah, The Odyssey, and Inanna is the idea that true loyalty, although a rare attribute, is the key to a successful relationship.

Loyalty was a matter of power, without loyalty between the society and its government, in this case the king, there would be no order or social stability. In this period of time, people were expected to be loyal even by word. For instance, if someone promised something even if it was not written on paper or sealed by blood, they were expected to keep their promises and if they didn’t it would be considered betrayal. In fact, loyalty was so important that people would be commended for it, for example in the Middle Ages when a knight pleaded loyalty to his king or lord they would be granted fiefs, but only if they kept their promises. If loyalty or promises weren’t kept, the king had the right to take his land

Is the public loyal? Do the people show loyalty? If the people think about it, the public can all relate to Beowulf. Every person must have a person or a thing who they are loyal to. It doesn’t even have to be between people, one can be loyal to what they put their self into, maybe school or work. If a person gives all his loyalty to their career or job then it will all pay off. For example, in the Dream of the Rood, (123-124) “I prayed to that tree with ardent zeal, where I was alone with few

trait of loyalty.”Hail, Hrothgar Higlac is my cousin and my king “. By this quote Beowulf is

The other leading heroic trait that Beowulf possesses is loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon warriors believe in the idea of comitatus, which are the faithful and unbreakable bonds between his king and his warriors. Throughout the story, Beowulf had shown devotions to both his leader and his followers. As mentioned earlier, Beowulf easily passed all the treasure to his uncle noting that “since every benefit I have ever received I owe to you, my closest and kindest kinsman on earth." (Chapter 31).He shows great gratitude to his king by presenting all of his treasures that he had gained. He was then portrayed to be “loyal and true and loved him dearly,” (Chapter 31). Additionally, not only he is committed to his rulers, Beowulf is also loyal to his followers. As described by Wiglaf, one of his most faithful men, “Our ancient king often gave us---heroes while in hall!---helmets and mailcoats, the finest treasures he could find for his men anywhere on earth, armor like the brilliant well-wrought war-gear you are

The scene in Beowulf when main character Beowulf proclaims the reasonings he felt to go protect the Geats suggests among the Spear-Danes classification as a warrior related with proving loyalty in the form of self-sacrifice. Additionally, I will argue in what follows that other scenes in the poem, such as, Wiglaf giving the speech on what amounts of cowardice behavior proves respect came from an urgency for loyalty proven through self-sacrificing methods. However, I will argue on top of loyalty being expressed as important it was not matter of want for Beowulf to sacrifice himself but his understood purpose. Influentially, a tension is formed between how reputation and loyalty is defined throughout the poem. The passage I will analyze is when Beowulf is speaking in the mead hall about urgency to be loyal towards the Geats right before Grendel attacks the hall. Here in Beowulf dictates that in order to be a good warrior he knew it was necessary to go to sea to defend the Geats which would entail him having to go extremes to prove his loyalty. Beowulf’s urgency suggests the believable notion that loyalty is necessary to survive in this society even when it means a warrior would sacrifice his own life for others. This in makes it difficult to withstand the belief that reputation was as important as loyalty.

Loyalty is being faithful to commitments and obligations. On the other hand there are many ways to display loyalty. One can be loyal to a person, political party, country, religion, or cause. The list is seemingly endless. William Shakespeare’s play King Lear exhibits many forms of loyalty, but one that shines particularly is loyalty to ones selfish needs. However there is a limit to loyalty which most over look. The characters Cordelia, the emotional King Lear, and the vile Edmund all manifest their loyalty to their own self, and all meet their demise. The limit to loyalty is death.

Loyalty is one of the simplest moral traits to understand. Either someone is loyal, or they are disloyal—there are not many shades of grey in between. For this reason, loyalty is one of the most desired traits in our friends, family, and partners we have in our lives. Loyalty weaves hidden bonds among people that in some cases can never be broken. Such is the case of Pak Chesang, devoted servant of Nulji, 19th king of the Korean kingdom of Silla.