Pride Of Reputation In Beowulf

Beowulf Essay In both Anglo-Saxon literature and the epic story Beowulf we see strong correlations in themes. These themes are things like death, loyalty to a king, and the glory of god, as well as fame and glory. Beowulf shows the fame and glory that comes from following god and king. Beowulf also shows how that even in death one’s fame can become legend.

Honor, something powerful enough to sculpt the world’s oldest and most powerful empires. Throughout history great empires such as China, Japan, and the Anglo-Saxons have fought and died in the hunt for honor and fame; bringing life to many great and powerful heroes. Beowulf, one such hero, who fought many great battle in the name of honor and fame; putting his all into each battle he encountered. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf decides to help Hrothgar with the dreaded monster Grendel and then battling him bare handed. Throughout the epic of Beowulf, Beowulf is mainly concerned about honor and fame, in his hunt for honor he agrees to help Hrothgar and fight the monster, Grendel, bare handed; but why?

In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the stupendous hero’s many great deeds often appear to be for other’s benefit, yet Beowulf’s final conquest exposes his lust for glory and fame, thereby showing his lack of concern for anything else. This lust for immense glory and fame feeds his ego and causes his death and the imminent downfall of his great people the Geats.

The Anglo-Saxons’ cultures and traditions are rooted in their beliefs of the perfect hero. Their ideal hero has many key characteristics influenced by their culture including courage, strength, bravery, thick skin, loyalty, humbleness, and the ability to create strong trustworthy friendships. Beowulf is an epic poem that exhibits the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero. The Anglo-Saxon traditions illustrated in Beowulf accurately represent the Anglo-Saxon traditions of the time period. This is accomplished through the distinct correlation of heroic characteristics between Beowulf and the culture’s traditional depiction of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

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.

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 is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.

As with loyalty, the importance of reputation also guides Beowulf throughout the poem. One’s reputation reflected one’s importance in the warrior culture. When Beowulf first arrives at Heorot, he tells the Danes about his past deeds that have brought honor for him and his king:

Beowulf boasts because he believes he is more powerful and more valuable than the rest of the people. When Unferth told Beowulf that he boasts about things he shouldn't, Beowulf defends himself by continuing boasting. He goes on to say that the things he does are difficult for the average and he is stronger than given credit for. He says this when he says that the simple truth is that “no man swims in the sea as I can.” He takes one of his powerful qualities and rubs it into the people's faces. He continues to describe all the powerful things he did in the sea, he states that he put his life at stake when he entered the sea. He swam with a sword and was ready at any moment to fight off a whale, shark, or any other sea creature. He boasts that even when a monster did manage to catch him and take him to the bottom of the sea, he was wise enough to stab the monster in the heart on his first try. He continues to brag about how he was capable of killing nine sea monsters. Beowulf is very self-centered and proud of his accomplishments and he believes everyone else should be too.

“Where is the glory in doing something that others have done” (Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief). A quote befitting of the character Beowulf who slew the abomination known as Grendel to save the people of Heorot, then killing his vengeful mother using the sword Hrunting and finally as his last legendary exploit he brought down a mighty dragon to save his kingdom, the most prominent definition of an epic hero and the epitome of what the ideal Scandinavian hero is. On the surface, this may seem like Beowulf is a selfless hero willing to go to great lengths to save the people around him but after deeper analysis of the story, it may be that Beowulf’s pride and search for glory is what truly drives him.

Generosity is valued greatly in a king, but there is no attempt to disguise the fact that it is motivated by the need to maintain the support of a band of retainers. The warriors have a culture that accepts and embraces this give-and-take relationship between rulers and ruled as necessary for society to function effectively. The emphasis on the loyalty of the warriors has a special resonance for Beowulf, given the disloyalty of his men in his encounter with the dragon. This passage also emphasizes the importance of behavior in securing the respect and support of others. This warrior society so highly values its heroic code; which highly esteems those who conform to the code’s principles. Beowulf vaunts himself as a great warrior and backs up his words by defeating Grendel; he is then celebrated and received as a hero. On the other hand, he is unwilling to fight Grendel or Grendel’s mother. Though such verbal elements as boasts and stories are crucial to the warrior culture, heroes are, above all, defined by

Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior by being courageous, respectful and prudent, a protector and servant to their king (only in the beginning of Beowulf, as he later becomes king and Gilgamesh already is) and their country. In both poems the fights of the main

Beowulf contains several elements of Christian philosophy. Specifically, the ideas that man survives only by the protection of God, that all earthly gifts come from God, and that the proper attitude of humanity is to be humble and unselfish. However, there is also a strong sense of heroic pride within Beowulf which, to an extent, direct conflict with Christian values. Thus, we see the dichotomies of pride vs. humility and sacrifice vs. selfishness. Additionally, other pagan concepts exist within Beowulf.

The famous poet James Russell Lowell once said, “Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out, but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit” . Reality stresses the importance to be more concerned with personal character than self reputation, because character beholds who you really are, while your reputation is merely what others perceive. The epic of Beowulf, written in Old English, describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. Having an outstanding reputation was an important aspect of life, and in the world of Beowulf it was no different.

Within the Anglo-Saxon culture, becoming a well-known warrior and successful in war was a major factor in being recognized as the best of the best. Beowulf follows the story of a young warrior, Beowulf, fighting his way up the ladder of success who represents a typical hero from the Anglo-Saxon time period. Throughout the poem, he is met with vicious creatures from the supernatural world which tend to create violent obstacles that he must overcome to create a certain image of a superb thane. By developing the character of Beowulf through his direct and indirect involvements with monsters, the poet reveals his desire for reputation which can lead to pride and his death.