Wiglaf In Beowulf

What are the challenges of the Anglo-Saxon life, that Beowulf faces? The strongest competitors Beowulf faced were Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.

The story “Beowulf” is an epic poem written by an unknown author. In the story Beowulf, our protagonist, is the strongest man in the world who has to take down three monsters and faces challenges when facing two of them. In the story lof, comitatus, and wyrd is shown in the story and plays an important part of the Beowulf’s culture.

Wiglaf is a good example of humility in the epic. This is shown when he is more worried about Beowulf than himself. This can be seen when he gives his speech to the other men. Wiglaf says “He picked us out/ from the army deliberately,...,although/ he wanted this challenge to be one he'd face/ by himself…[He] needs sound men,”(Heaney). This shows that Wiglaf respects and wants to help Beowulf. It says nothing of him wanting fame from it. He just wants to protect his King.

There are several characters in Beowulf who represent the hero and outcast archetype. Beowulf represented courage, strength, and respect. These qualities allowed him to become both the hero and outcast within Beowulf. Wiglaf, along with Beowulf, represented the hero archetype, as well. However, Grendel, Beowulf, and Grendel’s mother all represent the outcasts within the epic poem because they were all isolated, away from society. While each character acquires separate roles within the poem, they all have a major impact on the foundation and background of the poem.

Beowulf and Wolverine have more similarities than differences. Both of these heroes use their allies in a time of need; Beowulf used Wiglaf to fight the Fire Dragon and Wolverine uses Sabertooth when fighting the wars through history. (Cinia McGough) Wiglaf is the only soldier willing to risk his life to help his ruler. He declares that he would rather be burned to death than to abandon his king,

The only thane that remains loyal to Beowulf is Wiglaf. Wiglaf becomes the voice of his culture by shaming the other warriors for not remaining loyal to their leader and he fights with Beowulf until they kill the beast together. It can be inferred that loyalty is quite important to the Anglo-Saxon society because as Beowulf dies, he leaves Wiglaf to rule the kingdom due to his bravery and loyalty. Wiglaf is not the only character that shows loyalty to his lord. The young Beowulf shows loyalty to his lord, Hygelac, by giving him the gifts he has received after he has won in battle.

In the literary work of Beowulf, it is imperative to analyze the relationships between characters and how those relationships function to create new meaning or a better understanding of the literature as a whole. In Beowulf, it can be said that the characters of Beowulf and Wiglaf share parallels that serve to show Wiglaf as becoming the next king, and not only the successor of the throne, but a sign of hope for the doomed society of the Geats. These similarities can be recognized especially well through the Anglo Saxon beliefs of what makes an exceptional warrior, as well as certain language chosen when describing the two characters. Furthermore, the two characters mirror each other in motifs of the story such as the father and son

Stepping up to lead the ranks into battle, he rallies the troops and tries to excite the others’ passion and will to defend their lord and their purpose. Beowulf is now a weak and unsound character in need of rescuing, whereas Wiglaf is the valiant hero and savior.

When Wiglaf is saying this to the rest of Beowulf's army when he is being killed by the dragon. The warriors are getting scared, because they are watching their king being butchered by this dragon, and they start to run away. Wiglaf sees them fleeing and tells them this. The point that he is trying to get across is that all of them swore allegiance to Beowulf when they joined his great army. So they must now prove their allegiance by helping their king when he is in trouble. Unfortunately, Wiglaf's

However, Beowulf shows his loyalty by turning down her offer. He becomes king when Heardred dies. After ruling the Geats for 50 years, Beowulf decides to fight the terrible dragon. He brings eleven warriors with him. While Beowulf struggles fighting the dragon, his warriors hide except for one loyal thane named Wiglaf. Wiglaf tells Beowulf, “’Now, great spirited noble, brave of deeds, you must protect your life with all your might, I shall help you’”(47). He has remained loyal to his king so Beowulf decides to make Wiglaf the king. This gesture again shows how the value of loyalty to one’s king and kingdom will benefit and reward those who are loyal and give them better reputations.

Beowulf’s men show unquestioning loyalty as they submit their lives to their lord. The night of Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, the men are told by Beowulf to sleep (in the mead hall) and they bravely do, showing immense trust and devotion as they are aware of that they could very well increase their chance of dying when Grendel attacks if they follow as Beowulf instructs (to sleep as opposed to standing guard through the night). Beowulf remains loyal to King Hrothgar and as he promised to purge the mead hall of its murderous foes, he fulfills his pledge by killing not only Grendel, but also Grendel’s mother. Beowulf in turn is also loyal to his men as he states to King Hrothgar, “…if I at your need I should go from life, 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.” Nor does Beowulf forget his king as he also requests that Hrothgar send the rewarded treasures and gifts to Hygelac if Grendel’s mother defeats him. Wiglaf, portrayed as the only worthy one of Beowulf’s company that joined him at his battle with the dragon, also showed loyalty in his aiding his Beowulf in fighting the dragon (as others cowardly shy away from the fight) and followed Beowulf’s instructions for carrying out his funeral and other processions after Beowulf’s death, and in his speech to the people he

Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon but finds himself outmatched. His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, creep back into the woods. One of his men, however, Wiglaf, who finds great distress in seeing Beowulf's plight, comes to Beowulf's aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded.

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.

Stereotypes are well known among humans and many of us have been faced with the criticism of such stereotypes. One of the most well known stereotypes is those belonging to famous artists. These stereotypes come from many of the movies created about such artists. Some believe that famous artists are someone people that are abnormal or odd in their way of thinking or actions. When asked what comes into someone’s mind when asked about famous artists may also be how they are not famous until death.

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.