Wiglaf's Use Of The Dragon In The Epic Of Beowulf

Beowulf displays a kingly character. Though his fellow man turns on him, he chooses to remain loyal to his warriors and show forgiveness.

Seemingly minor character Wiglaf plays a central role in the conclusion of Beowulf. A young knight who has never before seen battle, Wiglaf steps forward to help his lord, hero, and cousin Beowulf in a time of peril. With his failure in battle and resulting death, the narrator shows that Beowulf is, after all, a prideful and mortal being; thus begins the transfer of heroic status from the old king to the young knight. The narrator argues that Wiglaf is worthy of his abruptly acquired status even though his intentions may seem questionable. The end of the poem devotes a significant amount of lines to dialogue spoken by Wiglaf, signifying his newly crucial role in his kingdom and in the story.

During the fight with the dragon, the passage says,”He meant to kill/ This monster himself, our mighty king,/ Fight this battle alone and unaided,/ As in the days when his strength and daring dazzled/ Men’s eyes.” The passage directly states that Beowulf was mentally prepared to battle the dragon by himself. Beowulf seems to forget that he is no longer an agile young man who needed no help. While he allows his followers to accompany him, he does not allow them to help him. This suggests that Beowulf wanted all the praise to belong with him.

    Wiglaf was the last of Beowulf’s family and was the only person who helped him in the battle that took his life, the only one to witness Beowulf’s death after a grueling battle with a fire breathing behemoth who hoarded treasure like there was a sale on food and there was a

The dragon in Beowulf symbolize many things. These things include evil and death. The dragon holds the treasure of the people of the village in his layer, knowing that it doesn’t belong to it. Beowulf knows that getting the treasure back for his people would bring his people a lot of joy. The dragon symbolizes death not only because it died, but because he was the cause of Beowulf’s death as well, adding to the pagan beliefs of the story. Beowulf’s death can be compared to the death of God as he died upon the cross, giving his life for significance. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon symbolizes a stand against evil just as God stood against evil and mistreating others. Beowulf knew that failure during the battle would bring destruction to his people after many years of peace. God knew that if he did not die upon the cross for his people and pay the price for our sins, that his people would suffer. Both God and Beowulf were courageous

Finally, after many years, Beowulf goes on to face his final opponent; the Dragon. After the Dragon has been set on a rampage against the Geats, Beowulf declares in his last boast that, selfishly, he will defeat the Dragon alone, “Beowulf spoke, made a formal boast for the last time: I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (2510-14). Beowulf’s emphasis in his formal boast is about “the glory of winning” instead of expressing concern for his people. Beowulf, this entire time, has not been fighting monsters for the Geats or to help others. In this formal boast he directly reveals his true intentions of gaining glory. He even states right afterwards that if he were stronger he would fight the dragon without a weapon, just as he did Grendel, “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew any other way” (2518-19), but alas he has grown old and realizes he needs the help of a blade to slay the Dragon. Then he speaks to his comrades about the battle, stating that he alone will fight the Dragon and must either win the fight with courage or

Beowulf is a poem with pagan origins, yet it has many Christian elements. Indeed, the second quotation we are given from this passage assigns fate as the "ruler of every man." A true Christian poet would never assign rule over man to any other than the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Additionally, the gaining of earthly treasures or, specifically the taking of treasure from a defeated enemy, is not an activity that is heroic in the Christian sense.

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.

Courage is also a theme seen throughout the whole poem and specifically in this extract through Wiglauf’s speech, action and also Beowulf’s action. The speech as a whole shows that Wiglauf is willing to courageously fight with Beowulf even if it meant he would die. The line ‘I shall stand by you’ in line 2668 not only displays Wiglauf’s loyalty towards Beowulf but also the courage bestowed upon Wiglauf. The contrast between Beowulf’s companions leaving and Wiglauf staying to fight with Beowulf also presents to us the loyalty and bravery Wiglauf has in his character. During the fight, Wiglaf’s body armor was ‘useless to him’ as the fire from the dragon was too powerful, nevertheless, Wiglaf did not retreat. Instead, it is seen in line 2675 that ‘Wiglaf did well under the wide rim’ showing that even though the body armor that protects Wiglaf from harm’s way wasn’t up to par, he did not cower, rather fought bravely side by side with Beowulf to defeat the dragon.

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

In which Beowulf was loaded up with gifts and he achieved full rank hero by being sung in heroic songs by Hrothgar?s bards or scops. Later on, he was to become king of the Geats and has protected his people very well. As he grew older, a dragon is awakened by a theft of a cup from his horde and he began to terrorize Beowulf?s people. So as an old man, Beowulf put his arm one more time, and went on to fight one last battle. In the fight, all his faithful warriors deserted him and ran away except one whose name was Wiglaf who stayed and helped him fight to the end. After a terrific struggle, they killed the dragon, but during the battle Beowulf is mortally wounded and he lived just long enough to see some of the treasures that he had won for his people ran out of the cave before he died. The poem ends with the Geats building a huge burial mount for Beowulf, and with the gloomy predictions about what would

Wiglaf was faithful to Beowulf his in the way he stayed and fought with him when all of his men ran Wiglaf stayed with Beowulf to help slay the dragon so Beowulf wouldn’t die. My dad compares to Wiglaf in being faithful not by slaying dragons but by all ways he has done everything they he could do for me and my brothers and never complained about it once. If I ever got in trouble my dad was all there for me and helped get me out of

But this time it isn’t so much for himself and pride but for the protection of those around him. Beowulf fights alone in order to ensure the safety of his people, yet one man by the name of Wiglaf stays by his side. After fighting by Beowulf’s side Wiglaf experiences the person Beowulf really was. Although Beowulf dies, he takes the dragon with him saving his kingdom. After this, Wiglaf reflects on the person Beowulf was and what he meant to the village.

In the middle of the conflict with the dragon, Beowulf’s apprentice, Wiglaf, declares, “‘I remember that time when mead was flowing, how we pledged our loyalty to our lord in the hall…as and when his need required it”’ (2633-2638). This quote is a reflection of the last trace of loyalty one can find for Beowulf when his twelve thanes that accompanied him into the dragon’s lair deny him the help he needs. Because Beowulf turns his eye to the glorification of his name, instead of helping his people, his fellow warriors deny him help. This climactic conflict in the poem is very meaningful because Beowulf’s death befalls shortly thereafter leaving his people without a leader. With lost loyalty, the once esteemed leader loses his life, and the Geats lose their protection from the outside powers.

Throughout the poem, Beowulf, is characterized by his acts of heroism in the Anglo-Saxon society. He not only possesses the values of strength and bravery, but as well exhibits the theme of the “Germanic-Code” which include loyalty, chivalry, and self-respect. But it seems that his values of heroism leans