Role Of Heroes In Beowulf In Terms Of Loyalty And Abilities

Beowulf, the Old-English epic poem, is characteristic of its Nordic-Germanic roots as a tale of a great Scandinavian warrior – Beowulf – who saves a neighboring kingdom from the wrath of the destructive, blood-thirsty monster, Grendel, and ultimately becomes the king of his own folks, the Geats, and sacrifices himself for their proliferation. Beowulf is the hero of this epic simply because he is a quintessential representative of “a warrior venturing into battle against spiritual evil… even as the secular lord and his comitatus engaged the armed forces of predatory enemies” (Greenfield 102). Beowulf, with his strength, self-assurance, and expertise, gained respect from the individuals he encountered in his adult life by means of his militaristic accomplishments. The objective behind these accomplishments, even so, is the far more convincing factor in Beowulf’s representation of heroism. All of his mature feats had been pursued based on his sense of loyalty and carried out by means of his physical abilities. From sailing to King Hrothgar’s court to battle Grendel to his final conflict with the dragon that haunted his subjects, Beowulf used his corporal strength and cunning to defend the honor and safe the safety of these about him. This demonstration of loyalty – the maintenance of integrity to one’s kingdom, neighborhood, elders, and self – was the function of heroism in Beowulf. As a result, Beowulf was not a hero only simply because he was able to slay a monster or win a battle, he was a hero because his actions have been aimed towards the betterment of himself and the individuals around him. The epic introduces Grendel and the wrath he rages on Hrothgar’s well-known hall, Heort. Grendel comes by night, soon after the king’s thanes (warriors) are asleep, and “rip[s] thirty thanes, and thence depart[s] / homeward bound exulting in booty, / [seeks] his lair with his feast of the slain” (II.123-125). The manifestations – or lack thereof – of heroism in Beowulf largely stem from interactions with Grendel. Most of the Danish thanes do not have the heroic qualities required to fend off Grendel from Heort: “It was not difficult then to locate the thane Who sought a more distant sleeping place Elsewhere in softer chambers when he Had such evidence of enmity From this hall-thane: he who escaped That foe kept farther off, far more secure” (II.138-143). King Hrothgar displays traits of a hero himself, notably “glory in battle came and kinsmen / gladly obeyed him, a band of youths / swelled soon to a mighty host” (I.65-67). Nonetheless, by the time of Grendel’s attacks, King Hrothgar is aging and can not physically defend his kingdom, in spite of his desires to do so: “Great anguish of thoughts and heartfelt grief Distressed the Scyldings’ lord. Powerful guys Often sat in council, considering How warriors who had courage may possibly greatest cope With his terrible and swift attacks.” (II.170-174) The king and a select few of his subjects have the will – the loyalty to themselves, their hall, and their ruler – to eradicate Grendel, which is a fundamental element of heroism. However, these guys do not have the signifies – the strength and the astuteness – to obliterate the beast. Upon understanding of the dire scenario in Denmark, Beowulf follows his innate heroic ethos and readies a ship and his finest fellow warriors to help King Hrothgar he knows he has the abilities that the Dane lacks (“he was in strength the strongest of males / who lived in that distant day and age, / amazing and noble…” [II.196-198]) and was, like King Hrothgar, committed to human continuity. Beowulf exhibits the utmost loyalty to Hrothgar, his esteemed elder, by respecting Hrothgar’s hall and by avenging the deaths of Hrothgar’s males. Beowulf even maintains integrity to his opponent, saying ” ‘Therefore I’ll not slay him with a sword, / cut his life off so – although I could. / Even though noted for fierce deeds, he knows not / our style of fighting, how to strike me,…'” (X. 679-682). By laying down his weapons, Beowulf exhibits a pure aspect of heroism he is faithful to his skills and prowess and respects those of his adversary as well. He does not elicit trickery, some thing that would corrupt the honor of his aim. Even following he defeats Grendel, Beowulf does not shy from the next job that is presented to him at Heort – the revenge of Grendel’s mother. With Hrothgar “… sick at heart / when he learned his thane no longer lived, / knew his dearest, closest comrade dead” (XIX. 1307-1309), Beowulf promises the old king vengeance on Grendel’s mother and declares: “O famous son of Halfdane, wise king, Bear in mind, now that I am prepared For this venture, what we mentioned just before: If at your excellent need, gold-friend of men, I should not return, you nonetheless would take A father’s location to my departed soul.” (XXII. 1474-1479) Beowulf, in the accurate fashion of an best hero, devotes his life to King Hrothgar and will not leave until he can be assured of the effectively-becoming of Hrothgar’s kingdom. When Grendel’s mother attacks, Beowulf is resolved to remain in Denmark and fight any challenger until he is certain Hrothgar and his subjects can thrive in peace. He could have returned home right after his victory over Grendel, which would have gained him acclaim at home nonetheless, he is much less concerned with the praises and far more focused on the integrity of Heort. He fights till he prevails over Grendel’s mother and eliminates any future threats to the residents of Hrothgar’s court. Beowulf, through his expertise at Heort, epitomizes the heroic code of medieval instances since “The vital cohesive elements [of the code] had been the private loyalty of the retainers and the huge-hearted liberality and bold strength of the leader” (Albertson two). Beowulf presents himself nobly to the court at Heort however, at the banquet celebrating his arrival, Unferth, 1 of the Danish thanes, taunts the youthful exploits of Beowulf: “‘Are you that Beowulf who with Breca Strove in swimming on the open sea, When you two for pride tested the tide And for a rash boast risked both your lives In deep waters?…'” (V.506-510a) This passage indicates that Beowulf’s heroism is a outcome of his blind pride, a frequent representation of some critics’ view of Beowulf. Nonetheless, there is no truth behind this claim in the epic poem. Beowulf’s courageous, albeit imprudent, exploit to test his strength against Breca is the only clear proof of Beowulf’s foolish conceit. This occasion that can simply be discredited due to the immaturity of his age (“‘Being young and rash, as youth is prone / to be,…'” [VIII.535-536a]), and to the final outcome of the event, with Beowulf slaying nine sea monsters and saving Breca’s life. Also, the context of the instance need to be meticulously considered. Unferth was jealous, proud and intoxicated: “Then Unferth, son of Ecglaf, who sat At the feet of the Scyldings’ lord, spoke And stirred up strife the bold seafarer Beowulf’s venture created him envious, For he would not grant that anyone On earth could ever achieve a lot more glory Beneath the heavens than himself: …Beowulf, Ecgtheow’s son, spoke out boldly: ‘Indeed, Unferth my pal, drunk with beer…'” (VII.499-505, 529-530) Unferth cannot be counted as an objective, unbiased source of details on Beowulf due to his resentment towards Beowulf’s superiority and Unferth’s personal impaired state. Unferth misconstrues the situation from Beowulf’s history to pacify Unferth’s personal ego when, in actuality, Beowulf’s foolhardiness in his youth final results in an early instance of his heroism simply because he showed loyalty to the life of his competitor. The second instance of pride that critics commonly cite in Beowulf is the episode that ends his life. When a thief pilfers an ornamented cup from the lair of a dragon, beasts that have been known for their greed and really like of gold in old legends and myths, the monster, in revenge, ravages the entire kingdom: “Then that strange visitor [the dragon] spewed forth flames, Burned vibrant dwellings flickering fires brought Horror to men. The hateful airborne beast Wished to leave practically nothing there alive.” (XXXIII. 2312-2315) When Beowulf discovers this havoc, “… fierce grief / and anguish of thoughts racked the excellent man…” (XXXIII. 2327-2328), he quickly knows that he has to defend his fellow countrymen who, at the mercy of the dragon, face destruction. Even though fifty years has passed since Beowulf’s triumph at Heort, Beowulf maintains the courage and reliability that he had demonstrated at that prior time. Beowulf consents: “I may well grapple with the fearful foe / proudly, as with Grendel lengthy ago / but I anticipate blistering battle-fire,…” (XXXV.2520-2522). Beowulf knows that he is losing agility and battle capabilities in his old age even so, he desires to shield his folks and, since there is no mention of other warriors – apart from King Beowulf’s retainers – who are prepared to face the beast, Beowulf honorably rises to the challenge. Beowulf is prepared to sacrifice himself for the propagation of his men and women Beowulf knows that if he does not try to fight the beast, his complete kingdom may possibly fall to its fiery wrath. Beowulf does not strategy the dragon out of pride instead, he approaches the dragon in the hopes of saving his kingdom, even if it outcomes in his own demise. Beowulf, in his final conflict, performs the ultimate heroic act – he sacrifices himself out of his loyalty to his sovereignty. Beowulf, if he had been motivated by only arrogance, would not have taken the additional precaution of a shield with his sword and mail shirt. He, also, would not have been described as “… challenging-pressed / in distress …” (XXXV.2579-2580) when battling with the dragon. Beowulf is totally aware of his restricted skills, but his loyalty to the defense of his people overcomes his physical limits. Beowulf’s enduring bravery and loyalty, far more than any battle he fought or honors he won, catapults him into the realm of the true heroes. Every clash in which Beowulf partook was done for totally selfless factors he fought Grendel to save Heort and he fought the dragon to save the Geats. Beowulf valued the welfare of the public much more than his own interests, the quintessential heroic trait. Beowulf in no way disappointed those who necessary his strength, wisdom, or courage. All through the epic poem, Beowulf exhibits the selfless loyalty to other individuals that makes his label as a hero completely fitting. Operates Cited Albertson, Clinton. Anglo-Saxon Saints and Heroes. New York: Fordham University Press, 1967. Greenfield, Stanley B. A Crucial History of Old English Literature. New York: New York University Press, 1965. Greenfield, Stanley B. A Readable Beowulf: The Old English Epic Newly Translated. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1982.