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"BEOWULF".
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Examines Old English poem's origins, heroism, characters, warrior values, focusing on issues of youth & old age.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines Old English poem's origins, heroism, characters, warrior values, focusing on issues of youth & old age.
Paper Introduction:
The Old English poem Beowulf offers a number of contrasts in telling the story of the hero Beowulf and his fight to save a community not his own from the monster Grendel. One of the contrasts is between youth and old age, and this contrast is not presented in a very explicit fashion but is inherent in the role of the young man, Beowulf, who is expected to achieve a certain heroic stature before he becomes older, like the leader of the Danes, a man much older now but one who would have been more like the youthful and vigorous Beowulf when he was in his prime. Now, he needs the help of the younger man to protect his kingdom and so to maintain his household. Through his actions, Beowulf is able to create his own legend and secure his own riches and his own kingdom, and later in the poem he is placed in much the same position as Hrothgar early in the poem except that he is still
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These works also involve contrasts betweenyouth and old age, with the power of the ruler having to remainundiminished as he ages. Now, he needs thehelp of the younger man to protect his kingdom and so to maintain hishousehold. He gains his position throughforce against neighboring tribes until he obtains their submission andtribute, and this is the way a king should behave. He is thus not unlike the older Beowulf who some5 years later will not hesitate to fight the dragon laying waste to hisown kingdom. The story of Beowulf is an interesting case of a literary work thathad no influence on subsequent works until modern times because the workwas lost, and though a handful of learned antiquaries could study the textin Shakespeare's time, they could not comprehend Beowulf, the mostimportant text preserved in Anglo-Saxon prose. These are characteristics of the oral tradition.Starting at line 867 in the poem, the method of composition of a poem by aDanish scop is described, and it is likely that this is the process thatproduced the original "Beowulf" as well long before it was written down bya scribe. The abilityof the monster to rip the kingdom apart would leave the Danes open toconquest on all sides. Boston: Twayne, 199 .Hopper, Vincent F. This drivetoward fame is the structural basis of heroic society, as can be seen inthe story of the fabled Scyld in the prologue to Beowulf. The poetdescribes how he comes to rescue the lordless Danes from anarchy and toestablish for them the Scylding dynasty. This is another pairing of youth and old age as Beowulfslays the monster Grendel only to be faced with Grendel's angry mother,seeking revenge in the long house where her son's remains have been placedon the wall to show Beowulf's prowess. The unknown poet indicates the scopeof the work in the opening lines: Yes, we have heard of the glory of the Spear-Danes' kings in the old days--how the princes of that people did brave deeds. Woodbury, New York: Barron's, 1962.Irving Jr., Edward B. Thiscreates a bond between Hrothgar and Beowulf based on the name, but the twomen are much alike in any case. The societydepicted in Beowulf is harsh and violent, and it is likely to appear to themodern reader as unattractive. Many of the membersof this inner circle are related to the king by blood. (ed.). Just as there are two people named Beowulf, there are two versions ofthe contemporary Beowulf, the youth and the older leader after he hasassumed command of the Geats upon the death of the king he served. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1983.Tuso, Joseph F. Wiglaf in fact berates the troops forhaving abandoned Beowulf in his hour of need, showing that they are notbrave enough or strong enough to protect the kingdom and that they maydeserve the fate that could await them if they are not able to find anotherstrong leader and to be prepared for whatever attacks may come. Elements of the story of Beowulf mirror those of other epics, such asThe Odyssey or The Aeneid. He maynot be as vigorous as Beowulf, but he leads his Danes into battle with themonster again and again. There remains some question about the origin of this heroic poem, butit is believed to have been an Anglian poem composed in Northumbria (orpossibly Mercia) during the first half of the eighth century: [The version that exists today] presupposes an aristocratic Christian audience whose Germanic background and ancestry included the knowledge of Scandinavian and all of Germanic tradition and folk-lore of which the stories of Beowulf's three battles were a part, stories which were transmitted to England during the Anglo-Saxon invasions (Hopper viii).The poem fuses historical material such as the story of Hygelac with folktales of monster fights, and the language has been given a Christiancoloring that places the poem in the first half of the eighth century.Elements in Beowulf indicate that the work has been derived from an earlieroral tradition. There are a number of inconsistencies and apparent inconsistencies inBeowulf related to Christianity. . Odysseus in The Odyssey, for instance, is anolder man who returns to help the young man, his son, Telemachus, cast outthe suitors and reassert the integrity of the kingdom. There is a second aspect of the poem in which youth and old age canbe compared, and this derives from the fact that the poem actually coverssuch a long period of time so that the reader experiences Beowulf first asa young man and then as an older man some 5 years later. What emerges in the poem is that there is more between the king andhis subjects than gifts and loyalty--there is also a great love that hasbeen built over time. Beowulf. One of the contrasts is between youth and oldage, and this contrast is not presented in a very explicit fashion but isinherent in the role of the young man, Beowulf, who is expected to achievea certain heroic stature before he becomes older, like the leader of theDanes, a man much older now but one who would have been more like theyouthful and vigorous Beowulf when he was in his prime. It is too late to save Beowulf, however, who is now dying from hiswounds. These warriorslived by a code of honor and loyalty that defined their place in theirsociety and also created an ideal for others to emulate. The work did not begin toreach a wide audience until after World War I, and after World War II itwould become an influence on modern literature (Clark 1). This society worships the hero, and thehero is one who not only performs heroic deeds but also acquires bountywhich he shares with his followers. At some point, though, old age also means a sapping of the strengthby which the rule attained and maintained his rule, and at this point theruler must yield to younger men either by selecting the right people tofollow him or because he dies in battle and passes the mantle on to a newgeneration. In thisfight, Beowulf breaks his sword on the dragon's tough skin, and the dragonretaliates by using his fiery breath to engulf Beowulf in flames. A later passage, beginning at line 21 5, also details thetelling of stories and places a stress on the ability to remember the oldstories as an important qualification for a poet (Irving 5-8). Fame is the motivation for the action taken by a hero like Beowulf,so that the hero will be remembered by the people, and the giving of giftsis another way of assuring that the hero will be remembered. He is surrounded by enemies of his kingdom and must meetthe challenge with a show of power as much as actual battle. As ayoung man, he travels to the land of the Danes and is promised greattreasure if he is successful in defeating the monster. The king is olderand has achieved his position through heroic deeds in his youth, andBeowulf is thus a rival of sorts. Hrothgar is a descendant of Scyld and so must keep thetradition alive. Beowulf. Age places great responsibility on the leader in the kingdoms of thisera. In the end, Beowulf'shonorable intentions ar clear, and he is sent home a hero after defeatingtwo monsters. The hero is also revered in the society of Beowulf, a poem whichincludes both the pagan religion of early Britain and the Christianreligion which supplanted it. It should not be assumed that because Hrothgar is old,he takes a non-active position, for this would be completely false. Works CitedClark, George. Generosity on the partof the ruler is essential in this society. Norton, 1975.----------------------- 9 The prologue tells the story of Scyld, the first ruler ofthe Danes, and thus the idea of the powerful ruler able to keep hisfollowers together and protect them is offered at the outset as a sort ofguiding principle. The leader is a man who has amassed great wealth and who has shownhimself able to protect his followers. The young Geattravels far upon hearing the story of Grendel to offer his services and todefeat the monster. Age is again no demonstration ofweakness, and defeating this monster is even more difficult than defeatingthe first. Old age hererepresents experience as well as power, and this is true in Beowulf aswell. Baker, Reading Beowulf. New York: W.W. The Old English poem Beowulf offers a number of contrasts in tellingthe story of the hero Beowulf and his fight to save a community not his ownfrom the monster Grendel. The older Beowulf is betrayed by the cowardice ofhis troops, and yet in Wiglaf he may have found a younger man to carry onhis tradition. Each has a strong sense of honor, greatpersonal strength, and an understanding of what it takes to rule. Wiglaf here plays the role thatBeowulf once played for Hrothgar by rushing in and killing the dragon forhim. The king is surrounded by a group of warriors, hand-picked men specially charged with protecting the king. Hrothgar is threatened not justbecause the monster is decimating his population but because the veryexistence of the monster threatens his own rule, showing that he is nolonger able to offer the protection and assure the gifts and treasure thathe once could. Ithas been called the Heroic Age and produced a poetry to match. Beowulf takes place in the Germanic world ofthe eighth century or even before, a period about which we know little. As an old man,Beowulf vows to destroy the dragon that is laying waste to his own kingdom,but he is an old man and not as strong as when he fought Grendel. Thedragon also wounds the ruler on the neck. Introduction to Beowulf. Characteristically, Beowulf asks to see the Dragon's treasure toshow that the fight was worthwhile. Through deeds that bring praise, a man shall prosper in every country (Beowulf 1).The bounty acquired by the warrior is spread to others so that they willfollow him, for this is a society that prizes material things and wherematerial things buy intangibles such as loyalty: In this way a young man ought by his good deeds, by giving splendid gifts while still in his father's house, to make sure that later in life beloved companions will stand by him, that people will serve him when war comes (Beowulf 1). The principal pagan elements in the poem are Beowulf'sfuneral, allusions to wyrd (fate), and Beowulf's obvious concern withworldly glory as a means to achieve immortality. The cremation of Beowulfis clearly a pagan rite: "The cremation was so firmly established inheroic literature that it passed on unchanged into the Christian period"(Ogilvy and Baker 33). "Introduction." In Beowulf Together with Widsith and the Fight at Finnesburg in the Benjamin Thorpe Transcription and Word- for-Word Translation. Through his actions, Beowulf is able to create his own legendand secure his own riches and his own kingdom, and later in the poem he isplaced in much the same position as Hrothgar early in the poem except thathe is still the mighty warrior and can lead his own men into battle anew. Old English poetry is composed of a number of repeatedphrases called formulas. and Donald C. Wiglaf points out that with the leader dead, the kingdom of the Geatswill be vulnerable to attack, precisely the fear Hrothgar had when Grendelwas attacking his newly built hall. There is some suspicion of Beowulf from the time he arrives for thisvery reason, for he could intend to challenge the rule of Hrothgar and takeover the kingdom as much as he may slay the monster. . While the poet calls on God and speaks ofGod's grace, the Danes were pagans, a fact which the poet alsoacknowledges. There are actually two people named Beowulf in this poem, for the sonof Scyld is also named Beowulf and was the grandfather of Hrothgar. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1969.Ogilvy J.D.A.
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