Finally, both men beowulf and wiglaf, demonstrate Anglo- Saxon value of loyalty. All decisions made by both men are done due to their loyalty to their king and the Danes. Beowulfs loyalty to the danes stems from his fathers war, that hrothgar ended. Hrothgar explains, “Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance.” (33) Beowulf and his men went to fight grendel not to make himself a bigger hero but to honor his father and pay off his debt to Hrothgar. This is a demonstration of loyalty because beowulf chose to go into battle not because he wanted to but because he wanted to show his loyalty to his father by paying off his debt. Wiglaf later, shows his loyalty to beowulf his king by following him in to battle when other men stood back stating
Beowulf hurried to the adventures when help was needed. Not only was Beowulf was brave he found fourteen of brave and best Geats and continued to Herot. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf showed bravery with Grendel’s sharp claws and teeth and only Beowulf’s physical strength. While Grendel is snatching at Beowulf he is able to bring his claws back and battle him until his screams and shrieks showed defeat. At the beginning of the battle with Grendel’s mother, he jumped into the lake without an answer.
Beowulf, born in the land of the Geats, makes the voyage over to the Danes upon hearing the problems troubling the Danes. Even though Hygelac told Beowulf not to, Beowulf went on ahead and he proves his worth, both to his king and the Danes’ king. In the time of crossing the waters, Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and then a dragon and he inspires one young man named Wiglaf. Wiglaf makes a valiant speech to get Beowulf’s men hustling in the line of defense, but ends up fighting alone. “He picked us out from the army deliberately, honoured us and judged us fit for this action, made me these lavish gifts- and all because he considered us the best of his arms-bearing thanes”
Grendel’s mom payed Herot a visit to get revenge for her son, killing men in their sleep. Beowulf showed bravery going down to the cave to fight Grendel’s mom after this. Beowulf entered her layer, he had no men with him, just himself. He found himself getting justice for the kingdoms people, face to face with the water demon. Beowulf showed strength as he fought a battle that seemed no end.
Although Beowulf has all of these qualities he completes such traitorous, dangerous feats for all of the wrong reasons. From these tasks, Beowulf expects everlasting glory, fame, and above all immortality. Elements such as friendship, loyalty, generosity and bravery were quintessential in Anglo-Saxon society. The most important being loyalty, without it the whole system would crumble. As the whole Anglo-Saxon “government” ran on the loyalty to each other, if there was no more loyalty between each other there would be no culture.
Beowulf was distinguished as a hero by the fact that he was a selfless, and did not return to Geatland when given the opportunity. After he had ripped off Grendel’s arm leaving him crippled to bleed to death, he had the opportunity to leave the Danes and return back to his homeland. However, he chose to stay and slay Grendel's mother. He did this brave, heroic act to keep the Danes safe from the wrath of her vengeance on the town for the death of her only beloved son, Grendel. By him doing this, it shows that he valued the Danes’ safety more than his, and he would do critical tasks in order to keep them safe.
He did travel across the sea to kill a demon and then the demon’s mother for what seemed to be good will. Beowulf even states he is helping Hrothgar since he had helped Beowulf’s father in the past and Beowulf is returning the favor. Yet, Beowulf is still acting on his pride. He wants to defeat Grendel being that no one has been able to in the past and killing the monster for the Danes would surely bring him more honor and treasures. Beowulf never says that is why he is helping Hrothgar, but the context in which Beowulf says why he is there would suggest he cares more about glory than loyalty like he originally said.
Motivations The three cardinal motivations for Beowulf to fight the monsters. People often have very different reasons to do something than others. Sometimes, people wonder why others do the things they do.
The continued honor shown in Beowulf’s character shines through when Beowulf never mentions that Unferth’s trusted sword was no match for Grendel’s mother. Beowulf could have simply boasted how the sword was useless and ineffective against the female beast, yet he was silent out of respect for Unferth. Finally, during Beowulf’s time as ruler (fifty winters), another beast arrives: a dragon. This time, Beowulf is much older and is in a much weaker state than when he first defeated Grendel and his mother. However, that does not deter Beowulf from going out and defending his kingdom.
The Anglo - Saxon Culture valued war, loyalty, honor, and riches. The American values are not the same as the Anglo - Saxon values. The Modern day values focus more on religion and equality. Shild was an abandoned child, who valued honor and riches to become a King.
Beowulf's men were loyal to him, as they stayed and waited for him to surface from the water during the battle with Grendel's mother, even when the Hrothgar's men had given up during the battle with Grendel's mother. Furthermore, during Beowulf's battle with the dragon, only Wiglaf stayed, while the rest of his men were too scared to fight and ran away. Because of this, they were banished from their country, a fate that is considered worse than
He had no fear fighting off Grendel, but he did have fear fighting the dragon, but he was not going to give up. Beowulf was so loyal to the Geats he died after killing the dragon. The soldiers in the world are loyal to our country by protecting the citizens and obeying orders. Some soldiers die fighting, but most soldiers would be happy to die that way knowing that they fought for our
Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.
The film and epic poem Beowulf may seem alike because of their similar plots and characters, but when looked at deeper, it is clear that their cultural differences set them apart. Traditionally, epic poems are lengthy stories that praise the deeds of heroic warriors whilst reflecting the brutal reality of life. They expressed cultural pride and teachings, while telling everyone that we are hopeless in the hands of fate; that all human ambition ends in death. In our modern world today, movies are made to entertain, but more importantly to sell and make a profit.
Loyalty, one of the main themes throughout Beowulf, is an important aspect of the Germanic culture. Loyalty in the Heroic Code is a bond between the king and his warriors; loyalty to the king is first above all, even family in this text. If the warriors lack the loyalty for their king, the urge to protect their king and tribe is diminished. Beowulf’s king, Hygelac, gave him permission to help the Danish king and his people. Beowulf exerts his loyalty to Hrothgar by protecting the king’s people, and killing Grendel.
His loyalty shows when he tries to inspire his fellow warriors to help Beowulf. “I remember that time when mead was flowing, how we pledged our loyalty to our lord in the hall… now the day has come when this lord we serve needs sound men.” (Beowulf 764). Wiglaf’s willingness to give his life for another shines though when Beowulf attempts to kill a dragon but seems to be losing the fight. Wiglaf in an attempt to inspire his men exclaims “As God as my witness I would rather my body were robbed in the same burning blaze as my gold-giver’s body than go back home bearing arms.”