Anglo-Saxon Values In Beowulf And The Seafarer

In the film, Excalibur, Boorman allows the audience to see the development of a prosperous kingdom and the prestige place on the fellowship of these knights. Not only does King Arthur show loyalty to his knights, the knights, in turn, also reciprocate. Loyalty is recognized as being owed not only to God but to one’s King. As the sole creator of the Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur has trust in these knights with the deep belief that they will always remain loyal to him. Upon discovering the sin committed between his wife and best friend, he nevertheless values his kingship before love.

To them, power is everything and for one person to attain so much power, one must become a hero and perform heroic deeds. An Anglo-Saxon hero is perfectly portrayed by Beowulf who contains values of Anglo-Saxons like bravery, loyalty, honor and the willingness to risk his life for the greater good of his people. The latter is primarily why he gains the trust of his people which is why he claims the title of King and therefore gets hold of power. While Beowulf is the symbol and representation of heroes in Anglo Saxons, we have multiple personalities who we consider as heroes. People who work, people who dream, people who act.

In order to obtain maximum respect in each conflict, both Beowulf and Arthur enter into battle somewhat alone. Beowulf specifically asks, "That he, alone and with the help of his men, may purge all evil from the hall." His request is granted by Hrothgar, King of the Danes, so he and his man enter into the battle themselves so that when Grendel is defeated, the glory, love and respect belong solely to Beowulf and his men. Arthur does the same, "he met with his man and his horse, and so mounted up and dressed his shield and took his spear, and bade his chamberlain tarry there till he came again." Although Arthur begins his journey alone he does meet up with Merlin, the court magician and faithful companion, who accompanies him.

The poets and oral history were valued because they immortalized the greatest warriors and the Anglo-Saxons strived to be immortalized. Through this major societal push to be remembered and hold a legacy, the Anglo-Saxons valued warriors for the loyalty, strength, and courage they pursued. These values are important to Anglo-Saxon culture and to its literature. Beowulf, both the epic and the character, represents these values of loyalty, strength, and courage time and time as seen by the melded perspective of Anglo-Saxons and the Christian scribes in this piece of literature. Loyalty to the King and the warriors is seen as a sign of immortalizing character throughout the Anglo-Saxon history.

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic about a great warrior who values the Anglo-Saxon ideas of loyalty, personal indebtedness, fame, fate, and heroism. The epic is named after, and centered on, Beowulf and his quests; however, several other characters also reflect Anglo-Saxon values throughout the story. For example, King Hrothgar built “the best/ Of all mead-halls” (ll.145-146) so that his “men lived happy” (l. 15). Hrothgar built the mead-hall because he was indebted to his men who served and protected him. Meanwhile, Beowulf was indebted to Hrothgar because Hrothgar once defended Beowulf’s family.

He aided his king, never caused danger to other, and bravely fought. He never doubted his calling to defeat Grendel because he believed it was in the hands of God. An epic hero is someone who leaves a mark on earth for what good they did, and Beowulf surpassed the normal typical hero. He demolished Grendel with nothing but his hands and asked of nothing in return. But with every victory, there comes a prize.

With this characteristic he can lift a mountain for anyone or thing in need. A hero must be honorable, no lies will be told in his name. Lastly, every man needs courage to win the love of others. Courage that makes evil tremble in its skin. Wiglaf has every characteristic for becoming an amazing hero.

Granted, he possessed a strong will, a thing very necessary for good leadership. He had no problem exercising authoritativeness, yet Achilles beat him in every other aspect, and all but matches his stubbornness and strong will. Overall, Achilles comes out the true leader, regardless of Agamemnon’s superior rank. Achilles turns the tide of battle where Agamemnon cannot and commands respect when his commander makes a fool of himself. The young Dardan understood the importance of connecting with an audience; an army.

Beowulf is the clear protagonist of the novel and an example of a “perfect” warrior from the middle ages. He has all the ideal traits that make him so distinguished and respected. An example of his loyalty was going to meat Hrothgar to fight the Grendel. He was not forced to do this but his father had an obligation to the king so Beowulf carried that forward. An example of honor is when he chooses t fight Grendel with no armor.

Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.

This ideal that John believed in is upheld totally as can be seen in the power that is possessed by the judicial branch with their ability to determine legality and the final say of the Supreme Court. If he were alive today, he would be proud that there is religious freedom for all citizens. Now that our country is a country of many religions, he would be proud that this ideal has stood the test of time. He would also take pride in the institution of several judicial powers and the final say of court systems as well as the fairness of the court system in equal representation. Overall what John thought that the nation should be is what the nation ultimately became and I believe he would be proud of this

Beowulf is a good ruler for his people. He will fight for them even when they aren’t with him. I believe he’s a good fit for modern times because we need a good ruler like him now-a-days. Someone who is not selfish and not afraid to do something that’s terrifying. Beowulf states, “That I, alone and with the help of my men, May purge all evil from this hall” (“from Beowulf” ln.

Without doubting, the story of King Arthur would always be his victory. "The warrior Arthur, with the soldiers and kings of Britain... was twelve times leader in war, and victor in all battles,” (JONES, 3) By the name of God, there is no possibly for Arthur to lose. Because in all stories, King Arthur and his knights are all great warriors, who are strong and full of willpower. “Arthur and his knights merely sleep, awaiting the call to inspire and rescue us at any time.” (JONES, 5) As human beings, they are given some inhuman characteristics, and these traits make them even close to saints. As heroes, they are not allowed to die, so in the stories they would come back when God and people need them: “Ever since, it has heen claimed that the legendary 'once and future king ' and his knights slumher, awaiting their call to action” (JONES, 1) As mentioned before, these