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How Does Beowulf Show Loyalty

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Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Tale of Loyalty and Glory In today’s day and age, each individual value or values that people hold fill up an immense spectrum; the number of different values are innumerable. The epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, follows the antagonist hero, Beowulf, and his gang of Geats as they quest for fame and fortune, glory and gold in Anglo-Saxon times. In the story, the team of warriors under Beowulf’s leadership undertake impossible tasks such as slaying a deadly monster and an even deadlier dragon. The journey of these Geats consists of many battles and obstacles that emphasize the core values of the Anglo-Saxon era. Two codes that greatly affected the passages and decisions of the warriors in the epic poem are loyalty and glory. …show more content…

When Beowulf first arrives on Hrothgar’s land, a guard demands who Beowulf and his group are, where they are from, and their purpose for coming. Beowulf loyally responds that “[they] are Geats, / Men who follow Higlac. My father / Was a famous soldier, known far and wide / As a leader of men. His name was Edgetho” (260-263). Throughout the story, Beowulf mentions multiple times his loyalty to Higlac and how he fights to glorify him. Another instance of Beowulf’s loyalty is when he refuses the role of king after the death of Higlac. Instead, Beowulf encourages Higlac’s son to inherit the throne, accepting the throne only after Higlac’s son dies and showing his everlasting loyalty towards his

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