Selflessness In Beowulf

Essay The significance of the heroic code of comitatus in Beowulf is that any warrior that is willing to put their life on the line for their king is heroic and honored. Comitatus means that a warrior is willing to put their own life on the line for their king, and if their king dies the warriors must go and avenge their king. No matter the cost they must go back and do what they can to avenge their king and if they don’t, they can no longer serve as warriors for the next king. The cowardly warriors that left the dragon fight were more than likely shunned and banished from their kingdom.

He ventured to the land willingly but was very prideful at first. After slaying Grendel, Beowulf reigned as king and still showed great leadership even into his old age. He finally was killed on his final quest to slay a dragon. Duke Theseus demonstrated leadership in a much different way. As the story went, his

Beowulf is not interested with money or greed.- motivation to kill the dragon to protect his people and leaves the treasure. Beowulf is motivated by killing monster and battling them and just being the best warrior he can be to prove the people his point. Beowulf chose his path on what to be in life. Beowulf the most courageous warrior and well risk his life to fight monsters to who ever hurts his people. Beowulf was the greatest king ever a king who loyal and never gives up or back down to nothing.

The description of the hero Beowulf help the reader imagine the savior that faces evil. For example “ The grey bearded lord of the Geats ended those flying burning raids forever” (pg 68 lines 792-794). The imagery in this quote shows the great king old but still very brave. he is showing that his pride and fame will overwhelm even the fact that he is not as strong and young as he used to be.

Beowulf embodies the ideals of conduct in the Anglo-Saxon culture by being loyal, seeks fame and

Loyalty was displayed in Beowulf's character quite clearly, starting with his decision to help the Danes. He was willing to put his own life on the line for the sole benefit of others. This loyalty was first shown when Beowulf went with his men to fight a monster so he could help his father repay his debt. Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow had started a rivalry. The king Hrothgar helped stop the feud, “Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance.

   The first similarity between Beowulf and King Arthur are that they are both very brave. Beowulf traveled all the way to Denmark after hearing the plight their people were going through. He didn’t even know anything other than what he was told. As if that wasn’t brave Beowulf went on to never back down from any monster whether it be Grendel, Grendel's mother, or the dragon he didn’t ever run from a fight. While King Arthur didn’t do go around killing all these monsters he was brave in other aspects.

While Beowulf has lived a long, successful life and although he has plenty of men to send off to the fight the dragon, he decides to fight the dragon himself and risk the safety of his people for the chance at one more shot at old times. Despite the narrator’s positive portrayal of him in the earlier parts of the poem, in this scene, readers must weigh Beowulf’s ego against his kingly duty as a protector. His men do not support the unnecessary risk Beowulf takes, and the venture ends in his death. While it is clear that Beowulf’s men betrayed their pledged loyalty to Beowulf by fleeing, Beowulf arguably enacts a similar betrayal in his pursuit of another accomplishment at the expense of the Geats he was supposed to

A significant amount of being a hero involves physically fighting. One could say since Achilleus is fighting and presenting a hope of victory for the Argives then he is portrayed as more heroic. However, hero’s are praised for their selflessness in battle and their good hearts, not acting on anger and revenge. Patroklos sets a good example of a hero, with such empathy for his countrymen he says, “… such grief has fallen upon the Achaians. For all those who were before the bravest in battle are lying up among the ships with arrow or spear wounds” (XVI 22), and then pleading with Achilleus to let him go into battle.

Beowulf is motivated by glory, duty, and sacrifice to take on Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. He shows an inspiring amount of courage to fight all three deleterious monsters in his life. Even though glory is important to Beowulf, it isn't the most important aspect. The fact that Beowulf was able to conquer all three monsters is fortuitous. Beowulf knew he was expected to save the day for many of his followers, which at the end meant that sacrificing his life was

Beowulf’s traits help make Beowulf the epic hero of this myth. Beowulf’s bravery helps him defeat the mystical creatures. When Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother, it seems like all hope is lost before he kills her with the magical sword. Even though the odds were not in his favor, he never gave up.

This story has lived on by people who have told the story to other people. They are fascinated by the story of Beowulf a brave and noble hero who fights to protect others. This story is unlike any other story because it is about a man who faces his fears head on. People loved him because he was courageous and he succeeded in his actions. Beowulf was not the

“In Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, to be a hero was to be a warrior. A hero had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous” (Dogra 79). Furthermore, he had to be an honorable warrior who did not cower at the thought of an impossible battle. Rather, he trudged forward, prepared to the rattle cages of the strongest, evilest, and most damnable villains known to men. He personifies strength, loyalty, and bravery.

Everyone has a perspective on good and evil; the battle line between good and even runs through the heart. “Beowulf” illuminates characters that come from dark and deep backgrounds that construct their dauntless actions. In the heroic tale “Beowulf,” the author’s tones strongly demonstrates themes of loyalty, honor, and courage. Raffel’s tones remotely displays the act of loyalty within multiple characters. “Hail to these who will rise to God, drop off their dead bodies” (101).

Beowulf follows the mythological/archetypal Hero Quest, but the unknown author still manages to throw in surprises to keep the readers on their toes. The basic mythological Hero’s Quest, most often, has twelve main sections throughout each story. The traditional components being the call to adventure, accepting the call, and the archetypes developed in the hero’s journey. However, Beowulf does not follow most of the traditional mythological Hero’s Quest. The unknown author creates Beowulf's outside the box story through his own words.