Beowulf

Shield Sheafson was seen as a triumphant, wise and noble king. He rose from nothing as an infant with no known family to a brave warrior. As a warrior and leader he eventually proved his strength to many tribes and became king. Many then began to pay tribute to Sheafson. He believed that, “behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” (Line 24-25). King Hrothgar then rose to power as king by his father Halfdane who was son of Beow, which was Shield Sheafson’s son. Hrothgar was not the only son, but was favored because of his fortunes in war. Many friends and kinsmen flocked to follow him. Beowulf a warrior with strength of more than thirty men in one hand aspired to be a great leader like King Hrothgar and Shield Sheafson.
Hrothgar was a great king because he provided many fortunes of war for the people who followed him. Because of his great fame with war his force grew to a mighty army. Kings were to do everything better than everyone, in times of peace and in times of conflict. After King Hrothgar had proved his force to be powerful in times of conflict he had to prove his mightiness in the time of peace. He then decided to build Heorot, a great hall which was meant to be a wonder of the world; this was to be his throne room. During these times of peace he gave out his good fortune to young and old. King Hrothgar here displays the qualities of a great king with being a fierce warrior and excellent leader in times of conflict and war such as Shield Sheafson. In times of peace he offers these same qualities of a great king by building a hall that is to be a wonder of the world and distributing his fortune to his followers.
Beowulf as a king offers the great qualities of being a brave warrior such as King Hrothgar and Shield Sheafson. Beowulf takes it a step further by being famous for his incomparable strength, and for the incredible tales of his heroism. He compares to the great Shield Sheafson with his undeniable bravery to take on any battle or challenge such as the demon Grendel and Grendel’s mother. He was also a great king because of his wisdom. When he met King Hrothgar he felt as though he was a great and wise king and wished to rule as he did with such power and knowledge. As a king he displayed the aspect of doing everything better than anyone when fighting demons and unknown beasts.
Beowulf and King Hrothgar both displayed much strength as kings. Beowulf was wise and strong just like Shield Sheafson; he had conquered many battles and proved strong to many beasts. Beowulf ruled the Geatish for many years peacefully. He made an excellent king as kings are supposed to do everything better and he certainly was the best hero and strongest man. However, although he was a wise and powerful king and warrior, one decision he made makes me question his decision as a king. As a king it is your responsibility to protect your kingdom and keep them from harm’s way, make educated decisions and rule the land. When Beowulf made the decision to risk his life to conquer the dragon by himself, he was trying to protect his kingdom and his people. However, because he made this risky choice he was killed and then left his people with no king and no one to protect them. King Hrothgar was an excellent king much like Shield Sheafson, he began as a great, brave warrior and then went to rule many people. He then decided to build the great mead-hall, which would be a wonder to the world, just as a king would. However, when tragedy strikes and Grendel came and took the lives of many, King Hrothgar could be seen as weak or an ineffective king because he himself didn’t try anything to defeat the demon Grendel. He let others risk their lives and moved out from the hall, not protecting his mead-hall, lands and people. Shield Sheafson being the noble and triumphant king that he was I believe he would have protected his people from the demon Grendel, he would have found a way to defeat the demon. In the instance of the dragon and Beowulf, I believe Shield Sheafson would have had his men help more with conquering the beast and therefore saving himself from being killed and abandoning his kingdom. The ultimate question is the difference between a good hero and a good king, the tension between the two roles is unavoidable.
The poem Beowulf uses the example of mead-halls twice. First within King Hrothgar’s kingdom, we see Heorot, the great mead-hall King Hrothgar had built with the intention of it being a wonder of the world. We also see Hygelac’s Hall when Beowulf returns to Geatland. Treasure, riches and the mead-halls are a very important aspect within the poem. These material possessions show us that these mead-halls were a significant part of the culture. The mead-hall Heorot was a very important place for the king and his people. It was built in a time of peace and was a symbol of a great kingdom, of hope and strength. It was a place where there were incredible feasts, drinking, singing and celebration. The mead hall was the center of life in the two kingdoms. In Beowulf, Heorot was much more; the mead hall had multiple rooms and a bedroom for the king to sleep in. This is where the king distributed treasures, “his god-give goods to young and old.” (Line 72).
The poem dramatizes the importance of the mead halls by referencing the mead halls so many times throughout the poem. Not only by mentioning the mead halls, but by giving descriptions to how great they are, and having a majority of the poem take place within the mead hall. The poem mentions what a wonder Heorot is, you have a sense of light and joy within the mead hall. After the attacks made by Grendel, the kingdom became a place of danger and darkness. The importance of mead halls is dramatized by having much of the poem’s setting within Heorot. Also, having the demon, Grendel, attacking the kingdom shortly after the wondrous Heorot was built, draws dramatization to the importance of mead halls, and making the attacks in the center of the mead hall. This kingdoms marvelous mead hall had fallen. All of the feasting, entertainment and celebration that once went on at this great place had stopped for years. Finally a brave hero, Beowulf, had to come along to save the kingdom from their despair. Once the demons were slayed the celebration and joy had returned to the great hall and the center of their kingdom was restored.
Beowulf was a great warrior, he was very well known for his strength and courage. Beowulf was a hero of his people not only for his strength and courage though, but also for his loyalty, courtesy and pride. Beowulf was brave enough to sail to another kingdom and take on a demon by himself with no armor. He risks his life several times for a land he doesn’t know and people that aren’t his. His reputation, strength, and defeat of Grendel and Grendel’s mother assure him to be a hero of his people.
I believe that yes in a certain way a hero must be triumphant in battle in order to be honored by his people. Perhaps not every battle, as King Hrothgar was once a successful warrior and in the time when he became king and had Heorot built, then Grendel attacked, he had not been triumphant in battle with the demon. His people still looked upon the king as a hero, as he had led them so victoriously through so many battles, and was so wise. He ruled with care for his people, and this alone made people idolize him as a hero. A hero does not need to necessarily be triumphant in battle, but be good to his people, be wise and courageous in order to be recognized as a hero of his people and honored, ruling them with care and protecting them from evils.
Within the poem, Beowulf, there are many uses of kennings and litotes. Examples of kennings are; “ring-giver,” when the poet mentions a ring-giver here he is referencing to the king, he is the giver of treasures to people in his land. The poet makes references as to Grendel naming him as the “hall-watcher,” “death-shadow,” and “corpse-maker,” the poet also mentions a “hell-serf,” which is meaning a demon. Within the poem the author also makes reference to the sea as the, “whale-road.” When Beowulf opened his “word-hoard,” the author here is making reference to him opening his mouth and talking. Finally one reference of a kenning comes when Beowulf is in battle with Grendel’s mother. Here he mentions shedding of “battle-sweat,” here the author is meaning blood. The poem Beowulf also uses the old English literary device of litotes. Some examples of this are when the author writes that the sword was not useless to the warrior now. Here he is understating that the warrior now had a use for the sword. After the monster Grendel had murdered the Danes in Heorot the poet writes that, “It was easy then to meet with a man, shifting himself to a safer distance.” The understatement here is that assumingly anyone left there would run for their life, and leave the great hall quickly. When Beowulf is rewarded for killing Grendel the poet writes, “It was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts.” This is a large understatement as anyone would cherish being given such beautiful treasures. The use of these literary devices allows there to be modesty within the words, and encourages the reader to use their imagination to figure out the meaning.
Beowulf defines heroism and the meaning and characteristics of a king in the Anglo-Saxon time. There is much wisdom and bravery to be learned from the poem. Through no matter what beast or conflict may occur you see someone who is brave and courageous knowing that he could potentially be killed. The poem has many examples of great kings who were brave and filled with wisdom.