Tradition In Beowulf
“Wise sir. Do not grieve. It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. / For every one of us, living in this world / means waiting for our end. Let whoever can / win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, / that will be the best and only bulwark. / So arise, my lord, and let us immediately / set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. / I guarantee you: she will not get away, / not to dens under ground nor upland groves / nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to flee to. / Endure your troubles today. Bear up / and be the man I expect you to be” (1384-1396).
Beowulf is an originally oral epic and pagan story that was wrote down by a Christian author. It is a traditional epic about a warrior traveling and fighting …show more content…
for the fame and glory. The story was wrote during a time of transition from the warrior culture of the pagan religion and time period to Christianity. The author tried to push the traditional Christian beliefs. Beowulf exposes the flaws of warrior culture values and the irony of the cultural transitions.
Warrior culture was a time of constant death and war. Revenge and blood money was the name of the game. “It is better to avenge dear love ones”, in those lines Beowulf is talking about avenging the death that Grendel’s mother took. Grendel’s mother is avenging her son’s death (1384-1385). The cycle of revenge and death is never ending. No one ever wins in this culture. During this time there was no clear rulers or ruling nations of Europe. That is because of the warrior culture. In another line Beowulf says, “Let whoever can win glory before death” 1387. Here, this line exemplifies the other reason for war and death in this culture. Glory is won through winning battles and avenging deaths. Glory is the reason a warrior goes to battle.
Another characteristic of warrior culture is a strong leader.
Leaders are supposed to be generous to their people, prudent, and strong. Beowulf says to Hrothgar, “Bear up and be the man I expect you to be” (1395). In this line, Beowulf is trying to tell Hrothgar to toughen up. Hrothgar is mourning when he should be planning revenge. He does not always exemplify the idea warrior king of the time. He actually shows characteristics of the Christian beliefs most of the time. He is wise, caring, and understanding. He is also the one most often seen praising God in the story as seen in this line, “the old lord sprang to his feet and praised God for Beowulf’s pledge” (1397). Hrothgar is a good king because he does indeed do what is best for his people, but he is not a normal warrior king. The author uses his character to push the Christian beliefs ahead of the warrior culture and pagan religions.
Warrior culture is full of flaws. They are clearly shown throughout the novel. Some of the main flaws with the culture are constant revenge, glory, and the leaders. The constant death and revenge will be the end of them. The search for glory is in vain. The leaders should do what’s best for their people and swallow pride. The passage quoted at the beginning clearly shows these characteristics of warrior culture, but, while the author only hints at the flaws, it is up to the reader or listener to see them their selves.
Works Cited
“Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology English Literature. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Volume A, Norton, 2012,
41-108.
Beowulf is an originally oral epic and pagan story that was wrote down by a Christian author. It is a traditional epic about a warrior traveling and fighting …show more content…
for the fame and glory. The story was wrote during a time of transition from the warrior culture of the pagan religion and time period to Christianity. The author tried to push the traditional Christian beliefs. Beowulf exposes the flaws of warrior culture values and the irony of the cultural transitions.
Warrior culture was a time of constant death and war. Revenge and blood money was the name of the game. “It is better to avenge dear love ones”, in those lines Beowulf is talking about avenging the death that Grendel’s mother took. Grendel’s mother is avenging her son’s death (1384-1385). The cycle of revenge and death is never ending. No one ever wins in this culture. During this time there was no clear rulers or ruling nations of Europe. That is because of the warrior culture. In another line Beowulf says, “Let whoever can win glory before death” 1387. Here, this line exemplifies the other reason for war and death in this culture. Glory is won through winning battles and avenging deaths. Glory is the reason a warrior goes to battle.
Another characteristic of warrior culture is a strong leader.
Leaders are supposed to be generous to their people, prudent, and strong. Beowulf says to Hrothgar, “Bear up and be the man I expect you to be” (1395). In this line, Beowulf is trying to tell Hrothgar to toughen up. Hrothgar is mourning when he should be planning revenge. He does not always exemplify the idea warrior king of the time. He actually shows characteristics of the Christian beliefs most of the time. He is wise, caring, and understanding. He is also the one most often seen praising God in the story as seen in this line, “the old lord sprang to his feet and praised God for Beowulf’s pledge” (1397). Hrothgar is a good king because he does indeed do what is best for his people, but he is not a normal warrior king. The author uses his character to push the Christian beliefs ahead of the warrior culture and pagan religions.
Warrior culture is full of flaws. They are clearly shown throughout the novel. Some of the main flaws with the culture are constant revenge, glory, and the leaders. The constant death and revenge will be the end of them. The search for glory is in vain. The leaders should do what’s best for their people and swallow pride. The passage quoted at the beginning clearly shows these characteristics of warrior culture, but, while the author only hints at the flaws, it is up to the reader or listener to see them their selves.
Works Cited
“Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology English Literature. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Volume A, Norton, 2012,
41-108.