"Beowulf" – The story of an extraordinary man

The poem “Beowulf” tells the story of an extraordinary man who performs great deeds. Beowulf is the superhero of his time, unmatched in strength and willing to take on any challenge thrown his way with as little help as possible from weapons and without the help of other warriors. He is in a league of his own physically. Because of this, however, he’s also emotionally in a league of his own. Being everyone’s hero and idol can be great, but it’s not exactly the best position to be in if you want to form meaningful relationships with people. This is Beowulf’s fight. He is, in fact, an isolationist around people because his almost pious status combined with his “I can do anything on my own” attitude fosters an atmosphere of wonder and adoration around him and a sense of pride and self-reliance. inside him.

The idea of ​​idol worship and its effect on relationships is a prevalent concept in our society today. Consider the example of a rock star and his fan. There is a barrier that prevents them from forming a genuine relationship that is built from the fan’s total adoration of the star and the star’s knowledge of this and his feeling of superiority. Beowulf is said to have “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand” (380). It is reaffirmed many times throughout the poem that it is unparalleled. He is superior and has every right to feel that way. This makes it almost impossible for the people he passes by to look at him with anything but wonder or envy, as Unferth originally does when “Beowulf’s coming, challenging him at sea, made him sick with envy” ( 501). However, Unferth sings a different tune once he’s seen that Beowulf is the real deal. There is “less manipulation and great talk then / Of Unferth the braggart…” (971) after everyone has seen Grendel’s severed arm displayed in the hallway. This shows evidence of Unferth’s attitude towards Beowulf changing from envy to awe and adoration.

After Beowulf’s arrival to fight Grendel, Unferth was the most celebrated warrior in Heorot… he was the only one who thought he could be on the same level as Beowulf as a warrior. This paves the way for the two to form a meaningful friendship, as many friendships are formed from an original bad encounter (even today, many best friends’ relationships began with a fight or rivalry on the playground). . But this never comes to fruition as Unferth realizes that Beowulf is far above him when it comes to fighting, and joins the rest of Hrothgar’s men in their adoration of Beowulf.

The only character in the poem who can realistically be considered a true friend and close equal to Beowulf is Hrothgar. Hrothgar’s first words to Beowulf are “Beowulf, my friend…” (457). Greetings can’t get much friendlier than that. The relationship gradually grows, and Hrothgar finally says that he sees Beowulf as his own son. Hrothgar’s deep affection for Beowulf is no more evident in the poem than during Beowulf’s departure:

And so the good, gray-haired Dane,

That highborn king, kissed Beowulf

and hugged her neck, then she collapsed

in sudden tears… And such was his affection

that could not avoid being defeated:

her affection for the man was so deep,

warmed his heart and wound his heartstrings

tight on his chest. (1870-1879)

Anyone who claims that Hrothgar doesn’t really have a deep affection for Beowulf would have a hard time refuting the earlier evidence that he does. But strangely something is missing from the passage. Why doesn’t the poet describe Beowulf’s affection for Hrothgar? The poet does his best to let the reader know that Hrothgar had extremely deep feelings for Beowulf, but not a word is mentioned about Beowulf’s emotions towards Hrothgar. All we get from Beowulf is a speech that basically amounts to “thanks for everything…I’ll come to your aid if you ever need it.” Without a doubt, Hrothgar is the closest character to Beowulf in the poem, but the poet never gives us any clear indication that Beowulf has sincere feelings for Hrothgar beyond respect and admiration. Beowulf even addresses Hrothgar with respect and admiration rather than affection, repeatedly using phrases such as “wise lord” (1384) and “my lord” (1390), never calling Hrothgar “friend” as Hrothgar calls Beowulf.

It is not common for a superhero to have a sidekick. Robin, Batman’s sidekick, is the most recognizable example of this. In the poem, Hrothgar has a companion named Aeschere whom he calls his “soul mate”, “true mentor” and “right-hand man” (1325). Hrothgar is deeply saddened when Aeschere dies.

Beowulf mentions when confronting Unferth that he and Breca grew up daring to “outdo each other” (536), but this does not show that Beowulf and Breca are anything other than rivals. The only other allusion to Beowulf’s youth is interesting. He had been “misconsidered”, “taken for less than his worth”, and his lord “never held him in high esteem in the mead hall” (2183). This passage seems abrupt and out of place. However, it could explain Beowulf’s need to do everything on his own. Beowulf seems obsessed with proving himself throughout the poem, and he always wants to do it without the help of other people.

Beowulf is a stubborn man who probably wouldn’t stop at a gas station to ask for directions if he was lost and would never read directions before putting something together. He’s the guy who got bullied and then had a growth spurt. Why would he want help from people who used to think they were better than him? Beowulf gets away with doing everything on his own until his battle with the dragon. “This fight is not yours,” Beowulf tells his men before fighting the dragon, “nor is it up to any man but me / To measure his strength against the monster / Or prove his worth” (2532). Beowulf is still trying to prove his worth by denying his men the honor of fighting alongside him as an old man who is already widely known as the world’s greatest warrior. He should have nothing more to prove, and he should ask his men for help, which could possibly end up saving his life, but instead he requests that they offer no help and they kill him.

Beowulf’s death definitely seems to have been prevented. Wiglaf tells the other men after Beowulf’s death that “when the worst happened / Very few joined the prince” (2882). The obvious connotation of this is that Beowulf’s men (with the exception of Wiglaf) are faint-hearted and cowards. But Beowulf specifically asked to face the dragon alone. If he hadn’t asked his men to let him do it alone, probably more of them would have helped him and the outcome might have been different. Beowulf’s pride, which earned him all the fame and respect in the world, seems to have led to his death. Beowulf’s heroic life led to a tragic death without a child, apparently without a wife, and with only one of his men by his side.