Beowulf Themes
Identity
Beowulf is an epic poem about the heroic deeds of a legendary warrior called Beowulf. The poem can be considered to be episodic since it deals with the encounters Beowulf has with three monsters over the course of his life. Beowulf is the protagonist of the epic, and he drives the plot forward with his desire for fame and treasure. The poem truly begins when Beowulf learns of Grendel’s existence and decides to cross the sea to fight him. And the poem ends when Beowulf decides to face the dragon, even though his role as a king did not require him to do so. This desire for fame and treasure is essentially due to Beowulf’s need to establish his identity.
In the context of Beowulf, identity can be understood to be derived from two aspects, blood lineage, and reputation. The first of these is something beyond the control of the individual and is something that is given to him. The other is something that needs to be created with actions and deeds. Beowulf is set in a patriarchal culture that places great value on the names and deeds of their ancestors. Nearly all the characters begin their introduction by naming their fathers, and it becomes a recognized form of identity. Hrothgar agrees to see Beowulf for several reasons which include the fact that he had interacted with Beowulf’s father. This patriarchal society lives by the code of the warrior, which places great emphasis on valorous deeds performed in the face of impossible circumstances. The Warriors are motivated to perform these feats because they retell the war stories of their ancestors to each other nearly daily. In this way, these deeds become a source of pride for warriors but it also gives them a standard to measure themselves against. The tone of the poem is rather derisive at this spartan aspect of pagan values and presents it as a misguided ideology by highlighting frequent bouts of pointless violence.
The other aspect of identity comes from earning a reputation, and this is essentially what drives Beowulf’s actions. He wants to be famous because the pagan ideology has no place for an afterlife. Warriors were motivated to face impossible circumstances because they believed they could live on through their reputation. This aspect of identity is exemplified in the story of Sheafson, who rose to prominence amongst his people despite being a foundling with no history of relations. The belief in immortality through fame is at odds with the Christian concept of life which believes that a soul gains glory in the afterlife. In this aspect, the author sides with the Christian point of view since the poem ends with terrible unrest despite all of Beowulf’s attempts to establish a formidable reputation for himself and his people.
A good King and a Good Warrior
Beowulf can be divided into sections and viewed as a series of episodes around Beowulf’s encounter with monsters, but it can also be seen as a two-part poem that covers the life of a warrior and a king. Beowulf is a young warrior with a reputation of peerless strength and courage. He is a warrior who lives his life to garner fame and wealth, which is why he sets out to seek Grendel. He exemplifies the wonted values of the warrior code by seeking the monster in unarmed combat, and with an unwavering self-assuredness. Beowulf then further emphasizes his belief in the warrior code when he decides to aid King Hrothgar in avenging the murder of his close friend. Blood vengeance was an important concept that was encouraged in ancient Scandinavian societies.
In this first section of the poem, the young Beowulf receives advice from an aged King Hrothgar, who has himself made the transition from the role of a warrior to that of the king. The author attempts to shed light on the fallacious nature of the ancient value system which promoted leaders by measuring success in arms while admitting that the role of a leader required other abilities. Beowulf behaves like a good king in many ways, as he refuses to disrespect the line of succession, and only takes the throne when he is presented with no other options. He makes the enemies of the kingdom fear him and forces them to respect the sovereignty of his people. Yet, Beowulf ultimately fails.
In the final section of the book, Beowulf learns of the dangerous dragon that his people have to contend with, and he immediately decides to take action. His reputation as a warrior is so engrained in his mind that he cannot stop himself from facing the dragon even as he understands that it ultimately means his demise. Beowulf is aware that facing the dragon is his last action, and he proceeds with facing it. The poem can be seen as Beowulf’s journey of trying to reconcile the differences between the role of a king and that of a warrior.
The poet purposefully ruins Beowulf’s death as the protagonist asks to see the hoard he had won by killing the dragon with his dying breath. This would have profoundly affected the Christians of that time, as they would have seen how the hero of the epic was so concerned with the material things of this world rather than the afterlife in which he would have to face the judgment of the almighty. Furthermore, Beowulf’s death signals a time of great unrest for the people of his kingdom since the news of his death would result in wars of vengeance, and retribution.
Evil
Beowulf explores the theme of evil through the use of monsters. The word monster was used to refer to abnormalities that children had at birth, and specifically communicated a sense of otherness. The monsters in the epic are at the limits of human realms, and each of Beowulf’s encounters with them can be seen to have symbolic value. The most compelling view is that the monsters are a reflection of the dark horrors in Beowulf’s life. Grendel is a horrid monster that is said to have been a descendant of Cain, and his senseless murder of the Danes mirrors a horrible aspect of ancient Scandinavian society. Beowulf’s struggle with Grendel is thus equivalent to his struggle against the culture of marauding that was encouraged by the warrior codes of pagan society. Similarly, Grendel’s Dam is motivated by a desire for vengeance for the murder of her child, and this mirrors the ritualistic belief in exacting blood prices for the loss of warriors in battle. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that the Dam’s actions have caused them to follow the path of vengeance until the end. Lastly, the dragon, which is a prominent symbol of sin in Christian accounts, represents Beowulf’s struggle against greed. Throughout the epic, Treasure is a prominent motivator for heroic action, but that eventually brings Beowulf to his death.
The author’s dismissal of pagan values is apparent in his treatment of the monsters presented in the epic. Throughout the epic, the monsters are shown as creatures of malice, but their actions are always shown to be comprehensible. This is the author’s deliberate attempt to equate the violence of heroes like Beowulf with that of the monsters. It puts forward the argument that evil is not necessarily something that lurks on the edges of society, but that it is a common everyday occurrence that may well be presented in leaders like Beowulf. This becomes a further criticism of the pagan value system, but the author also demonstrates a keen interest in certain glorious aspects of the warrior culture. The poet’s language around the tales of bravery and resolve clearly indicates admiration for certain aspects of that lifestyle.
