Beowulf is the oldest English epic of its kind and has been read and studied by many generations as a great work of English literature. Written during the Middle Ages, it portrays the life of the hero, Beowulf, and his conquests, glory, and ultimate death. These lines come from this epic poem and describe the meaning behind the poem perfectly:
And now, although he wanted this challenge to be one he’d face
By himself alone – the shepherd of our land
A man unequaled in the quest for glory
And a name for daring – now the day has come
When this lord we serve needs sound men
To give him their support (“Beowulf” lines 2642-2648).
Many have looked upon this poem and seen only blood and gore, however this is not the actual heart of the story of Beowulf. To view the story this way is to overlook the crescendo of the poem, as if it is only an after thought or epilogue to the excitement of Beowulf’s earlier battles. The culmination of Beowulf’s life is one of the most beautiful pieces of the poem because it overthrows all previous notions of heroism within the poem and replaces them with a picture of community. A new ideal of a hero then is established: one who is both willing to give and receive assistance in times of trouble.
The tale begins with Beowulf coming to rescue the Danes from a horrible monster that is terrorizing their land. From the very start Beowulf is unafraid and confident in his ability to slay this monster named Grendel. He is the stereotypical embodiment of “heroism,” and he knows it. Unashamed and secure in his strength and skill, he claims to the king of the Danes that he can do what no man has dared do before: face the monster. His brave offer is accepted and he waits for the beast to attack. When Grendel finally shows his hand and Beowulf is able to disarm him (quite literally), the Danes hail Beowulf as a true hero, surpassing all others. Their joy is short lived however, before Grendel’s mother comes on the scene. Avenging her son, she attacks the people and makes off with a great warrior. This unexpected blow to the community leaves them surprised and in pain. They again turn to Beowulf for help, believing him to be the only one capable of bringing down yet another monster.
Beowulf accepts the worship of the people because he believes it is well deserved, and he knows that without him they would not be rid of Grendel. He begins to believe himself (even more than before) to be a uniquely great warrior: godlike. Perhaps he is right in thinking these things, perhaps not. Regardless, he begins to expect the same sort of exceptional heroism and bravery from others. Even in the face of grief he loses sympathy for those with less drive, not understanding that there is strength in the “weakness” of acknowledging love for another. After the death of a close friend Beowulf says to Hrothgar, “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better/ to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning/Endure your troubles…Bear up/ and be the man I expect you to be.”(lines 1384 and 1395-1396). He forgets for a while that all humanity is bound together and that no man stands alone in his glory.
After this, Beowulf hunts down Grendel’s mother, and he is again successful in his valiant efforts. He leaves the Danes a successful and “better off” man, for now he has won both fame and renown in the world. But throughout the entire story the universe seems to cry out to him to look at how he got to be where he is and to remind him that none of his actions were performed alone. Robert Creed, an expert in Old English literature and comparative oral traditions, says this in The Remaking of Beowulf, “So the poet retold the old tale and rehabilitated the old god by turning him into a hero…In turning him into a hero, the poet was able to preserve very important things from the deep past, things that spoke about the identity of the folk and reminded them of their old ways”(144-145). The poet tries to push Beowulf to the point of seeing himself as human and redefining heroism by himself, but he simply does not understand. The poet speaks to Beowulf saying:
O flower of warriors, beware of that trap
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part
Eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
But it fades quickly (lines 1758-1762).
From the very beginning, the point is that one man alone is nothing for long. He will always, whether as a young man or in old age, need the support and friendship of another. Beowulf’s quest for glory, admirable as it is, forgets to call upon this aspect of human nature, and his heroism can only be seen as incomplete because he lives in it alone.
Sadly, his focus only on himself later causes unnecessary danger to himself and his fellow fighters, “Often when one man follows his own will /Many are hurt. This happened to us” (lines 3077-3078). Beowulf chooses to go forward in what he believes to be his destiny, even though he is putting others in harms way. There is no hatred expressed towards Beowulf for this, simply sadness that he missed the point. If only he had allowed others to help him from the beginning, he might not have died. His actions as a young man, independent and somewhat careless, set him up to feel unable to ask for help when he needed it most.
Fortunately, this is not the end of the poem. Beowulf does die, but not before seeing community in action. A young man called Wiglaf sees the distress of his king and his unwillingness (or inability) to ask for help and responds. He goes to the aid of his king. This is the climax of the story. It expresses true heroism: to see a need and meet it, even if the one in need is convinced that they can make it on their own. And in the face of danger, to fly to the rescue of someone else for the sake of love:
But within one heart
Sorrow welled up: in a man of worth
The claims of kinship cannot be denied
He could not hold back: One hand brandished
The yellow-timbered shield, the other drew his sword (lines 2599-2601 and 2609-2610).
Wiglaf expresses disbelief that anyone would leave Beowulf to his fate, remembering the good things he has done in his life, even if the motive behind them was not always honorable:
That is unthinkable, unless we have first
Slain the foe and defended the life
Of the prince of the Weather-Geats. I well know
The things he has done for us deserve better (lines 2654-2657).
Wiglaf runs to Beowulf and helps him fight his last battle. Beowulf’s life might have ended in shame at being unable to destroy his final enemy. Instead, he chooses to surrender to Wiglaf’s assistance, redefining the concept of heroism within the poem completely. Instead of the lone warrior who saves the day, two are necessary to defeat the final foe. This beautiful culmination of the story proves the importance of being able to both give and receive aid. Heroism cannot be defined as something one can attain alone through brave exploits, but rather, despite previous achievements, it is in taking the hand of another. The poem ends with Beowulf’s death, but with a new perspective of what it means to live as a hero.
This new idea cannot help but affect the way Beowulf is read and interpreted today. No longer is it simply a story about the meaning of “heroism” in the Middle Ages, but a cause to reconsider the modern concepts of independence and friendship and how they should interact. Beowulf, when really understood, can alter worldviews. Cleanth Brooks, author of Modern Poetry and Tradition, states the connection between ancient texts and perception of the world in this way, “If the student knows how to read a poem or a novel…He will be able to understand not only himself as a man of the modern period, but also the present state of the civilization that has nurtured him”(187). To look at Beowulf and apply it to life today would be to acquiesce to its suggestion that community and friendship are more important than glory. Wiglafs words finally sum up the meaning of this great epic, “Should he alone be left exposed/ To fall in battle? We must bond together/ Shield and helmet, mail-shirt and sword”(Lines 2658-2660). Thus ends the story of Beowulf, a classic epic that continues to redefine the concept of heroism today.
Works Cited
“Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. 8th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 34-100. Print.
Brooks, Cleanth. Community Religion and Literature. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1995. Print.
Creed, Robert P. “The Remaking of Beowulf.” Oral Tradition In Literature. Ed. John M. Foley. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1986. 136- 146. Print.
