The Theme of Father/Son Relationships in Beowulf & The Song
The Theme of Father/Son Relationships in Beowulf & The Song of Roland The representation of father-son type relationships in early Medieval literary worksis a key theme early authors used to give their works more depth and meaning. Two works that use the theme of father-son relationships are Beowulf and The Song of Roland. In Beowulf, the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf is one in which there is no actual blood father-son tie, but the two characters take on all the characteristics of a real father son relationship. Hrothgar, although Beowulfs senior, has to rely on this new warrior who comes to Heorot to help him rid his kingdom of a great danger which he can not get rid of by himself, and Hrothgar treats him as if he were his own son. In The Song of Roland, Charles relationship with his nephew Roland also takes on the characteristics of a father-son type relationship. In this work, although Charles is the better warrior than Roland, he relies on Roland to watch the rear guard of his army and Roland loses his life while serving his King. The significance of these inter-generational relationships will be looked at in this paper, as well as what the authors through the guise of these father-son relationship
In Beowulf, the function of the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf helps to further the plot in several ways. Well does the son now pay this call on a proven ally!" (Beowulf, pg. Rolands willingness to face anything that his King wishes also goes to comment on the social characteristics of the day and what was expected from the code of chivalry. So who has the power in a father-son type relationship clearly depends on the individual work itself. When hearing of the betrayal Roland states "Where are you, fair nephew? God!" , Says the King, "how bitter my reproach, that I was absent when they struck the first blow" (The Song of Roland, sect. The gift giving of Hrothgar and Beowulf in turn for deeds done shows what the essence of the comitatus was, how services were rewarded and great deeds applauded. Clearly both authors use this great technique to give their stories more depth and meaning, and by doing so Beowulf and The Song of Roland are not only considered great literary works of their respective periods because of the stories they tell, but also because of the valuable information they give the reader on the society in which they take place. In The Song of Roland, the relationship that exists between Charles and Roland is just as significant as in Beowulf, but is somewhat different. He even claims Beowulf as his son when he holds up the slain Grendels hand and states "Beowulf, I now take you to my bosom as a son, O best of men, and cherish you in my heart. Roland states "That shall you not!" (The Song of Roland, sect. 62-63) Immediately there is a fond relationship here which will develop even further. Beowulfs arrival marks a time when the son is taking over from the father the responsibilities of a great threat, and further help to give the character of Beowulf more stature and prestige. Although Roland is regarded as a great warrior, Charles is seen as the Christian conqueror of the enemies of Christ. In The Song of Roland the situation is almost the complete opposite. In this work, Charles will be the one who ultimately triumphs over the evil, and therefore it is essential to build his stature up.
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