Mercenaries and assassins kill people for money and reward. Pirates raid ships and sail to the farthest islands hoping that a forgotten treasure exist. Warriors travel great distances and fight powerful monsters for great treasures. Beowulf and his companions travel to Denmark for hopes of returning with large amounts of treasure and pride. Hrothgar's sermon recognizes the vices and virtues of past and present kings. If Beowulf becomes king and follows what Hrothgar does and says, then in Hrothgar's eyes, Beowulf is a great leader. In Hrothgar's eyes, Beowulf succeeds by mimicking Hrothgar policies, fathering the Geats, and earning the respect of followers.
There are many links in Beowulf that connects the three parts into one poem. One link is the theme of the old king and the young warrior. Beowulf and Hrothgar are connected to each other in that way. Beowulf uses Hrothgar as a model king to depict what great kings are like. Beowulf exemplifies similar characteristics of a great king that he picks up from Hrothgar. First, Beowulf always fights alongside his fellow warrior and "stood before them all" (Beowulf, 2497). This is mentioned while Beowulf explains a battle that he took pa
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He was not protecting himself with his wisdom, which goes against what Hrothgar preached. Hrothgar is depicted as a great leader and following in the footsteps of a great leader means that you will be one too. In accordance with Hrothgar, Beowulf does the same to become a great king. Even as Beowulf dies, he thinks about his people before himself. This fight with the dragon is not a fight for an old king, but for a young man. Protectors of the people should always receive praise for what they do. The people acknowledge all that Beowulf has done for them. He is letting his pride get in the way of reality. The respect that they are giving Beowulf characterizes the amount of respect that he has earned. Beowulf lets his pride and greed get in the way of role as a king.
This argument is valid, but can't be supported to the extent that Beowulf fails in Hrothgar's depiction of a great king. Even though Beowulf may follow some of Hrothgar's advice, those are only the minor ones. Only a man who takes time to help others could keep this cycle going. First, the attack on the dragon by Beowulf is an attack with the intent to seek revenge.
Approximate Word count =
1444
Approximate Pages =
6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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