LastName 1 Your Name Instructor 09.15.09 Beowulf Fame and Glory Everlasting How is one remembered after death? In “Beowulf,” translated by Burton Burton Raffel, it is believed that the only way for a warrior to be remembered after death is by b y the achievement of fame and glory, glory, and for the tales of his great works to be told by bards in mead halls. The ultimate goal is for the stories of one’s one’s fame and success to be told for generations to come. This belief is a common theme within “Beowulf” and is reflected all throughout the Anglo-Saxon epic by Beowulf’s general demeanor toward people, the way he seems to try to make everything he does appear to be outstanding to those around him, and by his grand burial place. Beowulf’s demeanor is one of greatness, arrogance, and confidence. When Beowulf and his fine team of Geats arrive at their destination, the first thing that the watchman notices is the greatness and boldness of the men that have sailed to his land, especially Beowulf. The watchman states, “… Nor have I ever seen, Out of all the men on the earth, one greater than has come with you…” as he examines Beowulf and his team (161-163). The watchman is clearly baffled as to why the Geats walk his land so openly and without secret, and even ev en thinks their greatness is a façade made so that th at he may let them venture further into his h is land as spies. Beowulf, however, is prepared for this opposition, and he answers his questions like a born leader, proclaiming, “We “We are Geats. Men who follow Higlac…” as part of a grand speech he gives to the watchman, which results in his team being able to press on into the land (173-174).
LastName 2 Beowulf makes sure that everything he does will only aid him in obtaining fame and glory. glory. This is seen clearly whenever whenever Beowulf fights Grendel. Before the fight, Beowulf explains, “… My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to…” which shows that he indeed cares about people’s people’s thoughts of him (264-266). (264-266). From this excerpt of text, it is clear that Beowulf does not want to carry weapons simply because it will give people something to talk about. It would have been much easier to use weapons against Grendel, but he had to make sure that the battle would be remembered for ages. Beowulf also does another thing that may ensure his glory. glory. He states to Hrothgar, Hrothgar, “And if your enemy should end my life then be, b e, O generous prince, forever the father and protector of all whom I leave…” as he prepares to jump into the lake (452-454). By telling Hrothgar to to keep his people if he dies, he is making sure that word cannot travel back to his homeland about his death. His fate will be unknown, but at least he will not be known as a failure. That means there is still a chance of his name being spread, even after his death. The most concrete and absolute way that Beowulf ensures his stories to be told after his death lies in his burial burial place. Upon being mortally wounded by the the dragon, Beowulf instructs Wiglaf to build a tower, explaining to, “… build it here, at the water’s edge, high on this spit of land, so sailors can see this tower, and remember my name, and call it Beowulf’s tower…” as his last commandment while he is alive (825-829). By having a tower built in his honor, honor, Beowulf is certain that people for years to come will see his tower and will think about the story of the mighty Beowulf. To conclude, it is clearly evident that Beowulf does many things throughout the story to make sure that he obtains fame and glory as to be remembered after death. With With his arrogant and confident personality, personality, his determination to become famous, and an d his everlasting name among his
LastName 3 people as represented by his tower, it is indisputable whether or not the achievement of fame and glory was an important theme within Beowulf, and thusly an important belief among the AngloSaxons. Beowulf will most certainly live on in memory memory..
