Hrothgar's 'Trusty In Beowulf'

Close Reading #1 Hrothgar tells his men that today should be a day of mourning because their friend, soul mate, and true mentor is dead. He was one of the few men that he trusted; he vows to kill Grendel’s mother in Aescheres’ name. He now acknowledges that this is the consequence of killing Grendel. The king tells Beowulf that he would give him everything that he can imagine (land and treasure), if he were to kill Grendel’s mother. He talks about Grendel’s ancestry in disgust; he states that his family is hidden within ghosts and demons and they dwell within the trenches of the lake.

” (Heany; page 39, 560-563). In these lines, Beowulf boasts about keeping the seas safe to show how great he is. Another way people in Beowulf made themselves seem nobler was by putting others down and disregarding their accomplishments to make themselves look more heroic. This is shown in the story when Beowulf says, “Now, I cannot recall any fight you entered, Unferth.” (Heany; Page 39, Line581) Beowulf is saying that he has done all these things while Unferth has essentially done nothing important.

During Beowulf’s grand exit from Heorot, Hrothgar gives him a long and loving embrace; “And such was his affection that he could not help being overcome; his fondness for the man was so deep-founded, it warmed his heart and

Beowulf attempted to comfort Hrothgar and the warriors by exclaiming, “Let your sorrow end! It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever”. He then aims to convince Hrothgar that “for the glory of his name, fame after death is the noblest of goals”. Beowulf believes it is worth dying for a good

Beowulf says “The noblest and wisest counselors of my people advised me to come to you, lord Hrothgar because they knew of my great strength. ”(page 13, paragraph 4) Beowulf says he destroyed the race of giants, killed sea monsters and he endured hardships to avenge

He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer.

Beowulf lives in a time of war, because it is mentioned throughout the myth. During the beginning part of the myth it talks about how king Hrothgar was known as a great warrior with battle skills and had many warrior who would follow him for their respect for him in battle. The warriors in each society are always held with important status, because they are allowed to stand with nobles and king’s advisors during funerals. Which shows that the warrior are need in their world because they need to fight battles with either other territories or occasionally some monstrous creatures. Also during Beowulf and Hrothgar funerals they were buried with armor and weapons, this shows that their people believed they would have to fight even in the afterlife.

This affects Beowulf because his reputation is vital to him. Beowulf fires back with a reminder that Unferth killed his own kin. “[...] and the forthright Unferth, admired by all for his mind and courage, although under a cloud for killing his brothers, reclined near the king” (1164-1167). To prove himself, Beowulf informs the King Hrothgar of his new expedition, killing Grendel. “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts.”

The story tells of many characters who faced the same circumstances as Beowulf, yet failed to respond in a similar and valiant effort, like Beowulf. For example, when facing the dragon nearly all of his hand picked soldiers coward in fear. Beowulf then showed humility by turning down his first offer to be king. When Hrothgar died, he offered Beowulf the throne; however, he refused, which allowed the rightful heir, Hrothgar’s son to be placed into power. This decision exemplifies the value he placed on ethics and honor.

To understand the true meaning of the exchange, it is important to show where in the narrative it came from. Beowulf has just come from boasting to Hrothgar, the king of the danes, so he can get the king's approval to fight Grendel. He uses humility and his history of being a hero to win over Hrothgar. Hrothgar invites Beowulf to enjoy a feast with the danes.

King Hrothgar shows bravery and courage in several ways, one of those ways being, that he was prepares to take on Grendel before Beowulf arrives and accepts the challenge. Hrothgar may have been very mighty and courageous in his days, but he also became very weak and old in age close to when Beowulf set foot into the kingdom. The moment where Hrothgar shows much weakness is when he couldn’t defend his people against Grendel so he put the task on Beowulf, someone who could defeat Grendel. Hrothgar lacks the physicality to be a warrior but has the wisdom and mental strength that can overpower anyone else’s physical

Loyalty, one of the main themes throughout Beowulf, is an important aspect of the Germanic culture. Loyalty in the Heroic Code is a bond between the king and his warriors; loyalty to the king is first above all, even family in this text. If the warriors lack the loyalty for their king, the urge to protect their king and tribe is diminished. Beowulf’s king, Hygelac, gave him permission to help the Danish king and his people. Beowulf exerts his loyalty to Hrothgar by protecting the king’s people, and killing Grendel.

As Beowulf has a bond to Hrothgar because of his relationship to his father Ecgtheow, he chooses to journey to her realm which is under gloomy monster-infested waters and face her. Beowulf is a warrior who is bold, brave, and unafraid of challenges. In this grueling battle Beowulf comes close to perishing, as his sword Hrunting fails him. However he finds an ancient sword in the cave and uses it to kill her. He was setback by the loss of the sword but he prevailed and defeated the troll-dam.

Hrothgar, King of the Danes, faithfully served his people. He did everything he could to protect his people from the terrifying Son of Cain, Grendel, but was unsuccessful (Fellows 2). He was hopeless until a determined hero, Beowulf, came along and defeated the cruel monster. Hrothgar was so grateful, he offered to love Beowulf as his own, “Now, Beowulf, thee, / of

As he ages, Beowulf defends his people with the same intent as the former king and displays the same heroism that is apparent in the United States military. Heorot, a dining hall that provides Hrothgar’s people place