Beowulf

Beowulf did many things to help create a historic past for the english. Beowulf has a peculiar history complicating its historical position in english literature. Any good hero goes out of their way and has a true passion for wanting to help others. My first direct quotation from Beowulf to support how beowulf created a historic past is “And a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line. Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” (Beowulf 20-25) The heroic code’s system of loyalties gives off an extremely specific diplomatic and political structure. Generosity is another one of the things that are greatly valued in a King, but in the end it still comes down to being motivated by the need of motivators. The way that the loyalty of all the warriors is emphasized by Beowulf has a special meaning to him, as the disloyalty of his men in their great encounter with the dragon. A second quote from Beowulf is “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his very best and only bulwark.” (Beowulf 1384-1389) Beowulf utters this statement after Grendel’s mother kills Aeschere. Although Hrothgar’s grief seems understandable in the principle of loyalty that operates in culture, Beowulf speaks of it as if it’s an indulgence, or an inappropriate and ineffective way of responding to a comrade. Beowulf’s reminder to Hrothgar that vengeance is real warrior’s response and the most true sign of love and loyalty shows the value of warrior culture, named an aggressive approach to life. Part of this approach involves the understanding that only reputation will help keep alive a warrior’s existence after death. Beowulf, for example, views life as the great race to glory. A third quote from Beowulf is from line 1,758 through 1,768 where it says “O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, eternal records. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away.” This quote is a cumulative speech, typically referred to as “Hrothgar’s Sermon”. The speech is one of the many points in the poem in which the Beowulf poet overpowers Christian morals on the pagan world that he controls. The idea here is the Christian maxim “pride goeth before a fall.” Hrothgar specifically warns Beowulf not to “give