Beowulf as a Good King - Essay Example

? BEOWULF AS A GOOD KING BEOWULF AS A GOOD KING Overview In “Beowulf”, an elaborate emphasis is given by the author to the theme of establishing identity. What this generally means is that the writer wanted to create awareness for a person to rightly identify who he or she is, based on which critical decisions can be taken on the directions that the person wants to take in life (Spurr, 2000). While examining the character of Beowulf through his characterization, there are two major forms of identities that are given to him. The first of this is the identity of a warrior, and the second is the identity of a king. The debate continues to go on among reviewers as to whether or not Beowulf excelled in any of these two areas, and if he did, to which degree he excelled. In the current paper, the character of Beowulf as a king is critiqued. The critique shall be done from a very holistic and elaborate manner to ensure that judgments made on whether or not Beowulf was a good king will not be based on subjective discretion but on evidence based analysis of the character of King Beowulf. The conclusion of the paper shall, therefore, be used in making an emphatic statement and taking a well thought out stand as to whether or not Beowulf was a good king, based on the arguments that will be made in support or against his reign as a king. Qualities that produce a good Anglo Saxon King Anglo Saxon leaders are held in high esteem as messengers from the creator, for which reason they are expected to possess some key qualities if they want to be regarded by their people as great leaders (Kennedy, 2007). In the case of Beowulf, for him to be seen as a great king by his people, he had to possess not just some of these qualities associated with kings but all of them. Spurr (2000) identifies two of these qualities as generosity and wisdom. Indeed, kings who are not generous cannot be regarded by their people as being great or good kings. This is because the king is seen as a mediator between the people and God. In effect, God gives riches and wealth to the king so that he will extend this to his subjects (Jacobus, 1988). It is not surprising that the title ‘Lord’, which is given to most Anglo Saxon leaders like Beowulf, has been interpreted to mean “loaf giver” in Old English. One may, therefore, ask if Beowulf was such a loaf giver. Indeed, Beowulf showed generosity to all, especially those who justified that they deserved the king’s generosity. An example of this is Wiglaf, who remember the old king’s former largesse during the fight against the dragon. The king was very generous to him for the gesture that he showed. Beowulf was also a man of great wisdom as expected of kings in the line, "Our eternal lord grants some men wisdom, some wealth and makes others great" (1726-1729). One act of wisdom exhibited by the king was when he was in battle with Grendel and instead of readily attacking with no caution, asked one of his men to first attack Grendel. This was done so that the king would cunningly study the fighting style of Grendel and use it against Grendel himself. Indeed, such acts of wisdom were not seen only once or twice but in as many as three of Beowulf’s battles where he, among other things, used Grendel’s mother’s magical sword to defeat her, and also defeated the dragon using his own size and power (Kennedy, 2007). The Challenges during the rule of Beowulf There is an old saying that our true victory is not in never falling but in rising, anytime we fall. The relation of this saying to the kingship of Beowulf is that an assessment of whether or not Beowulf was a great king cannot be inhibited by the fact that during his reign, he was faced with several challenges and disadvantages. Indeed, it would be right to argue that these challenges and disadvantages came as a test case for the ability of Beowulf to surmount them through the making of the right decision in the midst of the problems. The commonest form of challenge that the kingship of Beowulf faced was one that had to do with warfare. As often as possible, there were war attacks on the kingdom of Beowulf. In the days, the superiority of a kingdom was determined by the size of land possessed by the king and the level of territory controlled by the king (Pearson, 1991). It is not surprising that on a constant basis, enemies who also wanted to show their supremacy would wage war against Beowulf and for that matter, his kingdom. Another situational cause of wars in the days was the fight for freedom by slaves and captives who were serving under the king at the time. These are all factors that made the kingdom of Beowulf a very war-filled one. Having noted that battles and wars came to disturb the peace and growth of Beowulf’s kingdom, the next question to ask the question of how Beowulf rose above all these acts of war to distinguish himself as a great king. Anglo Saxon kings were seen as warlords who were to lead their people to war and for that matter victory. Generally, historians have explained that the victory aspect of the war was not as important to the people as the commitment that their kings made towards ensuring that the reputation of the people was protected in times of war (Rieu). After all, it was believed that it was better to fight and die on the battle field than to fight and run away. This is because he who fights and runs away is said to live to fight another time. As a way of exhibiting his kingly roles in times of war, therefore, Beowulf took the bold decision of being represented both in person and by army in any war that his kingdom was faced with. What is interesting is that in most of these wars, king Beowulf stood heroic by defeating his enemies and possessing their wealth. In all of these wars, the most significant was when Beowulf made a commitment to his people that his quest to fight was not only in the need to win battles but to live the purpose of his life, stating that "My purpose was this: to win the good will of your people or die in the battle, pressed in Grendel's fierce grip." (634-636) Conclusion The debate as to whether great kings are born or made will continue to go on. But as far as Beowulf is concerned, he exhibited through his period of reign as being a great who was both born to be great and made to be great. This is because even before he ascended the throne, Beowulf had distinguished himself as a great warrior, displaying supernatural skill and strength that he could only be born with to have. Once he became a king also, Beowulf could easily switch over from a warrior to a king, learning the act of greatness so easily. Generally, Beowulf showed beyond all reasonable doubt that he was a great king. Works Cited Author, “,” in The Beowulf Poet, ed. Donald K. Fry (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.), 1968. Print. Jacobus, Lee. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Fifth Edition, Cage Rage: New York, 1988. Print. Kennedy, Charles, W. Beowulf: The Oldest English Epic. New York: Oxford University Press, 1940. Print. Pearson, Jacqueline. “Gender and Narrative in the Fiction of Aphra Behn”. The Review of English Studies, New Series 42, no. 166 (1991): 179-190. Rieu, Emile Victor. The Iliad, Homer. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2005. Print. Spurr, John. England in the 1670s: "This Masquerading Age". Oxford: Blackwell, 2000. Print. Read More