A Comparison Of Fame In Beowulf And The Faerie Queene

Compare the treatment of fame in Beowulf and The Faerie Queene.

Anglo-Saxons were a people who valued courage and leadership, they believed the only way to achieve immortality was through your status. This came in the form of fame and their accomplishments hence Beowulf, the protagonist of the epic poem, is referred to in the text as ‘…the man whose name was known for courage.’ Later in the text, the narrator says, ‘But Beowulf longing only for fame, leaped in battle.’ This highlights to the reader that to Beowulf, the only reason to risk his life is a battle which in turn will lead him to immortality. Following Beowulf’s ascension to the throne after defeating Grendel and his mother, one of Beowulf’s servants says, ‘Beloved Beowulf, remember how you boasted,

once, that nothing in the world would ever destroy your fame: you fight to keep in now, be strong and brave, my noble king, protecting life and fame together.’ (1. 2586.) This shows that regardless of the fame he had gained, he had to keep fighting and being successful in order to retain and protect his kingship. It was thought that was once an Anglo-Saxon warrior had gained enough fame, his name would be known throughout the world and as a people they would give up their lives and the lives of those around them in order to receive fame, even if only for a short amount of time.
Similarly, The Redcrosse Knight in The Faerie Queen is one of the main protagonists and ultimately the hero of Book I. Much like the character of Beowulf, he longs for fame and peruses a quest at an attempt to gain it: ‘To winne him worship, and her grace to have / Which of all earthly things he did most crave; / And ever as he rode, his hart did earne / To prove his puissance in battell brave…’ (I.1.3). We can tell from this quote that both societies at the time had comparable values and it was very important to establish one’s identity in any way possible. Heritage in both cases provides a model for behaviour, especially within Beowulf, in which every male figure is known as his father’s son and family lineage is the only way in which to define oneself in the poem. Through this, the reader is able to recognise that the idea of fame is in fact an allegory for identity. ‘…your fame has gone far and wide / you are known everywhere’ (11.1704-5) with the idea of creating a good reputation and augmenting the individual’s self. ‘For everyone 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 best and only bulwark.’ (ll.1386-9).
Another allegory that can be found is within The Faerie Queene, specifically highlighting the topic of religion and alluding to the spread of the Protestant faith and the gradual destruction of the Catholic ideals most prominently in the slaying of Errour. ‘Her vomit full of books and papers was / With loathly frogs and toades…’ (I.1.20). Though the text clearly takes place in a Mythical land, it can be said that Spenser intended for it to be almost a social commentary of England as it was during his time. The character of The Redcrosse Knight could in fact be a representation of Spenser’s struggle as a follower of the Christian faith to maintain personal holiness and avoiding pride as it appears in many forms. Thus, clearly demonstrating not only his political bias, but his theological bias and creating pro-Protestant propaganda.
Beowulf also provides a conflict of theology in that, the Anglo-Saxons were in fact a Pagan culture, however they experienced a large-scale conversion to Christianity. This means that Christian morals were often attributed upon the characters, though they are frequently behaving in an un-Christian manner and because of this, a religious tension is caused. Beowulf shows once again that he is prepared to die for fame, ‘With Hrunting I shall gain glory or die’ (1.1491). Which is relevant in this context as pride overpowers all other emotions, which in itself is a sin in accordance with Christian teachings.
During his reign as King, Beowulf was told that ‘his glory was secure’ (1.

1646) he still continues to seek fame, on the other hand the nature of the acts that have been performed in order to gain his current standing the reader can in fact interpret it as infamy. He is warned by Hrothgar, King of The Danes, who later becomes not only a father figure for Beowulf, but also a model for the kind of King Beowulf becomes. ‘Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,/eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride’ (11. 1759-60). Once again, pride over powers all other emotion and is the key element to his eventual downfall. In the same way, The Redcrosse Knight is warned by Una, his wife to be, not to provoke the beast known as, Errour, ‘Least suddaine mischiefe ye too rashe provoke: / The danger hid, the place unknown and wilde” (I.1.12). But is described as, “[…] full of fire and greedy hardiment, | The youthfull knight could not for ought be staide” (I.1.14). However, he does not suffer as terrible a fate as the character of Beowulf. Another example of his pride being principal is shown through his unprovoked duel with Sans Foy, in which, ‘[…] He prickt with pride | And hope to winne his Ladies heart that day’

(I.2.14).

Whilst Beowulf and his men are approaching the final battle, as it were, he tell his men: ‘…I shall win the gold / by my courage, or else mortal combat, / doom of battle, will bear your Lord away.’ (11. 2535-7). Not only does this provide us with an insight into the kind of ruler he is, but also shows once again how fame holds more importance than his own life. He is fully aware that he could die, leaving his people without a ruler and without direction yet it is still a risk he is willing to take. Beowulf’s long search and ongoing desire for fame concludes with his death and he is of course, remembered for his, ‘…heroic nature and exploits’ (1. 3173) and his death is lamented at his funeral: ‘They said that of all the kings upon earth / he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, / kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.’ (11. 3180-82).
Clear comparisons on the treatment of fame in both these texts have been established and from these we are able to conclude that it was a very important factor in the two societies. In the end, both heroes achieved their goal of fame. Though not without its struggles and certainly not without its gain. Both works present a protagonist that progresses and grows as a character with the sole purpose of accomplishing something that seems to be near impossible to maintain unless one is performing obscene acts to emphasise strength or all of the elements needed to be considered heroic and adhere to traditional values and practices. It is clear that religion was a very prominent influence in both the texts, especially when considering the ongoing contrast between the pro-religion propaganda within and the ‘outside’ religion. We can also consider the two as social commentaries and this is because Beowulf is a comment on the absurdity and dramatization of the Germanic hero code and The Faerie Queene is a comment on the battle of Protestant followers against the invading Catholic values. It is likely that there are many other comparisons that can be drawn between the two texts read, but I believe that the subjects analysed in this text are the most prominent and relevant to the chosen study.