The article of “Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership” (by Tom Loughman and John Finley) refers to the popular story of Beowulf and depicts how the epic hero shows traits of charismatic leadership. The two authors uses sources of Conger and Kanungo (a form of charismatic leadership) and the 3 episodes of Beowulf to provide insight on what made Beowulf such a great leader. Providing great examples as to why his conceited like boast or his cockiness truly makes him a charismatic leader. Thus, persuading the audience that he is indeed a charismatic leader. The alternative point of the article was to also clarify the risk of over reliance from a charismatic leader. The outcome of the exploration of the epic poem, Beowulf, provides valuable information on how the story of Beowulf correlated with today’s popular culture. …show more content…
“The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter films, all of which are populated with wizards, trolls, elves and assorted monsters” (156), which was a good point because most of the mythical creatures and assorted monsters are found in the story of Beowulf. Surprisingly, Beowulf is listed as number 12 on the 2005 list of top 1000 works by the OLCL (156). This shows that the story of Beowulf is indeed popular and very similar to today’s common entertainment. The article then goes into depth about the Germanic culture, about how courageous acts and strength was valued in warriors and how much they were respected amongst kings and people of the land. A key point that was provided was how “ treasure was not only material wealth but also a validation of one's worth and honor in society”(157). That gave insight on to as why Beowulf went after the dragon aside from the reason that the beast destroyed some of Beowulf’s
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Each leading figure in Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Paradise Lost possessed qualities that made them leader worthy each made some sort of sacrifice, their near omnipotent strength, they were revered by all in the land, and they were alone. Each work imbues into its leaders these qualities, to place them above all others and show the ideal leading figure, perhaps in attempt to show readers how they themselves should behave if they wish for a chance to become as great as these characters.
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
Leadership can be defined in a myriad of ways; but for the purpose of the question, it is but not limited to the affect someone who takes charge of a group of people with authority or rank; to be an influence to those who look to the leader. In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, there are two different views on leadership based on their leaders {i.e. King Hrothgar and Beowulf). With King Hrothgar, he accepted the help of Beowulf to fight in order to defend the people of the Herodot, “Beowulf my friend/fight for us” (457-458). Due to the understanding of his age, King Hrothgar shows humility and admirable stance, adapts to someone who admires him, allowing Beowulf to fight for the people of Herodot. Beowulf on the other hand, shows his leadership by taking the initiative and offering his aid to King Hrothgar’s people, to fight the demon Grendel, who is terrorizing the people. This leader...
In Beowulf, the essence left behind by a true hero is extremely important. In epics such as this one, leaders tend to have the determination and boldness of a hero. On the other hand, the main character, Beowulf, does not only display these certain traits. In this heroic poem, respect and trust come naturally. Honor and integrity are present throughout the poem. There are many moments in Beowulf that manifest the many traits that a person should have. This proves how important these attributes are to the characters and the Anglo-Saxon society. Although Beowulf has no known author, it embodies many of the beliefs and morals of the early Germanic society. The author of this epic poem uses many approaches in order to demonstrate that respect and trust are fundamental characteristics of a leader and hero.
Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. “Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Compact Edition. New York: Pearson, Longman, 2008. 929-970. Print.
For the most part, Beowulf’s characteristics describe those of a triumphant warrior who played a major role in defending the lives of his fellow citizens, while leading a thriving country. Although Beowulf soon became king, he died for his people, and was remembered as a victorious fighter. Beowulf is at least in part a study of kingship because it discusses the qualities that produce a good king, the disadvantages during his rule and how he overcame them, and the problems that arose upon his death.
A hero is someone who is admired for their courage and bravery, as well as their noble accomplishments. They are respected by almost everyone, due to their kindness and charitable mindset, that drives them to fight for the good of others. Beowulf is the perfect representation of a hero, based on multiple characteristics that he displays throughout the novel. Along with his characteristics, Beowulf also takes on many “hero like” challenges and tasks. In the novel, Beowulf is praised and admired throughout the kingdom for his bravery, humility, and selflessness.
Literature is found in all parts of the world, whether written or oral, and boasts the cultural differences of each area. No matter how different each of the stories is they all have one thing in common: a great leader. Each culture may have slightly different standards of a great leader, but there are a few indispensible traits that make up every leader no matter how big or how small. The story of Beowulf, the fearless warrior, is a fine example of what a great leader is made up of.
In his last dying moments, Beowulf thought about his people rather than the condition he was in. In his weak state, he said, “Take What I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, Help them; my time is gone “(Raffel 16). He was willing to hand over to Wiglaf the responsibility of taking care of his people. He believed Wiglaf was a leader himself and appointed him to lead his people to triumph. Three individual aspects made up a leader in the Anglo-Saxon age: loyalty, bravery, and generosity.
The epic poem Beowulf centers around the hero. From the character of Beowulf, the reader can see the importance of community, orality, and heroism. Beowulf, as a result, is an icon of his ancient Germanic heritage. He is mimetic of the world around him. In addition, he reflects the past?s tradition of heroes; he follows in Shield and Sigemund?s footsteps, mirroring their characteristics and actions. Thus, when Beowulf passes on, both the ancient world and the new world collapse.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
A well-respected, honored leader is a person that everyone strives to be. It is a type of person that everyone can look up to, try to emulate, and look in times of distress. When Beowulf decides to fight the dragon many thought he made the right decision for himself, but he was no longer able to defend his people which he knew it was time to pass on the leadership. Beowulf had no greed and did not desire any gold or riches. Also Beowulf shows great leadership in many ways by taking risks, and never fearing death. Beowulf 's first act of leadership in the poem is when he offers to fight Grendel unarmed. This is an example of leadership because he is standing up above everyone else, when all the other men are scared to. While all the other men are fearful and worried about Grendel attacking, Beowulf is able to fearlessly lie down to await the arrival of Grendel. “So Beowulf’s followers rode, mourning their beloved leader, crying that no better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise.” (66) Beowulf is willing to risk his life for stranger. His leadership is also shown through his action in the poem and the movie. Beowulf’s last example of leadership is how “Beowulf arose, with his men around him, ordering a few to remain with their weapons, leading the others quickly under Herot’s step roof into Hrothgar’s presence.” In this quote Beowulf is standing up above everyone else, when
Beowulf is the single greatest story of Old English literature and one of the greatest epics of all time. Ironically, no one can lay claim to being the author of this amazing example of literature. The creator of this poem was said to be alive around 600 A.D. and the story was, since then, been passed down orally from generation to generation. When the first English monks heard the story, they took it upon themselves to write it down and add a bit of their own thoughts. Thus, a great epic and the beginning to English literature was born.