Examples Of Courage In Beowulf

“Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked.” (Heaney 572-573). Courage is a major theme that is also found in people today. Courage is not the only theme in Beowulf that is found in society today. Themes such as violence and comitatus are also shown in modern society. Every warrior during the time of Beowulf showed courage, were violent, and lived by the idea of comitatus. All theses themes lead back to our society, including issues we face today.

Courage is one of the more common themes in the book. Beowulf constantly shows courage in every battle that he fights. Beowulf’s main acts of courage come the battles with Grendel and the dragon. The first battle with Grendel is the first piece of evidence that shows Beowulf’s valor and strength. During the battle with Grendel, Beowulf’s men were not able to injure Grendel with any of their weapons. Beowulf “was not inclined to allow his caller to depart alive” (Heaney 790-791) and he used his bare hands to defeat

Grendel. Also, before fighting the dragon, Beowulf decides that he is going to fight the battle alone. He says in lines 2529-2537:
“Men at arms, remain here on the barrow, safe in your armour, to see which one of us is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray. This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away.”
Though courage does not only show up in Beowulf. There are many examples of courage around the world. It could be small things such as gaining enough courage to go on a roller coaster of big things such as going to war. One person who recently showed a great amount of courage was Malala Yousafzai who is a teenager that was shot in the head on a school bus on her way to school. Since the Muslim culture is against girls getting an education, she was shot the Taliban for her defiance. After being in a coma and many surgeries, she was still able to fight for woman rights for education. She was able to give a speech to the United Nations, wrote an autobiography, and received the Noble Piece Prize.
Another major theme in Beowulf is violence. The book is surrounded by violence and danger. Every protagonist is violent; every battle is violent and has a violent ending. Grendel especially is a very violent enemy. At the Mead Hall Grendel “was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair, flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpses.” (Heaney 120-125). Also, the battles that Beowulf fights are very violent. Heaney describes the battle of the dragon in lines 2547-2554 stating, “It would be hard to survive unscathed near the hoard, to hold firm against the dragon in those flaming depths. Then he gave a shout. The lord of the Geats unburdened his breast and broke out in a storm of anger. Under grey stone his voice challenged and resounded clearly. Hate was ignited.” Violence is definitely present in today’s society. An issue around the world is a group named Isis. Isis is a pure example of violence. They have killed over 300 members of a defiant Iraq tribe; beheaded many people from the United Kingdom and United States, and have committed many other crimes. There also other cases of violence in the world, though none as extreme as Isis.
Lastly the idea of comitatus is an idea that was extremely popular during the time of Beowulf.

The concept of comitatus is the idea that everyone protects the king at all costs even if it means that the warrior gives up his own life. Warrior must avenge the death of their king if he is killed. If they do not avenge him, they can no longer be a warrior for the next king. This idea is seen when “time and again Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend their lord’s life, laying about them as best they could wither their ancestral blades.” (Heaney 793-796). In return for their bravery in war the king rewarded Beowulf with victory gifts. His victory gifts included:

An embossed ridge, a band lapped with wire arched over the helmet: head-protection to keep the keen-grounding cutting edge from damaging it when danger threated and the man was battling behind his shield. Next the king ordered eight horses with gold bridles to be brought through the yard into the hall. (Heaney

1029-1035)
Beowulf received many more gifts. We see a similar reward system today. Every soldier that comes back from war get benefits and rewards for service. They receive things such as Veteran Health Care, Veteran Disability Compensation, Military Pay, and so much more for protecting our country. This idea is also seen in people’s everyday lives. The boss provides employees with a share of his salaries and the employee promises to be ready at the office. If a project is done, the boss will award the employee with a check for their accomplishment. If the employee becomes untrustworthy, then they will be fired. This is parallel to what the life of a warrior was like with their king.
There are many themes in Beowulf that are in relevance to modern day society. Some of these themes include courage, violence, and this concept of comitatus. There are other themes in the book that are important, but those three themes stand out in this world and the book more than others. Our society and its people have some resemblance to the society in Beowulf.