Examples Of Reputation In Beowulf

Reputation

Seeking a great reputation can be a man’s worst nightmare, or their best accomplishment, either way, a great reputation is not easy to get. The epic Beowulf demonstrates that a man must be a hero to obtain a great reputation in the Anglo-Saxon society. Obtaining a great reputation can cause a man to be selfish and reckless in the most important situations.

Beowulf hears of Grendel and orders a ship be sent out to Herot. Without fear, he is on his way to fight the beast himself. Beowulf asks King Hrothgar to defend his land and fight off Grendel. He states that he has heard Grendel needs no weapons and fears none, therefore, decides to take on Grendel with his bare hands.(Beowulf 168-169). His decision to fight Grendel without weapons

is an obvious reckless decision, but he knows that to meet his goal of a great reputation, he will need to stand out from most men and take on Grendel single-handedly. Beowulf’s decision of fighting Grendel with his bare hands is reckless, but pays off greatly as the end of the fight nears. Although reckless, his decision results in “...[Grendel being] caught in the arms/ Of him who of all the men on earth/ [is] the strongest.” (Beowulf 470-473). Although Beowulf's victory has paid off, his decision to fight Grendel alone and without a weapon is selfish and could have resulted in the death of many more men in an important battle. Beowulf’s perseverance for a great reputation has caused harm to himself and potentially others due to his selfish decision.
As Beowulf continues to show throughout the story that his reputation means most, he becomes reckless when continuing to go above and beyond standardsin hope of a better reputation. As Beowulf's reputation is already considered great, he finds that Grendel was not the only monster living in the lake. Destined for even more greatness, he selfishly leaps into the lake and would not wait for anyone’s answer (Beowulf 570-571). In fear of losing his reputation and as “...Beowulf longed only for fame…”, he recklessly “[leaps] back into battle” with Grendel’s mother (Beowulf 606-607). With his reputation meaning most, Beowulf decides to take on Grendel's mother with his bare hands, and as anger gets the best of him, he throws her down. Beowulf’s passion for a great reputation has once again resulted in recklessness, leaving him to fight an even more horrid monster with his bare hands. As a result, Grendel's fierce mother returns and repays him with her clutching claws (Beowulf 617). If it were not for Grendel's mother's magical sword on the wall, Beowulf’s reckless decision would have resulted in his death.
Through many battles, Beowulf shows that he needs no weapons to defeat monsters.

Beowulf wishes to stand tall against his most challenging opponent yet and begins to say, “I’d use no sword, no weapon,...”(Beowulf 668). He believes that he is bound for a better reputation and tries to portray that “No one else could do what I mean to;...”(Beowulf 682-683). When up against the most challenging “monster” yet, Beowulf decides that he will take on the dragon alone. As he states, “no man but me could hope to defeat this monster,” he portrays recklessness once again as he makes, making this fight about himself and his reputation when he could have easily defeated the dragon with more soldiers (Beowulf 683-684). This decision to fight the dragon by himself has ended in his death, and has portrayed himself as a beaten warrior (Beowulf 746). Beowulf’s recklessness has once again caused harm not only to himself, but to those that looked up to him as a

warrior.
A modern example of a reckless decision-making n in the hope offor a good reputation displays is demonstrated through NFL football players taking a knee for the national anthem. Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick was apart of the San Francisco 49ers when he started his practice of sitting during the national anthem. As society looks up to football players today, Kaepernick made the reckless decision to ruin his reputation by protesting Black Lives Matter on live television. As a result, Kaepernick’s bad decision led to his loss of a job. As of last year, “Less than a month away from the start of the regular season, Kaepernick is still out in the cold”(Newkirk II). Football players are on a daily watch in today’s society and are expected to make the right decisions so that their careers do not become jeopardized. Kaepernick making this reckless decision cost him to lose his job, just as Beowulf made his decision of standing alone and losing his life and his great reputation to the dragon. In today’s society, many people look up to professional athletes. Professional athletes are responsible to make decisions that will not harm their reputations. In the Anglo-Saxon society, warriors were looked up upon, and as Beowulf was an example for many, he failed to make the right decisions just as Kaepernick did.
Beowulf believes in the thought that his reputation must remain perfect, which causes him to make selfish and reckless decisions.

Many times throughout the story Beowulf quickly longed for battle without his men to save him, or believed that he needed no weapons to defeat the most gruesome of monsters.The concept of a perfect reputation is not only demonstrated in the Anglo-Saxon society, but through today’s society as well. Many teenagers today believe that they must keep up a good reputation to fit in. However, what they do not know is that their brains do not fully develop until they are twenty-five. Due to the need for a perfect reputation, teenagers make reckless decisions daily. Studies show that “Good judgement isn't something they can excel in, at least not yet”(“Understanding the Teen Brain”). A modern example of a teenager making a reckless decision is best exemplified in the Ethan Couch case. On June 15, 2013, sixteen-year old Ethan Couch was throwing a party of his own. Everything was going fine until “Starr Teague, the only one at the party who wasn’t drinking, told Couch she needed to get to a convenience store”(Klass and Valiente). Intoxicated Couch, whose teenage brain has not been fully developed, decided to drive and play chicken with oncoming traffic. This reckless decision resulted in the death of four people he hit standing outside of a SUV after swerving off the road. Instead of saying no to drunk driving, Ethan Couch did not want his reputation ruined

by a bad party. Just as Beowulf did, Couch made a reckless decision that led to fatality.
Great reputations are not only looked for in the Anglo-Saxon society, but today’s society as well. The only difference between the two are a huge shift in age. Many teenagers today are longing for a good reputation to fit in. They make reckless decisions daily due to peer pressure. Beowulf's presence through the Anglo-Saxon society shows how a warrior can be selfish due to his wish for a great reputation. Many soldiers become reckless with their decision-making when only thinking about themselves. The epic Beowulf glorifies that seeking only for a great reputation can get the best of a man, and in most cases, leads to a reckless outcome.