Glory In Beowulf

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DEATH OF SCYLD SHEAFSON & THE PRECEDENT SET FOR HEROIC LIFE
The death of Scyld Sheafson taking place in the beginning of the narrative conveys the importance of lineage and glory, and is the first instance where themes of death are introduced into the poem. The epic follows the Scyldings lineage for more than sixty lines from Scyld, then to Beow, then to Healfdene, and finally to the presiding king, Scyld's great grandson, Hrothgar. (Schrader 491) All relatives preceding Hrothgar are all described as mighty, beloved and famous. The funeral for Scyld is a definite display of the love and respect for his rule as King. In the society surrounding Beowulf the greater the funeral pyre the greater the status of the person who has passed. His funeral …show more content…

The reputation and the standard for the Scylding line is represented through this grandeur funeral and through the glory of their lineage. As the Scyldings are of pagan culture Schrader asserts "The celebration of glory has such emphasis because human praise is the highest goal of the pagan characters"(491). Glory is often at the center of the motives and decisions of important characters in Beowulf. What the anglo-saxons strived for was recognition and a legacy that would be remembered past their own death. What this required however was the survival of people who would guard, propel, and tell of their legacy. In the narrative we will see many characters historical and of the present timeline, seek glory at all costs. Even at the risk of losing their claim to …show more content…

The role of women in Beowulf is very limited and noble women are often only portrayed as “peace-weaving queens”(Leneghan 555). In many examples in Beowulf intertribal marriage is used as a way to resolve blood-feud, although seen unsuccessfully in the Finnsburg Episode. After both lays are recited Wealtheow makes a speech engaging Beowulf, Hrothgar, and Hrothulf, Hrothgar’s orphaned nephew. She seems to be urging these men to make mindful decisions and safeguard and protect her sons Hrethric and Hrothmund. She hopes they will be the ones to rule over the Scyldings after Hrothgar. However, there are factors out of her control that could stop her hopes from becoming a reality. In her speech she says to Hrothgar: “You have taken as son, so many have told me, This hardy hero[Beowulf]”(38). In her anxiety she mentions this because the strong bond or comitatus between Beowulf and Hrothgar endangers her children. Beowulf is that much closer to the Scylding throne than even her children. It can be inferred that she has thought about in depth about the precarity of the situation with her children very seriously. Contrastingly Hrothgar seems unaware of any threat. This makes her job as peace-maker extremely difficult as she must walk the line of being subtle but

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