Importance Of Mortality In Beowulf

One of the oldest and most prominent issues that mankind has faced throughout history is that of their own mortality. In every society mankind has wrestled with the inevitable problem of their eventual death, and literature often reflects each society’s take on their mortality. For instance one of the most pronounced motifs in the epic poem Beowulf is the impending doom that each and every character knows will eventually come for them. This is most clearly illustrated by the protagonist himself in his dialogue with other characters. It is also perpetuated by the compelling need for glory and renown that many of the characters continuously search for. Lastly, the issue of mortality is presented by the preeminence of the history of the clans

To both the Geats and the Danes, the ultimate goal of life seems to reach glory before an unavoidable death. This is actually enunciated by Beowulf to Hrothgar in the following lines, “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one 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.” (1384–1389) Here it is revealed that Beowulf and likely all of his company view glory as the sole and most important goal that one can achieve before passing. Likewise in the lines, ‘The man whose name was known for courage, the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet, answered in return: "We are retainers from Hygelac 's band. Beowulf is my name."’ (340-343), Beowulf announces himself, and by doing so he invokes the reputation he had built up for himself in the past through his great feats. This further stresses the importance of glory and renown to these early European natives as their ultimate goal in life, and as Beowulf is perceived to be a great man, the fact that he must only utter his name to bring forth an account of all he has done in his life is representative of this