Critical Essay on Beowulf Poem Themes

Introduction

"Beowulf" is one of the epic poems that are common and relevant to people in terms of the things that happen in society and the ones that people face in their lives. The story of the poem is based on a story of a king that lived and died in the seventieth century and the things that he went through and the ones that he was able to accomplish in his lifetime. The correlation between the life of the king and the lessons that people can learn from the king is what makes the poem popular. The poem has various themes that people can learn and embrace.

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Bravery is one of the themes that is revealed in the Beowulf poem is bravery. "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked (Niles 572)."The author teaches the audience through this theme that as long as they are brave, they can do what is seen as difficult or challenging. One of the instance in which this theme is revealed is when Beowulf visits Danes as well as when he renders his services to King Hrothgar. He confidently confronts the guards that he meets on the border and tells them that his father was a well-known man. The approach that he uses when talking to the guards is admirable as he is not arrogant. His bravery is also revealed when he fights Grendel.

In the Beowulf, poem, revenge is revealed when he goes to assist the King. His intentions, however of going to render his services to King Hrothgar was to revenge the death Danes who was killed by Grendel (Niles). Beowulf also revenges against the dragon had caused many deaths. Grendel also carries revenge against Danes because his singing does not please him as it distracts his peace. The other character, which is used to reveal the theme of revenge is Grendel's mother. She revenges the death of her son, who was killed brutally (Chambers). The dragon revenge is directed towards Beowulf and is because of its lost cup. The author seeks to teach his audience that evil doings have negative consequences because those who they are directed to are likely to desire justice.

Loyalty among the key themes in the poem, and it is the virtue that guides the author. The poem demonstrates the loyalty and true characters of the real warriors. In war, loyalty to the country is very significant. It is revealed by both Beowulf and Unferth who have conflicting interests (Harcourt). "The fact is, Unferth if you were truly as keen and courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere (Niles, 591)." Beowulf is loyal to the King because he wants refuge and to appreciate the help that he offered to his father. On the contrary, Unferth is disloyal to the King. Loyalty is also revealed when Wiglaf sticks with Beowulf during the fight. He does not act like other warriors who leave the scene because of fear. Through this theme, the author wants the audience to learn that there is always someone who can stick with you no matter the situation, and there are those who flee as soon as the scene becomes unpleasant.

Heroism is the main theme in the poem, and the author has used it to portray the Anglo-Saxon culture. The Anglo-saxons were inhabitants of Great Britain in the 5th century. Anglo-Saxons constituted Germanic tribes from Europe, their descendants as well as some Britain who adopted Anglo-Saxon culture as well as language(Anderson). Bravery, courage, and willingness to fight were the norms of these people. Beowulf knows these norms and sticks to them by portraying courage as well as bravery in several instances. He fights and kills Grendel to fulfill his pledge. "I will settle the outcome in single combat (Niles 596)." His bravery is also witnessed when he fights with the dragon having to risk his life. He upholds his heroic acts until he dies, thereby upholding the customs of Anglo-Saxon.

The themes in the poem include the theme of generosity and are shown by the life-affirming value, as shown by Beowulf (Wilson). There are various acts of generosity in the poem where the act of generosity is shown, which include the time when King Hrothgar hosts Ecgheow at a time when he needed refuge the most. He was involved in a war with the enemy tribes. Beowulf saved Danes when he was under attack from his mother and Grendel. The rule of the king Beowulf recognized the generosity since not many people were willing to offer help at the time to Danes. People need to learn from the poem to help their friends when they are in need and save their fellow humanity from troubles, including during war.

There is also the theme of hospitality where one hosts another person and gives him or her with the basic personal needs for survival. The act of hospitality is shown in the poem when Beowulf's father was hosted by King Hrothgar (Gale). Hosting another person is a virtue that many people do not have when it comes to helping the people that do not have a place that they can stay. The author seeks to make the audience understand the changes that they can bring to society when they host the people in society who does not have a place where they can stay. Many people do not have a place they can stay in the society. The poem continues by Beowulf repaying the hospitality during the fight between Danes and Grendel.

The poem also has the theme of perseverance despite one facing challenges that can make a person give in and get defeated. Perseverance makes one keep on fighting hand even when the challenges keep on increasing (Wilson). "In his homeland, the thane of Hygelac, the valiant Geat, heard the tales told of Grendel. This Geat was among men the greatest in strength, most noble and mighty, for as long as his life-days were destined to last" (Niles). Beowulf denied defeat during the medieval period. He was trained to keep on fighting even at times when he faced the danger of death. The perseverance made him win the battles Beowulf fought against his mother and Grendel. Beowulf was able to keep on fighting even at times he faced the danger of being killed. When people that are of high rank in the society such as a king are defeated, they experience shame from the people that the rule. People should learn to be persistence, even when facing great challenges.

The poem also has the theme of death, where people die because of various reasons. The theme is reflected in the poem, where people die as a result of many battles and fights between different people (Gale). "Murderous malice, many a winter" (Niles). Even heroes are scared by death during battles, Beowulf was at the danger of getting killed during the battle with the dragon, but he managed to kill the dragon. The dragon was so powerful in the battle that Beowulf emerged a hero for his legendary act of killing the dragon. There was also died during the Wiglaf's era when there were onslaughts of other tribes and nations engaged in the fights. The author seeks to let the audience learn that when there are battle and wars, people can die.

The last theme is the theme of responsibility and obligation to carry out various tasks. The king had the responsibility of ensuring that the people he rules remain safe from external attacks (Gale) "A protector of his people, pledged to uphold truth and justice and to respect tradition, is entitled to affirm that this man was born to distinction"(Niles). Both King Hrothgar and Beowulf fought with other tribes to secure the safety of their people as well as for themselves. Beowulf took it has his obligation to ensure that he fought the dragon and protect his people. The author wanted the audience to learn that they have an obligation of protecting the people that they consider important to them, such as family members. They can learn from the acts of Beowulf fight with the dragon.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Beowulf poem uses themes to express various issues of concern to the people and the audience of the poem. The writer of the poem intended to make the audience learn from the themes of the film and apply them appropriately. The themes are applicable in real life. Also, the themes can help people when making decisions on the challenges that they face.

Works Cited

Niles, John D. Beowulf: The poem and its tradition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1983.

Gale, Crocker. "Themes In Beowulf With Examples And Analysis - Literary Devices." Literary Devices. N.p., 2018. Web. 30 Sept. 2019.

Wilson, Raymond. "Major Themes In Beowulf." Cliffsnotes.com. N.p., 2019. Web. 30 Sept. 2019.

Anderson, George Kumler. The literature of the Anglo-Saxons. Princeton University Press, 2015.Harcourt, Houghton. "Major Themes In Beowulf."

Cliffsnotes.Com, 2016, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/b/beowulf/critical-essays/major-themes-in-beowulf.

Chambers, Raymond Wilson. Beowulf: an introduction to the study of the poem with a discussion of the stories of Offa and Finn. Vol. 1. Library of Alexandria, 2016.