Literary Analysis Essay on Theme of Gift Giving in Beowulf

Introduction

In the story of Beowulf, one of the main themes that are depicted by the author is the giving of gifts, where people who did heroic and appreciative deeds would be given gifts in the form of gold as it was a very precious material at that time, just as it is in the current times. In most cases, the issuing of gifts was for one of the many reasons which included for motivation purposes, as a way of compensating one for losing something, as a way of showing respect, or as a mode of payment for any rendered services. However, the main reason as to why gifts were given was as a way of asking for loyalty from the receiver of the gift, while at the same time indicative of the fact that it was an honor to receive one. The fact that one is given a gift means that they have the duty of obeying the giver, as that would also show that they are indebted to them. At the same time, refusing to accept a gift was also a sign of disrespect to the person offering what they have.

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In Beowulf, there are many instances when people were issued with gifts, and in most cases, these would be from the king to the Thanes who were the subjects. However, there was a special instance when King Hrothgar had to award Beowulf who helped his kingdom when he defeated the monster called Grendel. After the victory, King Hrothgar presented Beowulf with various forms of gifts, including standards of gold, a banner that was embroidered, a helmet, a sword, and a breast mail (Bradley 1020). The fact that Beowulf had defeated the beast meant that he deserved to be awarded, and that is what the King did when he came back after the fight. In fact, in his speech when they were celebrating, he also symbolically gifted Beowulf with the gift of adopting him as his own son, something that the Geats appreciated and respected very much. The Geats represented the tribe of Beowulf and to them, that was something worth taking as a reward, especially since it came from the King. Besides the earlier gifts, the king also adds more for Beowulf, including eight horses accompanied with bridles of gold, as they are fancy saddles that were designed for the King when they were headed for battle. From that act, the narrator gives a lot of praise to the King considering that he had done something that was expected of him when they have someone who has done something that was heroic (Bradley 1030-1045). Besides gifting Beowulf, other warriors who had helped Beowulf in the fight are also rewarded, considering that they had also done some heroic deeds.

In another instance, the wife of King Finn called Hildeburh is yet in another battle with the Danes, the tribe of his husband. The issue is that the son of Hildeburh and her brother died in the fighting process between Grendel and Beowulf and his warriors, and they, therefore, place the blame on the Danes for their deaths (Bradley 1069). Besides that, there are also many other Frisian warriors who died in the fight, and that makes the Frisians angrier. However, the gift-giving comes from the truce that King Finn and Hengest have, where one of the conditions was that King Finn would give all the surviving Danes gifts just as he would do to the Frisians, something that King Finn decided to oblige. From that, it is clear that gift giving was not only within the Danish tribe under King Hrothgar, as it was also done within Frisians under King Finn (Bradley 1080-1089).

The fact that King Hrothgar and his wife Queen Wealhtheow were generous and hospitable means that they liked giving out part of their wealth to Thanes or their followers as a way of building loyalty and happiness within them. There are various cases within the poem where the narrator refers to the King and his throne as a giver of gifts or using terms that are indicative of being generous and a giver of gifts. In the first instance, the throne is referred to as the 'great ring-giver' (Bradley 35) indicating that he was a person who gave valuables like rings, especially those that were made of gold. In the second instance, he is called the 'treasure-giver' (Bradley 670) as he was happy that Grendel had been defeated and that he would have to reward Beowulf for doing the honors of killing it. In another instance, the narrator appreciates the throne as a 'gift-throne' (Bradley 168), showing that any person who became responsible of the throne would have to be a person who gives gifts to his people. It was the same notion that made King Hrothgar loveable and famous, as everyone loved the fact that he gave gifts willingly to his subjects while also expecting that they obey his laws and kingship.

As mentioned earlier, one was expected to honor and respect the person who gave them gifts, and in any case that they were disrespectful, they were punished for the same, or they received criticism for that. Beowulf was the king of the Geats for fifty years, and his reign was marked with a number of wins over the enemies of his throne. One of the main reasons as to why he was indomitable was the fact that he had great warriors by his side, including Wiglaf, who was like second in command after him. There were eleven other warriors who also helped him, especially when it came to fighting the enemies. However, at one time after Beowulf had killed a dragon but got a mortal injury in the process, Wiglaf had to banish the other eleven warriors considering that they abandoned Beowulf and Wiglaf at a time when they were needed most (Bradley 2860). Before the fight with the dragon, Beowulf and his mean needed to get into its lair where the dragon lay. However, when they got to the lair and the dragon came out, the eleven warriors fled and left Beowulf and Wiglaf alone to fight. As Wiglaf was watching Beowulf in agony and in pain, the eleven warriors sneak back in the scene of the fight and also start watching. Wiglaf is angered and reprimands them for the fact that they abandoned the king, the person who was generous and loyal to them. He mentions the fact that he gave them gifts and armor that included helmets and mail shirts, and swords for when they went into battle (Bradley 2865). It was clear that it was expected of them to be loyal to the king as he had done good deeds for them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the theme of gift giving is prevalent in the poem Beowulf considering that it was one of the major ways of making people stay loyal to the king. King Hrothgar was famous and loved for the fact that he gave the Thanes gifts all the time, including land, food, and gold, and in return, they were expected to serve the throne with loyalty. Gifts were also given to those who did heroic acts, like when Beowulf killed the monster. The act was seen as a sign of respect and honor for both the receiver and the giver.

Works Cited

Bradley, S. A. J. "Review: Beowulf * Seamus Heaney: Beowulf". The Cambridge Quarterly, vol 30, no. 1, 2001, pp. 82-86. Oxford University Press (OUP), doi:10.1093/camqtly/30.1.82.