In class we have discussed, using
Hrothgar, what makes a good king: strength, giving, not greedy, and forgiving. We have also talked about what makes Beowulf
a hero: fearlessness, strength, honor, and graciousness. However, we haven’t really discussed what
makes Beowulf such a good thane to his king.
Sure he is a hero, but heroism doesn’t necessarily mean he serves his
king well.
First
off, Beowulf exemplifies the idea of a well serving thane by having some of the
same characteristics that a great king has.
Much like a righteous king, Beowulf does not hoard his riches gained
from his crusade against Grendel and his mother, but instead freely gives it
all to his lord as a show of fealty to him.
This presents Beowulf both as a hero of great power, but also of great
humility, knowing his limits but also not backing down from a fight. Also, Beowulf is the epitome of a well
serving thane due to his willingness to fight in the name and for the honor of
not himself, but his lord. Before his
fight with Grendel and his mother, and when Beowulf returns to his lord’s
lands, he states that all his actions are not to further his own fame, but to
expand the greatness of his lord.
What
confuses me is that thanes are always supposed to serve they lord, but at what
point does a thane decide to go against his lord? For instance, if a lord is a bad lord, is it
the right of the thanes to turn against and overthrow this lord? I suppose what I’m asking is, do the thanes
serve the lord or the kingdom?
Good post Jacob, although I would prefer in the future that you point us to specific passages that might contribute to discussions such as this. To look at your questions, I am not sure what the point is where a than goes against his Lord? Maybe they would simply leave and join a stronger tribe or maybe they would amass a new group of warriors and then challenge the lord. Also, there were no kingdoms per say, no overall ruler, just local clan leaders which the text calls kings (but really would be closer to clan warlords).
ReplyDeleteI agree with your position on Beowulf being the ideal leader. However, there are some aspects of Beowulf's character that show some flaws. For example, in Beowulf's greatness is a slight undertone of overconfidence, which can be inferred as hubris. This to me is his tragic flaw.
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