Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Group #2: Duty over Glory
For this post, I would like to explore Beowulf’s last battle, and why the fight with the Dragon is his last. I once learned that in another class, that the heor’s of the Anglo-Saxon time, did not go out seeking adventure, slaying monsters etc. for fame or glory, but rather because those hero’s (such as Beowulf) were the only ones that could. This meant that they also had the duty to do ”heroic” acts. This seems to be very much the case with Beowulf in the beginning when goes off to fight Grendel. For he is fighting for people other than his own, in a foreign land, not because he is seeking glory (for he has already proven himself amongst the Geats) but because he is the only one who can do this. There is also a reference to this in lines 1557-1562 during the fight with Grendel’s Mother. here Beowulf Finds the Giant Sword. It says that the sword is “…so huge and heavy that only Beowulf could wield it...” In the First two battles, we get this depiction of Beowulf as a selfless hero who does this for the sake of duty rather than pride. However, once we get to the battle with the Dragon, Beowulfs attitude has changed. In lines 2510-2513 it says that Beowulf was boastful and said he would “pursue this fight for the Glory of winning.” And continues on to say how he would rather not use a weapon, and doesn’t his men to fight with him. It seems that Beowulf, now and old man, who’s mead hall was destroyed by the Dragon, is no longer concerned about what his duty is. For his duty now as a king is to stay and run the mead hall, not go out and do battle. He is also not doing this fight because he is the only capable of it, for we see that he needs help killing the Dragon in the end. This could be the reason that Beowulf meets his end in this battle; because his is fighting for Pride and Glory rather than says his people. Also this could imply an over all moral message saying, fight battles for the sake of duty and not for Glory.”
1. Why do Dragons guard treasure in ancient myths? What is the significance?
2. I noticed that that there were not any references to God during the fight with the Dragon, where as there were quite a few earlier in the text. Specifically where Beowulf calls out to God giving and so forth. However in with Dragon, he never mentions God once. Why is this?
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To answer your first question I think that dragons guard treasure because they are intended to be associated with greed. It is essentially hoarding a treasure so that it can be of no use to anyone else. This is not so much related to your question but; additionally, I think that it's interesting that the treasure never ends up truly being "saved" from the dragon and given to the people. This is because it ends up buried with Beowulf, which might show how he has changed as a worrier...
ReplyDeleteAnna, great comment. "Dragon sickness" is a term we will come across in Tolkien, which references the greed of dragons and how they acquire wealth but do not share it. This is obviously why dragons are monsters, because they refuse to follow the rules of the Anglo-Saxons. Great analysis ALec and excellent use of specificity. These would be great points to raise in discussion today as we discuss what changes between Grendel and the dragon in Beowulf. It also raises the question, is Beo a good king or just a good warrior?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna, the fact that dragons hoard treasures in hopes that no one will take anything from them. The treasure that is found is old and decaying, which is kind of a relation to Beowulf in the fact that he is getting old and eventually dies in the end. Beowulf also has the treasure buried with him instead of distributed to others.
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