Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Beowulf in his old age
This week's reading was great for me because it clarified a lot about who Beowulf is and whether he was more prideful or vain as we were talking about in class. I've read the text before, but have had trouble deciding whether pride of vanity ruled Beowulf’s actions. This time, when I started out reading I was immediately struck but some of the boasts Beowulf made. One being "I was the strongest swimmer of all" (533). Simple statements like this caught my eye because if someone were to say that today than they would be labeled as egotistical. But in the context of this time period, as I read further into our reading I realized that I think he is a proud person, rather than a vain one. One of the moments I realized this was when he acknowledged his people, the Geats, in his final speech before his death. “I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die. Now that I have bartered my last breath to own this fortune, it is up to you to look after their needs.” (2795-2801) If Beowulf had truly been a vain man he would not have cared about leaving his people with a means to support themselves. Nor would he have cared to tell Wiglaf to take care of them when he passed away. All in all I quite enjoyed reading this second half of Beowulf much more than the first half because I think it showcased his true colors. In the face of death it becomes clear what a person is actually like, and I think Beowulf displayed himself to be a confident but caring ruler.
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I too found myself enjoying the latter part of Beowulf much more than the first, simply for the same reasons that you laid out. While the first part of the poem is epic in its own right, it's epic in a much more 'distant' manner, focusing more on the action than the actual character conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe second half, however, starts to show Beowulf as a person, someone with both strengths and weaknesses that make him human, like his pride and his insistence to fight the dragon by himself. It just makes for a much more enjoyable character.
I find it interesting that Beowulf's society doesn't condemn pride, but celebrates it. It is common practice for someone to boast their accomplishments like a resume. This seems to contradict the Christian themes. One of the deadly sins is Pride, but Beowulf seems to crave and use his pride as good trait instead of a bad trait like the Bible insists.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Beowulf's society doesn't condemn pride, but celebrates it. It is common practice for someone to boast their accomplishments like a resume. This seems to contradict the Christian themes. One of the deadly sins is Pride, but Beowulf seems to crave and use his pride as good trait instead of a bad trait like the Bible insists.
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