Beowulf Essay

One of the main reasons we study literature from opposite cultures and different times is to learn about the people who wrote the stories down. From Beowulf, we can speculate on the values, religion and culture of Anglo-Saxon people through the values of consignment to ennoble and king, love of glory as the opinion motive of both noble life, and the inevitableness of fate. In Beowulf the warriors were sworn to protect and serve their lord and in exchange for such allegiance.Hrothgar was expected to bestow riches and kindly standing upon them. This allegiance and reward is an important theme in the book. committedness was shown to Hrothgar by his warriors so he built Herot for their convenience. Wiglaf returned to Beowulf despite his mens decision to turn their back on him during his time of need because he is loyal to Beowulf. Anglo-Saxons believed in allegiance to their lord and king so they would be rewarded with protection Love of glory, fame, and recognition was important to the Anglo-Saxon culture.Beowulf displays examples of cavorting. He shows his wondrous characteristics as he boasts before Hrothgar and first says, Hail, Hrothgar He also portrays valiancy as he come across Unferth, where explaining the swimming event with Brecca allowed him to boast about his strength and physical abilities. After defeating Grendel he displays Grendels beef up to show his victory. Fate is what determines ones future, success or failure, is an often used aspect throughout this epic.Beowulf symbolizes fate as the determining part of who will win the battle saying that God will locate what will happen. Allegiance to lord and king, Love of glory as the ruling motive of every noble life, and the overall belief in the inevitability of fate were the main Anglo-Saxon ideals. Fate is a matter of indication depending on the religious background of a person. Fate can not be controlled. Life can seem as a childly strategy game and those who place their game pieces in the best localize are to be successful and essentially heroic.