What is the moral of Beowulf?

The Moral of Beowulf




Most readers of Beowulf will try to discuss the moralistic themes of the poem with phrases like "good," "evil," "Christian," and "pagan." The mistake with this logic is that the Beowulf poet purposely made this text ambiguous when it comes to defining morality, particularly when we look to religion for that standard. During this "time," and I use that phrase loosely because there's a lot of debate surrounding the time the poem was written and the particular era the story is based on, there was no cohesive reign of Christianity in this area of the world. It would have been a mix of Christianity and pagan, that's why certain passages appear hyper-Christian and hyper-pagan. The poet is an expert at keeping his audience unsure about which context is the right one. But religion is not the only way to measure morality, nor is it the intended standard that the poet had in mind.




Morality in an Anglo-Saxon context is defined by themes that are culturally-based, rather than religion. The first one to consider is that of loyalty. Loyalty in an Anglo-Saxon society is of utmost importance. It primarily exists between a lord and his thanes (think of them as a cross between soldiers and brothers). If there's no loyalty between a lord and his warriors, the entire fabric of society unravels. We see this throughout the poem. Where Hrothgar is concerned, Beowulf exercises his loyalty to perfection. He goes to battle for Hrothgar, purges his hall of demons, and clears the land of evil. Where severe loyalty is present, so is a thriving community. Without it though, things begin to fall apart. When Beowulf himself is king, and takes on the dragon himself with no help from his thanes, in fact they run away in fear, it becomes clear to the reader that the enemy will triumph. Society is only saved when Wiglaf steps in to aid his lord.




The second moral to take into account is generosity. This goes hand-in-hand with loyalty. The bond between a lord and his thanes is demonstrated by acts of loyalty, but its maintained by acts of generosity. An attentive reader will notice how often treasure comes into play, and its importance to the plot. Material wealth wasn't important in a monetary sense, but how it bound one man to another. When a thane served his lord well, he was rewarded handsomely. We see at least 3 lengthy gift-giving scenes in the poem. In turn, a thane who was successful in battle would bring his winnings back to his lord's feet. What ends up happening with this wealth is it constantly cycles between a lord and his thanes, and back again. With this treasure being mobile, due to the generosity of both lord AND thane, society is healthy and profitable.




A final moral to consider is battle-prowess. Some readers will equate this to bravery, but Anglo-Saxon literature such as this takes it a step further. It's not enough to be brave, the most moral character is the most battle-tested, and successful fighter in the community. We see this theme demonstrated in the three main fights, as well as the flash backs that we get throughout the poem.




Taking these three themes into account, we get a fleshed out idea of what comprises the moral of Beowulf. Loyalty, generosity, and battle-prowess. The reader can attribute these themes to each major encounter and interaction found in the poem to understand why a character acts or behaves in a certain way. More than that, these are also the major takeaways that we see when we examine Beowulf as a whole.

The moral of Beowulf is that it is better to die young with heroism and virtue than to grow to a ripe old age being cowardly and avoiding your responsibilities. Beowulf shows great courage and fortitude as he protects the community by fighting Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon Wiglaf. Honor is more important to him than preserving his life.
Beowulf dies doing the right thing, but what is more important is that his memory will live on because of the way he lived. He exemplified the ideals of honor, loyalty, great physical courage, and self sacrifice that were the highest virtues in his culture. His body may have died but he achieved a form of immortality through the poem written about him, which we are still reading more than a thousand years later.

The moral of Beowulf is that good conquers evil. In the epic, bravery, honor, and loyalty concur evil. The story highlights the importance of the values in individuals.
Beowulf, the hero of the story, goes to the aid of King Hrothgar. King Hrothgar’s people are suffering at the hands of the monster, Grendel. By the time Beowulf gets to the Danes, Grendel has claimed the lives of warriors and ordinary citizens. Beowulf is brave enough to challenge the monster. He fights Grendel and wins. He also remains loyal to Hrothgar and helps fight Grendel’s mother.
Wiglaf is also loyal to Beowulf, and when the other warriors abandon him during the fight with the dragon, Wiglaf stands his ground and fights alongside Beowulf.
Beowulf, Hrothgar, and Wiglaf are honorable men as demonstrated by their motivation to keep their promises. They understand the value of friendship, and they stand with their friends in their time of need. By expressing their virtues, they are able to conquer their enemies.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=fall2010