BEOWULF: BURNING IN THE AFTERMATH

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BEOWULF BURNING IN THE AFTERMATH

• Feraco
• Search for Human Potential
• 3 December 2007

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Noteworthy Features of the Poems Second Half

• The first portion of Beowulf is much, much
  darker
• The pain and exhaustion of aging and defeat
• Numerous setbacks Beowulf only assumes the
  throne after a brother accidentally kills another
  before that brother is killed in war
• The poem ends on a downbeat note, with a woman
  wailing to the sky in grief

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Another Lineup

• Most of the characters seem pretty similar to
  those in the first half although we do learn
  some interesting things about them
• For example, Hrothgar will die of old age in the
  future

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Our Hero

• Beowulf is unable to save Hygelac in the Geats
  war with the Franks
• He becomes king of the Geats because Hygelacs
  son is killed
• The old hero serves out the rest of his days
  preserving what he has
• When he goes to fight the dragon, he does so
  without expecting to survive

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Our New Hero

• Wiglaf The only man (out of twelve) to remain
  by Beowulfs side during the climactic fight with
  the dragon
• Wiglafs courage outweighs his prowess as a
  warrior the dragon torches his shield almost
  instantly but he lands a few strikes against
  the dragon
• He provides Beowulf with some final comfort, as
  he goes into the treasure hoard and returns with
  goods

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What Does This Portend?

• Wiglaf is an interesting study honorable and
  wise, but the last of his kind and line
• On first blush, he appears to carry on the heroic
  tradition that Beowulf adhered to for years
• His father returned arms and armor to the family
  of a man he killed, but they rewarded him by
  allowing him to keep the goods (more on that
  later)
• He is even able to enter the dragons hoard and
  emerge without being cursed because his
  intentions are pure
• However, Wiglaf is decidedly pessimistic about
  the future now that Beowulf is gone
• The countrys finest men showed their true colors
  by fleeing the fight with the dragon

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New and Old

• We get a chance to know some old characters
  better, and meet some new ones
• Hygelac turns out to be young for a king
  which probably indicates hes in his early
  fifties
• Hrothgar was extremely young when he took the
  Danish throne
• Hygelac will die during a war with the Franks,
  but his thane will avenge him

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New and Old, Part II

• Hygd Hygelacs generous queen and Haereths
  daughter
• She offers Beowulf the throne once Hygelac is
  slain, but he agrees instead to train her son
  while he learns the intricacies of rule
• Heardred Son to Hygelac and Hygd, he dies
  before he can rule for long at Onela the Swedes
  hands

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New and Old, Part III

• The Swedes are an interesting bunch
• Ongentheow is the head of the line, and while it
  is his sons who lead the initial skirmishes
  against the Geats, he is credited as Hygelacs
  killer (although he is not actually the one to
  land the death-blow)
• Hygelac is avenged by Eofer, one of his thanes,
  who strikes Ongentheow down

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New and Old, Part IV

• His sons, Oethere and Onela, have an odd
  relationship with the Geats
• Oetheres son, Eanmund, is killed by Weohstan,
  Wiglafs father yet Eanmunds uncle (Onela)
  rewards Weohstans honorable behavior by allowing
  him to keep his nephews armor
• Beowulf kills Onela in order to avenge Heardreds
  death, ending the fighting between the Swedes and
  the Geats
• Beowulf also support Oetheres other son,
  Eadgils, while he lives in exile

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Its Enough to Make Your Head Spin

• The Danes basically disappear during the second
  half of the poem
• Once Beowulf returns to Geatland, theres no
  reason to talk about them!
• Instead, we meet three traditional powers, all
  of which threaten the Geats at poems end
• The Frisians, who hail from Finland
• The Franks, who hail from Friesland
• I know.
• The Swedes/Shylfings, who hail from Sweden

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Try to Keep It Straight

• The Geats have a sad family history
• Hrethel, the original king, had three sons
  Herebeald, Haethcyn, and Hygelac
• Haethcyn accidentally shoots Herebald
• Hrethel dies soon thereafter, which leaves the
  country vulnerable
• The Swedes attack, and Haethcyn dies
• Hygelac is killed in a war with the Franks
• Heardred, Hygelacs son, is killed by the Swedes
  leaving Beowulf as the king

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Just Sit Here and Wait for the End of the World

• The bloodshed I just outlined leaves Beowulf as
  the sole survivor of his line
• Hygd only had two children, Heardred and an
  unnamed daughter
• As reward for avenging Hygelacs death, Eofor
  marries the daughter but they produce no
  offspring
• Therefore, Beowulfs death is really the death
  of the Geatish royal line
• He has no heir of his own
• This is why Wiglaf fears the other countries will
  attack they have in the past, and the Geats are
  now vulnerable

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I Warned You

• I wasnt kidding when I mentioned that the second
  half is more downbeat
• Beowulf defeats the dragon, saving his country
  and his subjects but he leaves behind a broken
  shell of a nation, one which will be erased from
  the face of the Earth
• After all, can you visit Geatland?
• This is why that ending is so beautiful its
  appropriate, and yet heartbreaking
• We watch everything Beowulf spent his life
  defending crumble before his eyes
• The betrayal is so vicious and yet its
  inevitable

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So Many Parallels

• I mentioned that the Old English Poet (or Scop)
  was fond of parallel structure
• Queen Modthryths bloody tale is meant to show
  that Hygd is a nice queen, but its also a setup
  for later when Beowulf speaks of the arranged
  marriage between Ingeld and Freawaru
• This story, in turn, is mean to underscore the
  inevitability of our hatred that neither honor
  nor time nor marriage can erase the thirst for
  vengeance
• We are our own worst enemies

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So Many Parallels, Part II

• Heremods backstory is fleshed out a bit
• We see the difference between a good king and a
  bad king, as Heremod grows corrupt after long
  years on the throne
• He grows bloodthirsty, sparking feuds
• He hoards the spoils of victory, refusing to
  dispense rings to his warriors
• Its nice to see that fifty exhausting years of
  rule doesnt change Beowulf too drastically he
  avoids Heremods fate
• Yet he, too, is forced into a sort of exile at
  the end his warriors abandon him during the
  fight with the dragon

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So, UmmThemes?

• Degeneration and Decay By the time Naegling
  shatters, everything about the Geats, and the
  state of the world, seems to scream that the End
  is coming
• Loyalty We see warrior after warrior from all
  sides avenge the deaths of their kinsmen and
  countrymen, but we also see Beowulfs thanes
  abandon him

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A Bit of Advice

• Just about everything from the first half of the
  poem carries over into the second half
• After all, the poem isnt actually divided it
  only makes sense that the work is unified
• If youre still reading, try your best to spot
  thematic material as you go!

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Some Final Words

• I have quite a few reasons to love Beowulf its
  bold sense of action, its broad strokes of honor
  and love, the way it brings a completely alien
  world so vividly to life.
• However, the reason I reread this poem is not to
  get the blood stirring, or anything of the
  sort.
• Its not even because I love parallels!

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Some Final Final Words

• Beowulf is about the loss of everything a person
  can love, about the ways our lives crumble before
  we do, and about the inevitable decline of things
  we never really feel will disappear
• Yet its also about enduring in the face of
  overwhelming adversity, and about conquering
  impossible odds through the sheer force of human
  spirit
• Beowulfs thanes may abandon him, but Wiglaf
  turns around because he remembers the value of
  friendship, security, honorand love.
• To read Beowulf is to be reminded that life is
  precious big, bold, and beautiful and that
  its important to value the things you may take
  for grantedwhat you have, and what you can lose

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That Does It For Today!

• Ill have a few more words before the test, but
  this is a pretty good place to start!
• Let me know if you have any questions on
  Wednesday or Thursday!