Hrothgar warns Beowulf against falling into the traps of pride because of his current successes. Hrothgar was talking during a feast after receiving the head of Grendel and the news of the death of Grendel’s mother. He asks Beowulf to identify with his people and value them, unlike Heremod who became arrogant after taking over the leadership (Lincoln, 2014). Heremod forgot his primary duties when he became the king and started terrorizing his own people. “He vented his rage on men he caroused with/ Killed his own comrades, a pariah king/ Who cut himself off from his own mankind” (Akbari, Puchner, Denecke, Dharwadker, & Fuchs, 2012, line 1713-15). Heremod alienated his own people and caused suffering because of the desires to attain personal glory and pride. However, his actions led to his destruction and a painful end to his rule. His suffering resulted from the way he poorly treated his own people arrogantly and without care. “He suffered in the end/ For having plagued his people for so long: / His life lost happiness” (Akbari et al., 2012, 1720-22). Hrothgar warns Beowulf that an arrogant and proud character leads to a dreadful fall in the end. He wants him to learn from Heremod’s failures and act with caution (Lincoln, 2014). Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be a man of humility, virtue and true values even after slaying Grendel. He wants him to embrace an inner satisfaction and find content in the successes he has had already. Hrothgar warns Beowulf against getting carried away with the successes and praises that he gets. He tells Beowulf that the feats he has achieved so far are great and he should humbly build on them.
King Hrothgar’s Advice to Beowulf
Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be a ruler that protects his people and seeks the guidance of God. He warns him that the war victories and successes have a time frame and human life is not permanent. A person loses his power, might, and ability with time because of several factors. People are prone to illnesses, wars, and other calamities such as fires that can limit their abilities to fight against strong enemies. “Do not give way to pride/ For a brief while your strength is in blossom/ But it fades quickly” (Akbari et al., 2012, 1720-22, 1761-62). Thus, Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be a man who puts the interest of his people before his own glory. Hrothgar asks Beowulf to rise above the excitement and pride of his current successes and overcome the temptations that might destroy his fame. “O flower of warriors, beware of that trap, Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part” (Akbari et al., 2012, 1720-22, 1758-59). Hrothgar uses his own leadership as an example that Beowulf should emulate. He ruled for fifty years and people still respected him because he ruled justly. However, his success as a king was almost brought down by the attacks from Grendel and his mother. They attacked him at a time when he had lost strength significantly. He was unable to fight back and had to pray to God with hopes that he would save them from the evil Grendel. Hrothgar is a wise king who is able to see possibilities of Beowulf’s failure as a result of pride and arrogance based on his current successes. He wants him to take care of his people, protect them and fight for them as a leader. Furthermore, he wants Beowulf to be a leader of value and virtue which are long-term and rewarding. Hrothgar advises Beowulf to value the needs of other people more than his personal needs when he becomes a ruler.
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References
Akbari, S. C., Puchner, M., Denecke, W., Dharwadker, V., & Fuchs, B., (Eds.). (2012). The Norton anthology of world literature . New York, NY: WW Norton.
Lincoln, B. (2014). Further on envy and greed. History of Religions, 53 (4), 323-340.
