Community and Virtue in Beowulf

Community and Virtue In Beowulf

Christina Toomer

September 6, 2015

English 493

Professor Copeland Wheatley

At the heart of Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic poem Beowulf. It was written in Old English somewhere between the middle of the 7th and the end of the 10th century by an unknown poet (Greenblatt, 2012). Beowulf has come to be recognized as the foundational epic of English and British culture (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). The story has its roots in a pagan Saxon past, but by the time the epic poem was written down, almost all Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity. As a result the poet resolved his new Christian beliefs with the un-Christian behavior of the characters (Spark Notes Editors, 2003).

This epic poem tells of heroic deeds and events related to pre Anglo-Saxon culture. The story was set in Scandinavia and told orally as part of Germanic tradition. Beowulf was probably carried from generation to generation through a spoken retelling, as Old English verse was traditionally heard rather than read, its audiences being mostly illiterate. The world that Beowulf depicts and the heroic code of honor that defines much of the story is legendary and bear similarities to other Germanic historical and mythological literature in Old English (Spark Notes Editors, 2003).

There is currently only one manuscript of the original Beowulf located in the British Library in London. This manuscript was forgotten until the 1700’s when it was almost lost in a fire, still it was not until the nineteenth century that scholars and translators of Old English became interested. Now, it is widely acclaimed and often presented as the first important work of English Literature (Spark Notes Editors, 2003).

Beowulf is a thane of the Great King Hygelac, who eventually becomes king of the Geats. The poem relates his heroic exploits over 50 years, including his fights with Grendel, his mother and with the treasure-guarding dragon (Garcia, 2015). Beowulf is a boastful man of great honor and integrity, a heroic defender of humanity. He is the perfect example of an Anglo-Saxon hero (Greenblatt, 2012). His strength and courage is unparalleled, and he is more humble and honorable than many of the corrupt warriors around him. Beowulf displays great strength by killing Grendel with his bare hands.

Virtue and community are two values that are honored, in Beowulf, above all else. Boasting is considered acceptable in their community, but disparaging others is not. Beowulf out shines the character Unferth throughout the story. He is considered to be less virtuous for his lack of ability as well as for speaking ill of Beowulf (Snyder, 2014). A warrior’s ability to show virtue exceeds his heroic exploits; the virtue of the fighters is a direct reflection on the community.

What does it mean to be good in the world described in Beowulf?