Student Essay on The Purpose of Fate in Beowulf

The revisionist monk who wrote Beowulf incorporated the pagan and Christian concepts of fate to promote a system of monarchy where power is passed on through heirs as opposed to the system where the greatest, strongest warrior claims the throne. By attributing accomplishments to fate and declaring them to be acts of God, the author makes the pursuit of glory less attractive.

The revisionist monk who wrote Beowulf incorporated the pagan and Christian concepts of fate to promote a system of monarchy where power is passed on through heirs as opposed to the system where the greatest, strongest warrior claims the throne. By attributing accomplishments to fate and declaring them to be acts of God, the author makes the pursuit of glory less attractive. This new interpretation of fate shows how the gathering of fame and glory can lead to more violence, which in turn makes glory less desired. If glory is no longer a highly held value in this society then the system no longer functions. Once the system is made illegitimate, there is a necessity for a new kind of system to be instituted. Throughout the entire poem we are told that the strongest bond is.....