Summary:
Hrothgar, from Beowulf, is a good person, who is not filled with evilness or hatred, but he is filled with wisdom and generosity from God.
author unknown
Hrothgar is the son of Healfdene and is the husband of Wealhtheow. Hrothgar is the reigning king of the Danes and is very successful; not only as a king but also as a warrior. To memorialize his great and numerous successes he has a large mead-hall constructed. Hrothgar is getting very old and lacks the strength and bravery he once had in his youth, but he still is a very wise king who is concerned about the well-being of his people.
A warrior's greatness is determined by their courage and wisdom, and Hrothgar possesses both of these. Hrothgar is so great a warrior that his skill demanded others' respect; "Then to Hrothgar was granted glory in battle, mastery of the field; so friends and kinsmen gladly obeyed him." (Beowulf 63-65). Hrothgar is extremely prideful of all his victories and accomplishments, so he built the mead-hall, later called Herot, to show off all of his successes. He is so proud, that he built the Herot greater than hall any man ever heard of, .".. he would command the construction of a huge mead-hall, a house greater than men on earth had ever heard of," (Beowulf 67-68). The building of the mead-hall is a sign of Hrothgar's pridefullness. If Hrothgar had humility and had not built this mead-hall, it may have saved him great sorrow and grief, for it was in this very hall that many of his men died, including his best friend, Ashhere.
When Hrothgar and his warriors are attacked by Grendel, a demon-like monster, in the Herot, all Hrothgar does is grieve over the men he has lost. Hrothgar is very old and while having wisdom he no longer has the courage or the strength to fight as he did in his youth. As a great warrior, a king must have wisdom and courage, but he must also have great concern for his people. When Grendel's mother attacks him and takes Ashhere, his best friend, Hrothgar shows a great amount of emotion over the loss of his friend and pleads Beowulf to help him. This revealing of his emotions is thought of as sign of weakness, but he is not afraid to show his emotions and this gives an attribute of courage that is his own. Hrothgar is very wise, and he shows that when he is attacked. When Grendel and Grendel's mother attack him, he knows that he is too old to fight them so he has Beowulf fight them for him. Hrothgar is putting aside his ego for the safety of his people; he is concerned more with the well-being of his people than he is with his lack of ability to fight.
Hrothgar is also a godly man, and after Beowulf defeats Grendel's mother, Hrothgar thanks God, "It is wonderful to recount how in his magnanimity the Almighty God deals out wisdom, dominion and lordship among mankind (Beowulf 1724-1727)." Hrothgar realizes that God is the one who grants the victories and skills to men. Hrothgar is not an evil king, nor does he want Beowulf to become an evil person so he warns Beowulf of the evilness in the world He also tells Beowulf that his strength will not last forever and to stop arrogance, "Beloved Beowulf, best of warriors. Resist this deadly taint, take what is better, your lasting profit. Put away arrogance, noble fighter! The noon of your strength shall last for a while now, but in a little time sickness or sword will strip it from you (Beowulf 1759-1761)." Hrothgar is saying just as his strength did not last forever neither will his pride in his success last forever.
Hrothgar is a very wise king, but he attributes it to God. He knows that God is the one who gives people their gifts, and God can take them away. He acknowledges that God is all powerful and in control. As he was once a great warrior, full of strength and courage, he realizes now that those things can be taken away, so he tells Beowulf not to be arrogant of them. Hrothgar is a very caring king, and is more concerned about his people than his reputation of strength this shows his humility. Hrothgar is a good person, who is not filled with evilness or hatred, but he is filled with wisdom and generosity from God.
This is the complete article, containing 720 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
