Summary:
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.
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 between kin, and that the bonds created through buying people off do not always hold up. The new system of governance is then based on the stability of kinship, and we can see this when Wiglaf inherits the throne in the end. The purpose of fate in the Christian revised version of Beowulf is meant to show the problems with the Warrior-King System of passing power and to establish a system based on the stability of kinship.
If the glory and fame that come with success in battle, and great accomplishments are attributed not to the person who realizes these feats but to God, then the idea of personal glory has been eliminated. This was the intent of the revisionist when they added many lines to the poem which attribute Beowulf's deeds to God's good graces. This can be seen many times in the poem in what Beowulf says when he has accomplished something great. An example of this occurs before Beowulf's battle with Grendel, when he proclaims, "Whichever one death fells must deem it a just judgement by God" and "Fate goes ever as fate must" (31). These lines tell us that Beowulf believes that the outcome of the battle will be ultimately determined by God. If God has the ultimate say and can completely control the outcome of the fight, then Beowulf gets no credit for his accomplishments. This isn't the only time that Beowulf denies himself of glory, and attributes his success to God's intervention. After surviving the battle with Grendel's Mother, and returning with her head on a post, Beowulf tells the king, "It was hard-fought, a desperate affair that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal" (115). In this statement not only does Beowulf give the credit to God, but he tells us that he would have died if God had not given him help. This attributing of accomplishment to God's plan eliminates the idea of glory, and makes Beowulf a selfless warrior. This causes a problem for the warrior-king system, and this becomes obvious when examining the way which the system functions.
We can see how the Warrior-King system works when we look at the story of Shield Sheafson. In the beginning of the story they tell us about Shield who as "wreaker of mead benches" took control of the outlying coasts (3). Here we are shown that power is accumulated through violence and not diplomacy or inheritance. The problem with a selfless warrior is that the system of governance is based on passing power on to the most glorious warrior and if there is no glorified hero then there is no one to lead. The author uses fate to destroy the concept of glory, and by doing this he has effectively destroy the Warrior-King system of government.
The other reason that we are told that this system of passing on power to victorious warriors doesn't work is because it has the potential to spread violence, and create instability because it supports violence. We can see in the poem that violence perpetuates violence because kin seek revenge. This is especially seen when Grendel's mother attacks the Danes in an act of revenge for her dead son. If people go out killing others simply for glory and power, as this system promotes, then their families seek revenge which only creates more violence. This shows why the destruction of glory is necessary because if you get no credit for your deeds, then there is no reason to go out and provoke violence for power. A good example of this is when we are told that Hygelac will die because, "Fate swept him away because of his proud need to provoke a feud with the Frisians" (85). Hygelac is destroyed because of his senseless desire for glory and power. These two examples show how the destruction of glory can promote a system of peace and stability because there is no longer a need for senseless killing in order to obtain power and reputation. By using fate as a means of to eliminate personal glory, the author effectively destroys the warrior-king system.
With the elimination of the warrior-king system, there is a need for a new system to be established. We are hinted throughout the book that the new system of passing down power will be between kin by the emphasis on the strength of kinship bonds. On the first pages of the book, it is established that a prince was created by God to succeed Shield. This is an important foreshadowing that the divine and correct system is one where power is inherited from kin. One way that the importance of kin is shown is by the characteristics of the evil characters. Grendel for example is a direct descendant of Cain, who in the Bible is cast out by god for killing his brother. Since the evil in Grendel has its roots in the murder of kin, we know that the bonds between kin were considered to be very important. Unferth is another example where we can see that the virtue of kin is highly held. In the poem, Unferth is depicted as an envious, evil, and sinful person because he murdered his brother. Obviously kin was very important because a character is defined as evil for breaking this bond through murder. A big hint that the system will change from the warrior-king method to the inheritance method is when Hrothgar adopts Beowulf as a son and leaves the kingdom to him once he dies (63). Even though this is still the passing of power from the king to a glorious warrior, it involves the concept of inheritance into the system. This foreshadows that inheritance will be the new way of power transition in the future. One way that the strength of kinship bonds is emphasized is by showing the weakness between other relations. The main other type of relation at the time was one that was purchased by exchanging gifts for someone's loyalty. The most obvious failure of this system of loyalty occurs during Beowulf's last battle with the dragon. Beowulf goes into the dragon's den while his men all watch. Once the dragon awakens and the battle begins, all of the men who had pledged their loyalty for bountiful gifts turn and run for safety in the forest. The only person who remains to fight alongside Beowulf is one of his kin, Wiglaf. This scene really cements the idea that the bond between kin is the most important relationship between men. Using the strength of kin relationships to promote stability becomes the new form of government. This is shown in the end when Beowulf dies and Wiglaf becomes the next king. By Wiglaf becoming the new king, we see that the future institution of power will revolve around inheritance through kin. This point of view was all shaped by the author's presentation of fate being in god's hands.
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. This is accomplished by showing all actions being the direct result of fate, which is ultimately decided by God. By removing the personal glory from actions, and by showing how the previous system of passing power to the greatest warrior can cause more violence and instability the author uses fate to destroy the current system of governance. The new system of power transition is foreshadowed throughout the text by showing the importance and superiority of kinship bonds over all other types of relationships. Eventually in the end we see the installation of this new system when the power is passed from Beowulf to his kin, Wiglaf. The concepts of fate are used in the text 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.
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