Beowulf-Self Centered Glory Chaser
Imagine for a minute, a society whose standards of behavior, or morals, is completely different than your own. Then couple this with the fact that death, and murder are normal, and the physical afterlife, or faith in it, doesn’t exist. A time in which heroic codes were the way of life, and one’s reputation was all that mattered. A society where a warrior, who was fit to be just that, is pressured to become king when all he really wanted, was to be a warrior. This conflict makes a self-centered glory chaser put his desire for fame above that of his people, leaving them without a king, defenseless, and lost. It brings to question, was Beowulf a hero, or a self –centered glory chaser that could not see past himself? Wherein, the addiction to the game (battle), in the end, outweighed the better good of the society. Beowulf’s journey for glory begins with a an…show more content… He announced his plan: to sail the swan’s road and search out the king, the famous prince who needed defenders.” (198 - 202). Beowulf gathered his best warriors, equipment, and armor, and set sail in hopes of convincing King Hrothgar to allow him to challenge Grendel. Beowulf’s relentless commitment to challenge, courage, and his glory chasing mentality, had him arriving on the Danish shore in no time. Notice, that up to this point, Beowulf has demonstrated many characteristics of a hero. He is courageous, determined, wants to “right” the “wrong” for the better good of the society, and is loyal. However, a new light begins to emerge once Beowulf arrives ashore, and begins his boastful touts that began with “we” but ended with “I”. Keep in mind that Beowulf has enlisted 14 of the best warriors he could find, but speaks to the Danish Commander only about self, check it out in the following
