Beowulf1

Loyalty and Generosity in Beowulf The society depicted in the poem “Beowulf” depended on two basic characteristics of its people. Loyalty and generosity are the two characteristics that bound this culture together. Throughout the poem, the people must depend on the loyalty and generosity of Beowulf and his warriors to defend them from evil. Society as described in Beowulf, was a very warlike society therefore, if Beowulf and his warriors were not giving of themselves …

…to what some critics argue; Beowulf has not been over prideful up to this point. I would argue that Beowulf is simply a well rounded, maturing ruler. The battles and arguments that he endures are comparable to the hardships any growing person must endure in order to become a well-rounded human being. However, two things that Beowulf always sets an example of are generosity and loyalty. Without these two characteristics, Beowulf would be an outcast.