This week I am extremely excited to write a rumination. The first week I did not feel as if I was ready to comment on Beowulf, but afterwards was disappointed that I missed my chance. While working on third pass of Beowulf I was reminded of something striking from my first two reads. A common form of identify in Beowulf dealt with family lineage.
When you think of it in more modern terms, I personally think it is a little silly. Here comes an armed Beowulf with his men, dressed for combat. When confronted by the guard of the Danish shore, Beowulf tells of his father’s friendship to Hrothgar and that he was here to help. Oh you are Ecgtheow’s son, sure come on in! The level of trust to me is almost laughable, but then again, perhaps the Dane had reached desperation. I knew from the beginning that you family lineage was really important in Beowulf, I spent this pass searching for clues on the ever pressing why. I ultimately decided that although family lineage is a strong component of identity in Beowulf, actions are ultimately more relevant.
The poem starts with Shield Sheafson, who was a foundling or in other words an orphan. Yet Sheafson was able to make a name for him based on his own merit rather than in his father’s name. Lines 24 and 25 confirm this. “Behavior that is admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” Shield Sheafson came to power through his actions, not by any other means.
When Beowulf first arrives in the land of the Danes, before allowing him to come in the guard says to Beowulf “Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what’s said and what’s done.” (lines 287-290) At this point Beowulf had just finished elegantly speaking of his family and his loyalty to Hrothgar including his intentions. The guard basically responds to him, that is all well and good, but your actions will have to back up your brave words.
On another instance, Beowulf himself says “For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death.” (lines1366-1368). Here Beowulf talks about how his actions will bring remembrance to him after his death. Therefore it is the slaying of grendel and other great feats that will bring honor to Beowulf's memory after death, not his family name.
Overall your family name helps get your foot in the door, but your actions will outweigh your name. It’s the same today, daddy’s name may help you get a job interview, but if you’re a total idiot, its not going to do you much good to be so and so’s son.
I really enjoyed reading this post, Jessica. You make some great points here about the way the writer both praises and questions lineage in subtle ways that one notices when reading more closely. And FWIW, the guard's line about gumption and actions is one of my favorite in Beowulf. It's one of those moments in literature (they happen a lot in Shakespeare's plays) when a minor, "flat" character suddenly rounds out through a surprising action or a short speech.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very enjoyable to read. I liked that you compared he times of Beowulf to current times but I disagree with it. I believe that lineage was still much more important in "Beowulf" than it is in society. When anyone is addressed in "Beowulf", they are so by saying who their father was. If one person had a terrible father, then he would have to hear his name before he spoke every single day. That's a pretty harsh way to live. Exciting rumination!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with David, though I think you make astoundingly good points in this post. Lineage in Beowulf's time was the be-all and end-all, and I feel like the close read of certain quotations in this rumination are gilded by the years - we don't exactly know that actions spoke louder than words in those years, but a lot of history suggests that who you were related to determined a lot of how your life was going to go. Also, I think a lot of those quotes have to do with the major theme of Glory in Beowulf, which was something the author emphasized steadily throughout. Glory is the ultimate point of the tale, so of course, actions will be regarded as higher than lineage in this case. That being said, I really do like how you contextualized Beowulf into contemporary times - the statements you make in closing concerning the interview and who you know really ring true during these times, and I could not agree more with your final (funny) logic.
ReplyDeleteA good insight into the history surrounding Beowulf. In those times, while family was important to help determine friend from foe, Actions were more important than words. I do have to disagree with you somewhat on contemporary times. Nowadays, family is the easy ticket to get almost anywhere, even for complete idiots sometimes. The CEO of a companies son is more likely to get a high paying and easy job even if he doesn't have a clue what he is doing, than a middle-class or lower person that has studied hard all his life.
ReplyDeleteChina is a great example of this with some of the news-paper articles that have been published in the New York Times recently. Only by creating a scandal that angers the citizens to a large extent really gets you in any trouble over there. It really depends on the person hiring though if Merit or Family is more important however.
This post was very interesting to me. You made some great points. I totally agree with you, having a family name that has some significance and helps you get places is nice, but to truly be impressive you have to do it on your own. I also really like how you were able to compare the times of Beowulf to today's society because this notion still holds true. Great job!
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