Beowulf's Loyalty

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Loyal to one or all Beowulf is a tale of a hero defeating many beasts. The story is so significant that there is only one remaining original copy. This tale has lasted through many generations and will continue to do so. In the tale we find Beowulf time and time again being the hero and saving the day. He saves the day for other nations on many occasions and then decides to lead a nation of his own. Late in Beowulf’s career he rises to the challenge to defeat the dragon. His soldiers do not know what to do and immediately panic in the sight of danger. Wiglaf is the only soldier who is up for the fight and tries to bring the other soldiers together. In this point in the story it is evident that loyalty still exist. Loyalty is a key component …show more content…
To me this is a major point in the story. At this moment, Wiglaf is the perfect example of being a soldier and staying loyal to one's leader. When he says, “As God as my witness,” the reader knows that what is to follow will be truthful and from the heart. The rest of the quote talks about having his body robed like his gold-giver’s body. A gold-giver is a king or leader that is highly looked up to. That is basically the ultimate compliment for that time period. It means that Wiglaf would rather die before his leader or die in his leader’s place because he views Beowulf’s life as more important than his own. When he finishes the quote by saying, “than to go back home bearing arms”, he essentially means it is better for him to try to win the fight even if he must die than to not try at all and go home with the feeling of guilt. As a whole it can be seen as if he were telling the soldiers, “If Beowulf is fighting the monstrous dragon then so are …show more content…
He has always been a take charge leader even if he was the only one going into battle. When leading the Geats he never ran into trouble with potential danger or threats because he always dealt with the issue by himself. His army was in a vulnerable position where they did not know what to do and had not been trained for. Since they had never been in this position of vulnerability before they panic out of fear for the unknown and leave Beowulf and Wiglaf. Wiglaf is the only soldier who stays and tries to bring the others back into battle with his motivational speech. Beowulf does become injured and knows he will die from the poisonous battle wound but he does not have to suffer at the hands of the dragon. Wiglaf came to help defeat the dragon in order for Beowulf to deliver the fatal blow to the dragon. Without Wiglaf’s loyalty to his king, Beowulf would have died by himself with the beast he was so determined to kill.
The tale of Beowulf only has one remaining original copy. This story has survived for many generations to enjoy. It is a story of heroic deeds and loyalty. Beowulf’s supernatural strength saves him more than once making his name great. As a leader he makes all the calls and deals with issues personally. His last battle he must rely on loyalty alone to save him from the dragon. Without the loyalty of Wiglaf, Beowulf would have suffered and died
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