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Beowulf Essay Reflection

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English Reflection | Beowulf
2. What role does the mead-hall play in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture? What is the proper relationship between a lord and his warriors? Give an example you find in the translation of Beowulf.
Within Anglo Saxon warrior culture, at the time at which Beowulf is set, the mead hall had an important role in their society. The mead hall provided a place where the nobility of the time could negotiate deals, discuss management of the land and where the king could give orders to his subjects. It was also a place where the heroic deeds of war could be recounted and the spoils of war could be divided among the thanes. Personally, I think that the mead hall exemplifies the heroic themes portrayed in the poem and provides an excellent backdrop for its trials and tribulations. Two examples within the Beowulf translation, of the cultural importance of the mead hall are; 7
He decided to build an enormous hall, the largest anyone had ever seen. From there, he would rule and give everything he could to his people, except for land and his men’s lives.
- Chapter 1
So all of the noble clansmen, including the great king himself and his queen, rode to the great hall to witness Beowulf’s great deed.
- Chapter 13
The ideal relationship between a lord and his warriors which the poem Beowulf so strongly depicts, stems from the Anglo-Saxon oath called “Comitatus”. “Comitatus” was a legal bond of a sort between a lord and his warriors whereby the warriors agreed to give their lives in order to protect the king and his lands if under attack and to avenge him if he is murdered. In return for this, the lord must support his warrior financially and provide political protection for them. This is shown in the poem Beowulf where Beowulf takes an informal oath of Comitatus to King Hrothgar and promises to risk his life to protect Hrothgar from Grendel. In return Hrothgar promises to reimburse Beowulf financially and make sure his deeds are known across land, effectively providing him political protection from opposition. This relationship plays an important part in the personification of Beowulf as the manner of which he takes this oath give the reader a broader idea of Beowulf’s personality. Also, when Beowulf becomes kings of the Geats, the way he interacts with his subjects show his character progression to become a king as he becomes a more mature and risk averse.
By Edward COCKCROFT

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