Comparing Beowulf And The Seafarer

In the poem, The Seafarer and in the epic poem, Beowulf, there is one crucial and outstanding tone that represents the mourning and death of a person, which is called an elegy. Both, Beowulf and The Seafarer are Anglo-Saxon poems, where a significant mood seems to be elegiac. In The Seafarer, he begins the poem by explaining his many adventures and how the times that he was at sea were difficult, but through perseverance he was able to overcome them. Similar to Beowulf, the epic hero who faced many difficult battles throughout his time as a warrior, he fought until he won, in order to overcome his opponent. Although both poems are similar in containing Christian and Pagan concepts, the simple elegiac tone remains in both poems through the suffering of personal challenges both Beowulf …show more content…
Beowulf was a great role model to follow and a great leader as well. Throughout the epic, Beowulf expressed many qualities and characteristics of a good king. Beowulf fought many monsters and opponents, but was always victorious, until he met the dragon and faced his final battle. The elegiac feeling during the death of Beowulf brings about is significance when Beowulf says, “Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help them; my time is gone” because it conveys a feeling of sadness and helplessness which makes the poem an elegy (Beowulf ln 807-809). After the death of Beowulf, the mood of the play completely changes. One can tell that the warriors at this point feel as if something is missing and as if their army is incomplete when, “twelve of the bravest Geats rode their horses around the tower, telling their sorrow, telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, praising him for heroic deeds, for a life as noble as his name” (ln 829-834). The poem closes with Beowulf’s followers, “mourning their beloved leader” which excessively expresses the pain and sadness caused by Beowulf’s death (ln