In order to find honor, kings and warriors must trust one another. The king must trust the warrior to be able to fight off attackers and warriors must trust kings to know how to help the kingdom after their victories in battle. In Beowulfand I Henry IV, the two warriors, Beowulf and Hotspur, gain the trust of their kings in two different ways. Beowulf gains the trust of King Hrothgar by the traditional customs, while Hotspur does not. Without the help of the warrior, kings could not rule efficiently and have a glorious reign.
Once a warrior has completed a glorious deed, it was customary to give a tribute from that battle to the king. “Look! Son of Healfdene, prince of Ecgtheow: we have brought you gladly these gifts from the sea which you gaze on here, a token of glory.” (Beowulf 1652-1654)
Beowulf, after defeating Grendel 's mother, brought back the hilt of the sword that he used to kill her. To King Hrothgar, Beowulf had done a noble deed and deserved high praise for ending the threat that Grendel and his mother served. Beowulf, as the warrior, gave the king the prize of the sword hilt, implying that it is the king’s victory because the …show more content…
In both works, it is honorable to win in battle, then give the spoils of war to the king. In Beowulf, the king does not trust Beowulf even though he is an accomplished warrior in his homeland. It is only when Beowulf proved himself in battle against both Grendel and Grendel’s mother then bestows the hilt of the weapon to Hrothgar that Beowulf gains complete admiration of the king. In contrast, King Henry trusts Hotspur because he is consistently successful in battle, despite the fact that Hotspur had never given King Henry anything won in war. Hotspur did not need to earn the king’s trust by gifts like Beowulf, but loses the trust when he refuses to surrender the spoils of war, the captured soldiers, to his new
Once a warrior has completed a glorious deed, it was customary to give a tribute from that battle to the king. “Look! Son of Healfdene, prince of Ecgtheow: we have brought you gladly these gifts from the sea which you gaze on here, a token of glory.” (Beowulf 1652-1654)
Beowulf, after defeating Grendel 's mother, brought back the hilt of the sword that he used to kill her. To King Hrothgar, Beowulf had done a noble deed and deserved high praise for ending the threat that Grendel and his mother served. Beowulf, as the warrior, gave the king the prize of the sword hilt, implying that it is the king’s victory because the …show more content…
In both works, it is honorable to win in battle, then give the spoils of war to the king. In Beowulf, the king does not trust Beowulf even though he is an accomplished warrior in his homeland. It is only when Beowulf proved himself in battle against both Grendel and Grendel’s mother then bestows the hilt of the weapon to Hrothgar that Beowulf gains complete admiration of the king. In contrast, King Henry trusts Hotspur because he is consistently successful in battle, despite the fact that Hotspur had never given King Henry anything won in war. Hotspur did not need to earn the king’s trust by gifts like Beowulf, but loses the trust when he refuses to surrender the spoils of war, the captured soldiers, to his new