Brotherly Love In Beowulf

There are many different themes in these four stories. First, I will be talking about the theme of brotherly love. Brotherly love has some of the characteristics of loyalty, respect, courage, honor and mercy and concern for that other person. It’s not the kind of love you have towards your wife, but the kind you would have towards your closest friends, or your father. You can see these characteristics in each story, with almost all of them apparent in Beowulf between himself and his men. Between the King and Lanval. Between Gawain and the King and also between the king and the knight in Wife of Bath.
It is apparent in each story and an important part of each story. The warriors in Beowulf have a love for each other. You can see the love clearly …show more content…
Most of Beowulf involves violence, from killing Grendal, to his mother, to the dragon. This theme can be found in Lanval with the King wanting to cut off his head for insulting the Queen. It is the driving force of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with the Sir Gawain chopping off the Head of the green knight to the Green Knight almost cutting off the knight’s head. And it is in the Wife of Bath with the Knight raping the women and the king wanting to kill the knight for such an act. (Lines 723-733) “Then his rage boiled over, he ripped open the mouth of the building, maddening for blood, pacing the length of the patterned floor with his loathsome tread, while a baleful light, flame more than light, flared from his eyes. He saw many men in the mansion, sleeping, a ranked company of kinsmen and warriors quartered together. And his glee was demonic, picturing the mayhem: before morning, he would rip life from limb and devour them, feed on their flesh.” Perrello, Tony. "Violence in Beowulf." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed.Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011.Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 13 Oct. 2015. (Lines 2270-2283) "Gawain? You can't be Gawain, his name is too noble, he's never afraid, nowhere On earth - and you, you flinch in advance! I've heard nothing about Gawain the coward. And I, did I flinch, fellow, when you swung at my neck? I never spoke a word. My …show more content…
The main characters of these stories want to make sure they leave good impressions and are thought highly of by others. Beowulf is highly respected by the towns-people and his men. Lanval is a knight of beauty and valor but loses all respect from the king when he is accused of being gay and brought to the King’s court. Sir Gawain wants to earn more respect from King Arthur so he steps up and is the one to cut off the head of the Green Knight when nobody else did after being offered to do so. The knight in Wife of Bath gains the respect of the Wifely Council when he returns with the correct answer of what women want most. (Lines 340-343) The man whose name was known for courage, the Great leader, resolute in his helmet, answered in return: "We are retainers from Hygelac's band. Beowulf is my name." Ruud, Jay. "Beowulf in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien." Critical Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2011. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 13 Oct. 2015. (Lines 25 - 26) “But of all those who dwelt there, of the British kings, Arthur was always judged noblest, as I have heard tell.” Sauer, Michelle M. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry before 1600. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 13 Oct. 2015. (Lines 1043 –