Gold In Beowulf

In both modern and ancient times, gold is a versatile, tangible symbol of wealth and power, and a standard on which monetary and symbolic value is placed. In Anglo-Saxon England, many connotations of gold are represented in the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney. John Gardner's novel Grendel presents gold in a modern literary context. Although both literary works focus on relatively the same characters and context, gold plays a different role in each. The meaning of gold in Beowulf evolves from a traditional connotation to a darker symbol as the plot develops, while in Grendel, the way characters interact with gold reveals their different moral and ethical views. In Beowulf, gold represents a gift and an honor, but also can be used …show more content…
The cynical view of gold parallels the ominous mood that the poet creates in the final events of the poem. Leading to the death of Beowulf, a young servant steals a gold cup from the dragon’s treasure. The servant: “hurried to his lord/ with the gold-plated cup and made his plea/ to be reinstated” (155; 2281-2283). Beowulf’s death comes about because of the misuse of gold; the servant stole for self benefit. Here, gold is a negative symbol of excess and greed, and ulterior motives that endanger others. Even Beowulf’s victory in battle is tarnished by the stolen gold because his death foreshadows the end of peace in his land. No longer a friendly or sacred sign of hope and honor, the symbol of gold transitions one last time to an ominous and negative connotation like the way that the plot of the poem ends: uncertain and …show more content…
The narrator of Beowulf looks back on Anglo-Saxon times. The poet explores broader themes that lead to a new world made more complicated by increased globalization, trade, religion, and the spread of ideas. In his introduction, Heaney states that “By the end of the poem, gold has suffered a radiation from the Christian vision … and its changed status is registered as a symptom of the changed world” (xviii). The poem concludes with a cliffhanger, a play with the emotions of readers because the epic hero dies, and the fate of his land is left uncertain. The use of gold as a symbol has remained constant, but what that symbol represents has changed over time and cultures. The narrator of Beowulf might have left the symbol of gold at the end of the novel equally uncertain, using the lack of clear symbolism as a mirror of the confusion in an era of a newly risen