In Hrothgar’s speech to Beowulf, Hrothgar tells Beowulf about Heremod, a past king who ruled evilly, in hopes that he will learn from Heremod's mistakes. Hrothgar also gives Beowulf advise on what kind of king he should be.
Hrothgar begins his speech by describing how Heremod was a different kind of king, in that he only brought misery to the Danes. Hrothgar went on to tell how Heremod “vented his rage on the men he caroused with, killed his own comrades (lines 1713-1714).” I believe Hrothgar mentioned this personality trait of Heremod to Beowulf so that Beowulf would be aware of what the actions of a disrespectful king are, and, therefore, can avoid doing them. Killing one’s own comrades in a culture which strictly teaches against doing so is not only a slap in the face to the Danish culture, but also to the Danish people, who created this culture. The Danes, who although glorified physical toughness and bloodletting against their enemies, were taught to never harm their family, and, in a way, comrades can easily be seen as an extension of someone’s family. The people with whom one carouses, or dines and drinks, could also be seen as someone’s family, and I’m certain that raging against them, especially without justifiable reasons, is …show more content…
He warns Beowulf to not become too full of himself by telling him “do not give way to pride (line 1760).” I believe Hrothgar tells Beowulf this because I can imagine that as a king, and a very strong and powerful one at that, it would very easy to develop a prideful mindset, which could quickly give way to a supercilious mindset. This seems like Hrothgar’s way of telling Beowulf to not get too cocky, because at the end of the day, he is no higher than anything else living on the earth, meaning that just as death is waiting for living beings like plants and animals, death is waiting for him as
Hrothgar begins his speech by describing how Heremod was a different kind of king, in that he only brought misery to the Danes. Hrothgar went on to tell how Heremod “vented his rage on the men he caroused with, killed his own comrades (lines 1713-1714).” I believe Hrothgar mentioned this personality trait of Heremod to Beowulf so that Beowulf would be aware of what the actions of a disrespectful king are, and, therefore, can avoid doing them. Killing one’s own comrades in a culture which strictly teaches against doing so is not only a slap in the face to the Danish culture, but also to the Danish people, who created this culture. The Danes, who although glorified physical toughness and bloodletting against their enemies, were taught to never harm their family, and, in a way, comrades can easily be seen as an extension of someone’s family. The people with whom one carouses, or dines and drinks, could also be seen as someone’s family, and I’m certain that raging against them, especially without justifiable reasons, is …show more content…
He warns Beowulf to not become too full of himself by telling him “do not give way to pride (line 1760).” I believe Hrothgar tells Beowulf this because I can imagine that as a king, and a very strong and powerful one at that, it would very easy to develop a prideful mindset, which could quickly give way to a supercilious mindset. This seems like Hrothgar’s way of telling Beowulf to not get too cocky, because at the end of the day, he is no higher than anything else living on the earth, meaning that just as death is waiting for living beings like plants and animals, death is waiting for him as