Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character - College Essay

Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character



Beowulf takes an especially interesting look at old age and its ramifications for kingship and heroism. The poem's two main characters, Beowulf and Hrothgar, have long been a study of contrast for scholars of the work, and of course it is Beowulf who emerges favorably from the comparison. Especially interesting is the comparison between the aged Hrothgar of the first two "episodes" of the poem, and the aged Beowulf of the third.
Hrothgar is strongly associated with women, an observation is probably not accidental, given the few times women are actually mentioned in the poem. Hrothgar seems much like the grandfather in TV movies, who guards the women and children while the younger men go ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

for a complex work such as Beowulf.
Hrothgar's associations with women are not the only evidence that would support a "feminization" of his aged character. Hrothgar's laments for his own helpless state makes him even more helpless: rather than responding in action like Beowulf does, he gives in to despair. And if Tacitus were to be a guide, Hrothgar's grief over the loss of Aeschere would also be taken as a sign of excessive "feminine" behavior (Clark107-08).
Hrothgar certainly would not be called an independent thinker; he does not think on his own, a quality that is in direct contrast to the self-scrutiny and evaluation Beowulf is capable of when the dragon begins his ravages. After Aeschere's death, Hrothgar needs Beowulf's assurances of revenge before he can be cheered into recovering his manhood (a behavior Irving calls part of Hrothgar's "manic-depressive cycle� (Irving53).
Hrothgar's power is primarily managed through gift-giving and other domestic arrangements. Even though ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login


CITE THIS PAGE:

Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character. (2008, October 9). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hrothgar-Old-Powerful-King-Closer-Look/91161
"Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 9 Oct. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hrothgar-Old-Powerful-King-Closer-Look/91161>
"Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character." Essayworld.com. October 9, 2008. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hrothgar-Old-Powerful-King-Closer-Look/91161.
"Hrothgar The Old And Powerful King: A Closer Look At His Character." Essayworld.com. October 9, 2008. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hrothgar-Old-Powerful-King-Closer-Look/91161.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 10/9/2008 07:39:07 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 394
Pages: 2

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
Do Men Have Symptoms Of PMS?
University Of Pennsylvania Essa...
Cloning Endangered Asian Wild C...
London's "To Build A Fire": Use...
Operation Barbarossa: A Good Pl...
Monetary/Fiscal Policy
Monopolies In A Capitalist Eco
Boiling Water
The Serious Year 2000 Problem
Eddie Vedder Is A Vampire
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved