Three speeches in Beowulf Hrothgar, ll Beowulf, ll Wiglaf, ll

Hrothgar’s speech ll Invocations of almighty God with overlays of the Christian God Beowulf will not always by in his prime and should be aware of the toll of age Inevitability of death which makes earthly pleasures and possessions unimportant Warns of the dangers of pride at l Hrothgar’s reference to hard reversal foreshadows Beowulf’s own with the dragon

Beowulf’s Speech ll Although he is a king, he reverts back to his heroic quest for glory at ll He acknowledges the influence of fate on a man’s life and death at l He also refers to the fact that he will win gold from the dragon which will help quantify his heroism at ll

Beowulf’s Pride Good or Bad? Heroes Have only a personal responsibility to self and glory Use pride as a motivator to perform dangerous deeds to earn honor Kings Have a responsibility to protect people Should balance pride against need to preserve social stability

Wiglaf’s Speech Wiglaf acknowledges that Beowulf’s responsibilities have changed and might be understood as a subtle criticism of Beowulf’s decision to fight the dragon Wiglaf also states that the fighter cannot fight alone Wiglaf emphasizes that humans must demonstrate loyalty to their lord

What does the dragon symbolize? Pride and greed Temptation of humans The serpent in the Garden of Life who tempted Adam and Eve to eat through pride Sin