Beowulf’s Manifestation of Hrothgar’s Lessons
“We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered contemptible; the rest have failed.”
--Machiavelli, The Prince
In this statement --and in the rest of his major work, The Prince --Machiavelli attempts to justify the cruelty of a leader; it is necessary, he seems to say, to be feared in order to succeed. It is doubtful that the renaissance political theorist ever read the poem of Beowulf; in any case, he did not very much with its message. For if its titular hero followed the maxims of Machiavelli, Hrothgar, the leader of the Danes in the poem, contends that it will bring upon pride and, ultimately, Beowulf’s downfall. Hrothgar’s message is exactly contrasting to that of Machiavelli’s. His political theory states that it is necessary to be good-willed to one’s people and to refrain from being blinded by pride in order to be a successful leader. Fortunately for Beowulf, during his fifty-year reign as the ruler of the Geats he follows Hrothgar’s sagacious lesson; consequently, he is compassionate leader who never lets his pride overcome his judgment.
Throughout his reign as the ruler of the Geats, Beowulf is a benevolent leader – bringing peace and power to his nation as Hrothgar instructs him to after the great warrior defeats Grendel’s mother. Hrothgar relates to him a story about the Heremod, King of the Danes, who “brought little joy to the Danish people, only death and destruction” (1711-1712), and that “suffered in the end for having plagued his people” (1720-1721). That is, Hrothgar claims that one cannot be a successful leader unless one is virtuous ruler. Furthermore, he tells Beowulf to “learn from this and understand true value” (1723-1724). Therefore, Hrothgar’s intends that this information be carried on with Beowulf. During his final moments, after he kills the treasure hording dragon, Beowulf reflects on his reign over the Geats, and those reflections demonstrate that he understands the importance of virtue and honor. He claims that he “cared for and stood by things in [his] keeping, never fomented quarrels, never swore to a lie” (2736-2739). His goodwill and righteousness is highly regarded by the warrior, for he continues, “the Ruler of mankind need never blame me […] for murder of kinsmen.” Therefore, according to Beowulf, God will approve of his honorable ways. As he dies, not only does he give one the impression that his reign was actually characterized by his goodness and benevolence, but one also gets the impression that he understands the importance of those traits in a leader – the same idea instilled in him by Hrothgar.
In addition, Beowulf demonstrates his understanding of Hrothgar’s lesson that it is important for a powerful man to anticipate death. After Beowulf valiantly defeats Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar tells him: “Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away” (1766-1768). Beowulf’s life will end, as all mortals’ will, but Hrothgar emphasizes that “it fades quickly” ; more quickly, perhaps, than Beowulf will expect. Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be aware of death and anticipate it. He believes that if a powerful man gives “way to pride” , he does not realize or foresee his death and does not prepare for it. Beowulf learns this lesson well. Before his final battle with the fierce dragon, he tells his men that he shall succeed “or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2536-2537). He prepares his men for his death, and, more importantly, he understands that his decision to fight the dragon alone may bring upon his downfall. Beowulf may be courageous and immodest, but, unlike the man that Hrothgar warns him of becoming, he does not die the death of an arrogant man. His is not unaware like that man; he understands his risks, and what little pride he may have does not blind him to his fate. He is “sad at heart[…]sensing his death” (2419-2420). One might come to the conclusion that Beowulf brings on his own death by recklessly fighting the dragon alone. Beowulf, however, believes that it is something he must do, and he is not pleased that his death may come. Thus, it is not pride that brings on his death; rather, it is a sense of duty. While his death does come at the hands of an enemy, his demise can hardly be called a failure; rather, his end is noble and honorable through his awareness of the importance of benevolence and the dangers of pride.