Paper Summary:

The paper details how Beowulf's followers revere him and follow him without fail when his strength is at its apogee, but desert him when he is confronted with his deadliest test near the end of his long reign as King of the Geats. The paper suggests that Beowulf's loyalty to others is astounding and fueled, in large measure, by a profound sense of honor, while his warriors, lacking his courage and sense of honor, are occasionally weak-willed and turn away from him when he needs them most. Nonetheless, the paper asserts that the poem is a celebration of Beowulf's fidelity to the Geats - even after they mocked and dismissed him as a child - and a testament to the extraordinary faithfulness of Beowulf in others and in the warrior's code by which he lives and, ultimately, dies.

From the Paper:

"The following paper will look at loyalty in Beowulf, one of the great epic poems in all English. The paper will detail how Beowulf's followers revere him and follow him without fail when his strength is at its apogee, but desert him when he is confronted with his deadliest test near the end of his long reign as King of the Geats - the grim dragon tormenting his people and land. In the end, only Wiglaf stays behind to offer any sort of assistance to Beowulf in the final, desperate moments of his life. The paper will suggest that Beowulf's loyalty to others is astounding and fueled, in large measure, by a profound sense of honor. At the same time,..."

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