Question

Reread lines 245-260.How does this passage demonstrate the importance of loyalty and bravery for the Geats

Answer 1

Answer:

In these lines, we see that Wiglaf is speaking to his fellow warriors after Beowulf died heroically fighting a dragon. Wiglaf is cursing the other warriors because of their cowardice - when the dragon attacked, Beowulf, as king, volunteered to defeat the monster even though he was very old. He was helped only by one of his men - Wiglaf, who helped him in the battle. None of the other warriors dared to risk their lives against the terrible monster.

Through Wiglaf's speech, we see how much the Anglo-Saxons valued loyalty and bravery. He is admonishing them for betraying their king in the most difficult fight of his life (which ultimately cost him his life), but also for being cowards and running away instead of lending their king a hand in the battle. Beowulf, like his successor Wiglaf, is the epitome of loyalty (to his former king Hrothgar) and bravery (through his battles with Grendel, his mother, and the dragon), whereas his men represent betrayal and cowardice, which is something the Anglo-Saxons despised.

Here are the exact lines that talk about this: