When Did Wiglaf Get His Fate

This leads to the idea of comitatus, that everyone must protect their king at all costs. This is also what Wiglaf, one of Beowulf's followers, displays while Beowulf fights the dragon in the translated poem by Burton Raffel, while everyone else but Wiglaf has left the narrator says, “only one of them remain, stood there, miserable, remembering, as a good man must, what kinship should mean” (89). Wiglaf recognizes that his king is in danger and acts upon it fighting alongside Beowulf to defeat the dragon. Also, as Wiglaf watches his king start losing his battle he proclaims, “we must go to him” (119). Wiglaf Demonstrates the ways of comitatus by implying that his life is lesser compared to Beowulf's, thus he should be the one dying by the dragons flames. “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord” (121). Although, Beowulf may be a king to those lie Wiglaf, Beowulf himself recognizes God as his king as he lays dying he says, “I thank our father in heaven- ruler of the Earth- for all of this” (200). Beowulf has lived his life in honor of his king, God, and then thanks him for all the graces that God has given back to him for his

“ Watching Beowulf, he could see How his king was suffering, burning… But his soul did not melt, his sword was strong; The dragon discovered his courage, and his weapon, When the rush of battle brought them together.” In these following lines, Wiglaf shows his bravery by taking the sword and having no fear facing the dragon. Loyalty is manifested also by Wiglaf staying with Beowulf and not running scared like the other soldiers did when they saw the dragon defeating Beowulf.

Beowulf is a brave noble, later to become a king, who confidently vows to defeat Grendel. He not only kills Grendel, but slays the demon’s mother, and a dragon. Although he dies in battle with the dragon, he proved himself one of the bravest and strongest men in the kingdom. Wiglaf is a thane, and kinsman to Beowulf, and in him, Beowulf sees his younger self. Wiglaf shows the same bravery in battle as Beowulf, and assists in the destruction of the dragon. As Beowulf lies dying, he passes the kingdom of

Painted as one of Beowulf’s most loyal and true warriors, he wastes no time jumping into action against the dragon once he views Beowulf in peril. Defending the now king Beowulf from the dragon's flames, he proves himself that he is a hero even if he could not save Beowulf. Wiglaf was showing the key elements of the hero archetype, so much so in fact that Beowulf on his deathbed made Wiglaf king of the

Seemingly minor character Wiglaf plays a central role in the conclusion of Beowulf. A young knight who has never before seen battle, Wiglaf steps forward to help his lord, hero, and cousin Beowulf in a time of peril. With his failure in battle and resulting death, the narrator shows that Beowulf is, after all, a prideful and mortal being; thus begins the transfer of heroic status from the old king to the young knight. The narrator argues that Wiglaf is worthy of his abruptly acquired status even though his intentions may seem questionable. The end of the poem devotes a significant amount of lines to dialogue spoken by Wiglaf, signifying his newly crucial role in his kingdom and in the story.

He is the king of many great people, and he gives land and fortune to those he trusts most. "How his King was suffering, burning. Remembering/ Everything his lord and cousin had given him, / Armor and gold and great estates" (Beowulf 755-757). Beowulf was being burned by a dragon, but his great leadership and kindness lead to Wiglaf helping his king defeat the dragon. Beowulf was such a great leader, he was remembered and loved by his people. "

Comparatively, another particular attribute that sets Beowulf and Harry Potter apart from the typical norm is their special attention to the importance of loyalty and friendship. Beowulf is perceived as a strong man capable of holding his own, but even heroes need help from time to time. Therefore, it is the support that Beowulf receives from his soldiers that makes him great. During the final scene right before his dying breath, Beowulf engages in battle against the dragon that has been terrorizing the kingdom after a thief stole a golden goblet from the dragon’s lair. Beowulf, now old and frail, is adamant that he alone must kill the dragon, “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open… Men at arms, remain here on the barrow, safe in your armour, to see which one of us is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray. This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (Beowulf 2510-37). However, while doing battle with the dragon, Beowulf becomes mortally wounded. Amidst the turmoil, all of Beowulf’s men flee in fear except for Wiglaf, the son of a Shylfing warrior named Weohstan related to Aelfhere, who comes forward to aid his lord:

One of the men, Wiglaf, returns to Beowulf to help him, proving that loyalty is fundamental in friendships. After defeating the dragon, Wiglaf scolds the other men and tells them of Beowulf’s death. Beowulf hands over leadership of the kingdom to Wiglaf because of his display of integrity. Supporting one another is an important element in the poem

The culture of Beowulf’s time heavily relied on giving and receiving of gold and other valuable treasures. The king was also called “ring-giver” which tells that even kings were known to give treasure from his wealth to reward his people for following him. Many scenes have strong examples of the importance of wealth in some way. One interesting scene describes the point where Beowulf lays dying and he requests his last wish to receive the treasures from the dragon’s hoard and goes on to describe Wiglaf’s excitement for the treasure as well: “Wiglaf went quickly, keen to get back, excited by the treasure; anxiety weighed on his brave heart, he was hoping to find the leader of the Geats alive where he had left him helpless.” (791-795) As Wiglaf left his king helpless, he was still excited by

The Cadfael episode effectively portrayed life in Medieval England by giving an excellent representation of the King's ascendancy. The government of England was a monarchy with a feudalism system. Which means the King and Queen of England had a ruling dominance over his or her country. The King and Queen of England had the duty to create and enforce laws over his or her Kingdom. The episode of Cadfael "One Too Many Dead Bodies" gives the audience an example of the King's authority.

Wiglaf knows it is his sworn duty to protect his king and when he sees Beowulf fall he joins the fight. This is the cultural values of duty and honor. " Venturing closer, his talon was raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed; he was bearing in with open claw when the alert

Beowulf was a good person he decided not to fight with a weapon because it would bring the hero inside of him for fighting with his bare hands. Beowulf fought grendel to help the people and that brought the goodness inside of him. He also had to fight off Grendel's mother to protect himself, he wasn’t responsible for it she came after him. Beowulf ended up fighting the dragon to protect the people and ended up sacrificing his life by biting the dragon, trying to kill him. Another good person was wiglaf and he decided to help out beowulf fight the dragon and killed him. Got wiglaf left as a king and in charge of everything beowulf ever

After Beowulf kills both Grendel and Grendel’s Mom, Beowulf then returns to the land of the Geats as a hero. Beowulf then became king of the Geats. Then, fifty years later, King Beowulf is tested for the last time. A fire-breathing dragon has been terrorizing Beowulf’s people. Beowulf knows that this battle with the dragon, will be his last. Beowulf then rounds up a group of soldiers that will help him confront the dragon. As soon as Beowulf and his men encounter the dragon, Beowulf’s men run away in fear, leaving their beloved leader to fend for himself. Then, a brave soldier, Wiglaf, started to speak to the cowards who were leaving their beloved leader helpless, “I remember how we sat in the mead-hall, drinking and boasting of how brave we’d be when Beowulf needed us, he who gave us these swords and armor: all of us swore to repay him, when the time came, kindness for kindness, with our lives, if he needed them,” page 60. Later, Wiglaf and Beowulf both kill the dragon, however Beowulf is critically injured. Beowulf knows he will die soon, Beowulf then tells Wiglaf to bring him the treasure that they fought so hard for. Once Wiglaf shows Beowulf the treasure, Beowulf names Wiglaf his heir to the throne, and then dies. The dragon in the poem represents the greatest evil known to man, death. If it were not for death, Beowulf could’ve ruled his kingdom for a longer period of

Wiglaf possesses many characteristics that make him a hero. One of which is courage. In the last battle, when Beowulf needed the men who promised him they would be alongside him in battle they up and left him. Beowulf was in dire need of help and Wiglaf knew this. He was the only man who stuck to his word and went to help the king in battle. In lines755-765 Wiglaf explains how and why the king needs help.

While Beowulf in his final moments, Wiglaf urging to return to him for the favor he had once done for him. The feeling of guilt burning inside him pushes him to help his struggling king defeat the fire breathing dragon. Together they defeated the monstrous dragon, but in the process Beowulf gets a mortal wound that eventually kills him. Such as, “Then Wiglaf went back, anxious to return while Beowulf was alive, to bring him treasure they’d won together while Beowulf was alive.” (pg.