Did you happen to take note of what happens at the end of Beowulf?
I don't mean all the weeping and wailing about Beowulf's death.
I mean what Wiglaf says starting in line 2887.
"Every one of you with freeholds of land, our whole nation,
will be dispossessed, once princes from beyond get tidings of how you turned and fled
and disgraced yourselves.
A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame."
What he's saying is that the Geats had an opportunity to be heroes, and they chose not
to be.
So what?
You'll find out.
I understand that Beowulf had some pretty superhuman characteristics.
I understand that the guy is not just characterized as an epic warrior, but also as some kind
of Messiah.
And I understand that most of us normal peeps don't feel a whole lot like heroes.
But that's why Wiglaf's speech at the end of the poem
is so important.
It sets out the single characteristic that differentiates between a hero and everyone
else.
It's choice.
Yes, all those qualities of loyalty and bravery and courage and cunning help.
But think about it.
Those warriors that Wiglaf was berating—they probably had those qualities.
They chose not to use what they'd been given.
They chose to run away instead of acting.
In the end, that's what I loved about this poem.
It made me realize that in every situation, I have a choice to do something constructive—even
if acting constructively just means recycling, or giving up my seat on the bus.
I want to be a hero for our time.
Don't you?