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Treasure In Beowulf

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Ever since mankind has discovered the existence of jewels and valuable artifacts, the quest to acquire these treasures is one that is never ending. The dream of finding riches has driven many people to make this the central focus of their life, This concept can be seen in many movies and novels such as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Gold Bug. This notion can especially be seen in the epic poem Beowulf. Treasures are items that every person strives to collect. Beowulf is a young warrior who loves to fight; but more importantly, he loves to gather treasure. Owning vast amounts of treasure can be thought of as Beowulf's sole mission in his lifetime. Throughout the poem Beowulf, his attitude towards treasure does not change at all. Instead, …show more content…

This idea can be seen in the poem when a man steals the jewels and gold from the dragon. "A man stumbled on The entrance, went in, discovered the ancient Treasure, the pagan jewels and gold... stole a gem-studded cup and fled" (2213-2218). Any person who gets any of their possession stolen, will get angry and try to get it back. The dragon, who loves his treasure, does the same. When Beowulf fights the dragon, he gets severely wounded, and is on his death bed. Normally a person in that position would want to see their loved ones before they perish, but that is not the case with Beowulf. Beowulf never loses his love for treasure, and this can be supported by the fact that the last thing he wants to see before he dies is the dragon's treasure. On his deathbed, he says "The dragon's treasure: we've take its life, but its gold is ours too. Hurry, bring me ancient silver, precious jewels, shining armor and gems" (2743-2748). Even while the warrior is taking his final breaths, he still wants treasure. It can be inferred, that his whole purpose in life was to gather as much treasure as possible. Nothing at the moment of his death would make it easier for him to go besides seeing gold. Beowulf's last words were "shining armor and gems, Before I die. Death will be softer." (2748-2749). His last words prove that the only thing that will bring him peace is treasure, thus proving the fact that his love for treasure hasn't lessened a

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Causing him to think back on his life, he bids Wiglaf to inspect the hoard and return with a portion of the treasure. Wiglaf returns to the dragon's barrow looking for treasure. He eventually returns with some. Beowulf gives thanks and orders the construction of a barrow to commemorate him. Beowulf last words before he died were, “You are the last of us, the only one left of the Waegmundings.

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The third and final evil Beowulf must face is the dragon. At this point in the poem, Beowulf has been the “ring-giver” or king for half a century (Beowulf 2207). The role of a king in Germanic times included rewarding warriors with treasure captured in battle; however, the dragon keeps his treasure to himself. This greediness is in direct opposition to the qualities of a good king, and the dragon becomes the representation of selfishness and destruction. Beowulf takes on the role of a warrior once again, and defeats the dragon.

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But he knew the greatest threat came knocking at his door for a fight that will live on being told for eternity. Beowulf sacrificed his own life for those around him, “Quickly, the dragon cam at him, encouraged as Beowulf as Beowulf fell back; its breath fared, and he suffered, wrapped around in swirling flames- a king, before, but now a Beaton warrior” (lines 687-691). In the end Beowulf fought till the end fighting not only for himself but for his people. He fought like a king until his death. Beowulf gave the ultimate sacrifice to save his people.

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He risks his life against the dragon to save his people and get back the treasure. Although he dies before leaving an heir, he is known as the greatest king on earth: “They said that of all the kings upon earth/ he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,/ kindest to his people and keenest to win fame. ”(106. 3180-3182). Beowulf was an incredible king because he was strong, generous, brave, and kind to his people.

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He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer.

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