Dialectical Journal 6

1. Yet the prince of rings was too proud to line up with a large army. (ln. 2345) Pride plays a huge part in Beowulf's life. It is the main motivation behind most of his accomplishments. It is for his own fame and glory that he fights and defeats the monsters in this epic. It can be argued that his pride brought him the ultimate glory in the end. Dying in battle with a dragon would make an interesting song for poets in the future, and it could even make Beowulf as famous as Sigemund.

2. He was helplessly placed to set to rights the wrong committed... (ln. 2464) Beowulf as a Jesus figure is reinforced here. It can be argued that Jesus had no choice in the sacrifice of his own life to save the world from sin, just as Beowulf seems to have no choice but to turn and fight the dragon. Both men's deaths result in a greater good for the people they love.

3. I marched ahead of him, always there at the front of the line; and I shall fight like that for as long as I live... (ln. 2497) Beowulf states right out that he is never going to give up his role of a warrior, which doesn't make him the best king. He would rather be out there in the thick of things, putting his own life in danger than sitting back and commanding the warriors that are sworn to protect him, like it is expected of the figure head. Although Beowulf has the potential to be a great king, it is overshadowed by the fact that he could do more for his country if he wasn't so concerned with gaining glory for himself.

4. ...enter the line of battle with his lord, his first time to be tested as a fighter. His spirit did not break... (ln. 2626) A parrallelism can be seen here between Wiglaf and Beowulf in his youth. Both young men would never flee from a battle, and even seem to find a sense of enjoyment in the fighting. For them, it is all about honor and glory, and the protection of the king. As long as there's someone else who is king, they are safe to do what they love (which is fight in battles). If the king dies, then there is the fear that they will have to take his place and lose out on the enjoyment of fighting.

5. It was never his fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made of iron. (ln. 2682) The idea of weapons not helping Beowulf is seen multiple times in this epic. They could even be seen as a hinderance to him. He does his best fighting with his bare hands, as we can see in his battle with Grendel. That is the shortest battle. In his fight with Grendel's mother, he has a sword and chain mail, which hampers his ability to move around, and thus makes the battle longer. The battle with the dragon is the longest, and, in this sense, the author makes the reader work as hard as Beowulf to get to the point. This fight also lasts the longest because it is the one where Beowulf has the most weapons. Ironically, he would have a better chance without his armor, but due to the heat from the dragon's fire, it is impossible to fight without protection of some kind.

6. A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame. (ln. 2890) This plays into the idea of warriors seeking out honor and glory. It is a disgrace for them to run and hide from a battle. Althougth, it could be argued that it was fate for them to run aways because if they hadn't the battle would have turned out differently. Beowulf might have lived and the passage of power would have turned out differently.