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Mr. Stambaugh
English IV: Early British Literature (E)
October 11, 2007
“Win fame before death”: Beowulf’s Relationship With Wiglaf
Howell Chickering’s translation of Beowulf is an epic poem of a warrior facing many
hardships before his ultimate fall. However, as readers, we are meant to focus on such a hero’s
effect on society. The protagonist, Beowulf, is a devout thane to the Geatish king, Hygelac.
Upon Beowulf’s return from the land of the Danes, ruled by Hrothgar, he is greeted with fame
and popularity for his killings of Grendel and Grendel’s mother. After ridding the Danes of their
problems, Beowulf takes over as the Geatish king and is challenged by his final straw, the
dragon. At this point in the poem, Wiglaf rises as a small yet key character. He is Beowulf’s
only thane that obeys the commitatus, the unwritten relationship between a lord and his thanes.
Later, Beowulf is succeeded by Wiglaf for he follows the rules of the commitatus. Beowulf’s
achievements towards fame prior to his death prove effective to those men abiding by his
commitatus, especially Wiglaf.
A theme throughout the poem is fame. Beowulf’s biggest motivation for traveling to the
Danish lands and slaying the two monsters is to heighten his individual reputation. After
Beowulf kills Grendel, the Danes discover that Grendel’s mother has come back for revenge.
However, the Danish thanes are unable to stop the creature because of her size and stimulus.
Therefore, after Hrothgar’s first man is killed, Hrothgar calls upon Beowulf for a second time.
Upon accepting this challenge, Beowulf tells Hrothgar his meaning of life. Beowulf says:
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Each of us must come
to the end of his life:
let him who may
win fame before death.
That is the best
memorial for a man
after he is gone.
(Chickering ll.1386-1389)
Beowulf believes that when bad things happen, acting upon the situation will better the situation.
These few lines are the epitome of Beowulf. All of Beowulf’s decisions are made to intensify
his fame; his ends, or actions, justify his means. His actions range from the killings of the two
giants to the following his commitatus.
Beowulf fought hard during the main rising actions scenes of the play; however, his true
fame arises when fighting as an old man against the dragon. As if defeating Grendel and
Grendel’s mother was not enough, Beowulf feels that in order to become truly famous, he must
conquer this third and final beast. After scouting the area for the upcoming fight with his thanes,
Beowulf gives them a battle speech and marches off into the cave. During the speech, Beowulf
says to his men:
“I must succeed,
win gold by courage,
final life-hurt
or battle seize me,
take your lord away!”
The famous champion
brave behind helmet,
went under stone-cliff,
of a single man;
stood up with his shield,
in hard war-shirt,
trusted the strength
hardly the coward’s way!
(Chickering ll. 2535-2541)
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Beowulf’s pre-battle speech proves that he remains eager to annihilate his opponent, despite
what he will go through. Despite realizing that he is old from both age and combat, Beowulf is
very optimistic as to the outcome and will not withhold any of the courage that has come with his
experience. However, when the clashing becomes too dangerous, all but one of Beowulf’s
companions flee in terror. Wiglaf, the loyal thane, yells to his fellow warriors the code that they
have sworn to follow – the commitatus.
Wiglaf understands the commitatus. He abides by it. All men should. Leaving Beowulf
in dire times equates to abandoning all the bravery and trust put into the system; breaching the
system causes a failure, which at this point is Beowulf’s death. Beowulf has fought strong to
protect his men, and his thanes are unable to return the favor that has protected them for many
decades. Earlier in the poem, Beowulf’s thanes follow their commitatus as Beowulf dives deep
into the foul water where Grendel’s mother’s lives. Beowulf’s thanes wait until, “…the ninth
hour came,” however, “the valiant Scyldings gave up the cliff-watch” (Chickering ll.1600-1601).
Nevertheless, when Beowulf contests his last push for triumph, his thanes forsake him. They
chose life over courage. The Beowulf poet says, “they fled to the wood to save their lives”
(Chickering ll. 2598-2599). Even though the thanes had honored Beowulf for their entire
careers, they are remembered by their final wrongdoings. Thus the thanes leave not only the
scene but also the poem itself because they did not follow Beowulf’s advice. Hence, Wiglaf is
the only one remaining.
Wiglaf is rightfully rewarded for his allegiance to Beowulf. Wiglaf yells to the retreating
cowards who once were associated with Beowulf as his thanes. Wiglaf says:
I recall the time,
when taking the mead
in the great hall,
we promised our chief…
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that we would repay him…
For that he chose us
if he ever needed us.
from all his forces….
The time is at hand
He thought us war-worthy….
when our generous lord
of good soldiers.
could use the strength
(Chickering ll. 2633-2634, 2636, 2637-2638, 2640, 26462648)
For these words, Wiglaf is the definition of the commitatus, the basis of that Old English society.
Ironically, Wiglaf is screaming to his fellow thanes that who running for their lives, and who are
not listening to this serious speech coming from his heart. By saying “he chose us,” Wiglaf
infers that these men were the best of the Geats, and here they are fleeing in fear. In addition,
Wiglaf’s battle-cry is one that usually comes from elders who have undergone many life
experiences; but in this case, Wiglaf understands the way of life.
Beowulf’s actions to achieve fame affect Wiglaf’s commitment to the commitatus. In the
beginning of the poem, Beowulf proved he was a good thane by serving Hygelac. Then, when
Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats, his thanes are loyal until their trust is truly tested. As a
result, Beowulf’s commitatus crumbles as Wiglaf takes over Beowulf’s kingship. Beowulf’s life
was dedicated too making a name for himself. Today, in the same way, many presidents,
athletes, and researchers try to follow in Beowulf’s steps. President Bush will be remembered
for liberating the Iraqi’s during their war; Barry Bonds will be recognized for breaking the home
run record; and scientists will soon have the breakthrough to cure cancer. Just as these
distinguished people have gained fame and affected many others in our world, Beowulf achieved
eminence while acting as a role model for Wiglaf.
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Works Cited:
Chickering, Howell, trans. Beowulf: A Dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books,
2006.