Hrothgar

Character Analysis

Warlords, Are You Feeling Lucky?

Grendel totally has mixed feelings about human beings. He'd like to think they're complete, blithering idiots, but his own initial observations show us why he has reason to worry about these guys: "Suddenly I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers, the most dangerous things I've ever met" (27).

So if the "lower humans" like Unferth and Ork can think, plan and strategize well enough to freak the poor monster out, just imagine how that monster feels about someone like Hrothgar.

In his heyday, King Hrothgar is kind of like Chuck Norris for the Danes. He's strong and smart, a true gangland-style leader and butt-kicker extraordinaire. Grendel recognizes that Hrothgar might be the best of all humans because he is able to step outside of the warlord mindset and figure out how to consolidate power. Without any extra resources, Hrothgar changes the face of warfare in his time:

Hrothgar, who'd begun hardly stronger than the others, began to outstrip the rest. He'd worked out a theory about what fighting was for, and now he no longer fought with his six closest neighbors. He'd shown them the strength of his organization, and now, instead of making war on them, he sent men to them every three months or so, with heavy wagons and back-slings, to gather their tribute to his greatness. (37)

Yes: our good king has figured out how to bully the other kings out of their milk money. Like the Shaper (another dangerous character), Hrothgar analyzes the best of what's available and adapts it to his own needs. He doesn't feel the need to follow the old codes of conduct.

Heavy is The Head that Wears the Crown

By the time Grendel really starts raiding Heorot, there are signs that the king is aging and that perhaps all isn't well in the meadhall. We get the first whisper of this early in the story, as Grendel focuses on the old Shaper: "He sings to a heavier harpsong now, old heat-string scratcher, memory scraper. Of the richest of kings made sick of soul by the scattered bones of thanes" (46).

It's clear that Grendel is a major cause of Hrothgar's suffering—there are only so many times you can clean up the blood and rebuild your meadhall before you feel a little weak and broken.

But the factors contributing to Hrothgar's downfall are more complex. Grendel's razor-sharp assessments hit the nail right on the head: "He had in his youth the strength of seven men. Not now. He has nothing left but the power of his mind—and no pleasure there: a case of knives. The civilization he meant to build has transmogrified to a forest thick with traps" (121). Not only has he lost his muscle, he's lost his peace of mind as well.

The king has become trapped by everything he worked so hard to achieve. His bling, his solid rep, his fantastic crib, and even his methods of ruling become a target for younger, ambitious warlords. His beautiful wife, a peace offering from a young and resentful lesser king, might become a point of contention in the future. He also knows that his young sons will most likely become prey for their orphaned cousin Hrothulf, who has lost his natural chance at a throne through war.

Grendel can see that this isn't the retirement Hrothgar had planned.

Sapientia et Fortitudo

Yeah, we're throwing Latin phrases in the air like we just don't care. Hey, at least we're doing it for a reason.

This particular Latin phrase is something that explains the qualities of a good king—at least according to the dude who wrote Beowulf. It translates as "Wisdom and Strength." A good king should have both of these things in order to succeed and rule well. The problem? Both of these qualities—strength in particular—weaken as people age.

We've already seen that Hrothgar's fortitudo is pretty low. If you're still not convinced of that, check out the descriptions of him as "the naked, bony king" as he sleeps in his chamber (104); it might be a little harder for you to see him as a man who's seriously lacking in wisdom after you review these descriptions.

But it's not that hard. Right from the get-go, something seems a little off in Hart. Who's the best warrior among Hrothgar's men, for example? It's Unferth. Drunken, kin-killing Unferth. Even Grendel won't touch this guy.

That very Unferth is Hrothgar's right hand man. Yes, things are in a sorry state by the time Grendel enters into his twelfth season of raiding. We get the sense that Hrothgar has passed the point of concern for all of these things.

He clearly sees that trouble is out there, but he doesn't have the sense to do anything about it: "Who can look into the wet-mouthed smiles of children and see a meadhall burning...? Except, of course, Hrothgar. Violence and shame have lined the old man's face with mysterious calm" (120-121). Lots of outside forces threaten the stability of Hrothgar's kingdom—Hrothulf, Grendel, other warlords—but Hrothgar can't seem to think his way out of a hole.

On the Edge

Even with a bunch of examples from history to help him (think of all the stories the Shaper tells about poor choices made by other kings), Hrothgar doesn't get it. He happily welcomes the stranger and immediately says he's as good as a son to him (um...) without any thought to the possible threat this new "savior" might pose.

But Beowulf—younger, stronger, and smarter—can see the writing on the wall. When he hears Hrothgar prattling on about marrying Freawaru off to an enemy king, he "...smiled on, but closed his eyes. He knew a doomed house when he saw it..." (164-65). Hrothgar has lost his sapientia in a big way.

Looking in from the outside, clear-eyed Grendel can also see what's happening: "Hrothgar, keen of mind, is out of schemes. There are no schemes left. And so he waits like a man chained in a cave, staring at the entrance or, sometimes, gazing with sad, absent-minded eyes at Wealtheow, chained beside him" (122). The bony, sad king doesn't really have much left to break up those chains.

His confusion, in a way, mirrors Grendel's: for most of the book, neither can figure out how to establish an identity on his own. They're both part of a bigger picture that seems to be spiraling out of control—spiraling out of control for everyone but Beowulf, that is.