Beowulf opens with the story of the ancient king, Shield Sheafson, to establish a discussion of kingship and to begin to build a definition of what constitutes a “good king.” Once this definition is established, the text uses it to evaluate the other European kings in the tale, particularly Hrothgar and Beowulf. This exploration of European kingship ultimately leads the modern reader to a discourse on the reign of the "High King of the World" (182), God. As the text presents the reader with tales of the kingdom of God, it likewise tells of the reign of Hrothgar and Beowulf , while providing the reader with a definition of good kingship, invites the reader to evaluate God's rule. The text offers the reader the opportunity to question the limits of God's kingship, as well as evaluate His relationship with His subjects, humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Initially, the text focuses on defining what attributes and behaviors a suitable monarch must have. According to the text, Shield Sheafson qualifies as "a good king" (11) because he "lashes out against enemies" (5), "fathers a famous son" (18), receives obedience when he lies, "says law among the Danes" (29), and continues to "prosper" (26) until his death. These characteristics become the basis of the text for analyzing other kings. Therefore, the text requires that a king must manifest the ability to protect his kingdom, provide for its future, command obedience, and maintain his strength to be considered a good ruler. Hrothgar fails the text's test of good kingship because he cannot protect his kingdom from evil in his old age. Although the narrator praises Hrothgar as a "mighty prince" (129), there is an ironic distance between the narrator's descriptions and reality, and between the narrator's voices and those of the author. When the narrator describes Hrothgar as a "mighty prince" (129), the king's actions reveal him as "stricken and helpless, / humiliated by the loss of his guard" (130-1). Likewise, when the narrator describes Hrothgar as the great "guardian of the treasure of the ring," who "walks in majesty" (920-1), the irony is that Hrothgar actually comes "from the quarters of women." . (920). A true and powerful king would come from the battlefield, not the boudoir. Despite the narrator's generous praise, the author's criticism of Hrothgar's actions rings clear. The narrator's claims about Hrothgar's greatness are actually authorial accusations of Hrothgar's poor kingship. When the narrator states that Hrothgar is the "shield of his nation" (268), the "protector of shields" (371), the "ring of defence" of his people (429), and "their refuge in war" ( 663), the author uses the ironic disjunction between descriptions of Hrothgar and his actual behavior to highlight the fact that he is a weak king, incapable of protecting his people. Likewise, Hrothgar's speech that Beowulf advised him to be wary of old age, pride, and "recklessness" (1733) is simply not what it seems on the surface. The speech also functions as an account of Hrothgar's mistakes. Reveals Hrothgar's knowledge of his failures as king; he recognizes that he has failed his people and hopes that his knowledge will help Beowulf avoid the same fate. Hrothgar seems to redeem his failures as a king through his honest effort to understand and accept the mistakes he has made. He may have succumbed to pride, "illness and old age" (1735) for a time, but he now realizes that men should "beware of that snare" (1758) of pride and know that "death will come " (1767). . Although I am not capable of beingliving up to Shield Sheafson's legend of good kingship, he becomes aware of what he lacks. The text advises that "understanding is always best" (1058), and Hrothgar passes this test of understanding. He realizes that old age, pride and "recklessness" (1733) have been his undoing, and by recognizing this fact there is hope that he can impart knowledge, and from it a good king will arise. The analysis of Hrothgar's kingship leads to an analysis of Beowulf's reign. By the standards set by the text, Beowulf does not qualify as a good king. He fails to provide for his people's future with any kind of heir and puts his people in jeopardy by thinking of his own glory and strength when he goes to fight the dragon instead of thinking of their well-being. As the text warns, “often when one follows one's own will, many are hurt” (3077-8). The great pride that prevents him from "aligning himself with a great army / Against the plague of heaven" (2346-7) leads him to death and his people to the brink of doom, leaderless and vulnerable. Despite his great strength and the heroic deeds of his youth, he fails to meet the requirements of protecting and providing for his people. Furthermore, he seems to lack the redemptive insight that Hrothgar had into his own failures. He goes to his death proud of his successes, believing he is leaving his people "well endowed" (2798), and unable to understand the danger he has placed them in. The gold he wins is useless to them, destined to be "wrapped in fire" (3015) with his lifeless body. If understanding is better, then Beowulf is less than great. This constitutes the analysis that a medieval reader could have made of the text of Beowulf. He could have gleaned from the text the message that kings must protect, provide, command, and endure for their people to be good leaders. Furthermore, a medieval reader might have seen a message in the text that human kings like Hrothgar and Beowulf have flaws, but that some hope might lie in understanding and correcting these flaws. The text may also have been seen as a container to hold documentation of these errors, in the hope that they could be prevented in the future. The depiction of imperfect human kingship certainly existed in the text for readers of the medieval period and continues to exist in the 21st century. However, for modern readers the text opens up a further discussion that medieval readers may not have perceived, nor that a medieval author might have intentionally initiated, about the kingship of the "True King of Trumps" (3055), God. The kingdom of God in Beowulf he is introduced to the reader through the stories of Shield, Hrothgar and Beowulf. Every event in the play is attributed to God. The text offers the reader a clear opportunity to investigate and question God's rule in the same way that the text and the reader question the kingship of Hrothgar and Beowulf. In three respects, the God of Beowulf is as perfect a king as one would expect him to be. . He provides for the future of his people, always receives obedience when he requests it, and his strength never fails. The future of God's people is assured in two ways. Because God is immortal, His people will never suffer from leaderlessness. Old age cannot do him "mortal harm, as it has done to so many" human kings. Furthermore, according to Christian faith, God gives his people a perfect heir, Christ, who in turn will give them the perfect inheritance, eternal life. These gifts are far better than the gold and treasures that human kings like Beowulf are able to amass for their people. Compared to the legacy God chose to bestow upon humanity, Beowulf's golden legacy seems remarkably useless and meager. In terms of., 9/8/2003