Foreshadowing and Monsters in Beowulf
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by Michael Hall
…care not for pride,
great champion! The glory of your might
is but a little while; soon it will be
that sickness or the sword will shatter your strength,
or the grip of fire, or the surging flood,
or the cut of a sword, or the flight of a spear,
or terrible old age—or the light of your eyes
will fail and flicker out; in one fell swoop
death, o warrior, will overwhelm you. (Beo. 1760-1768)It was no easy journey
for the famous son of Ecgtheow to agree
to give up his ground in that place;
he was forced, against his will, to find
a place of rest elsewhere—just as every one of us
must give up these loaned days.
It was not long
until those two great creatures came together again.
The hoard-guard took heart, his breast swelled with breath
once again; he suffered anguish,
trapped by flames, he who had once ruled his folk. (Beo. 2586-2595).
The first passage is an excerpt from Hrothgar’s speech to Beowulf, right after the king told him the story of Heremod. Hrothgar warns Beowulf of the dangers of a prideful life, and how such a life will ultimately lead to ruin. This warning actually foreshadows the events that will take place during Beowulf’s later years. The second passage takes place in the midst of the battle between Beowulf and the dragon, the moment when the foreshadowed events occur. The passage describes the crushing of Beowulf’s pride, which leads to his downfall. Also, the wording in the second passage also implies that Beowulf has become what he hates, a monster. So in addition to foreshadowing, these two passages show the dangers of indulging in a prideful life.
The first passage foreshadows the events that take place in the second passage. First of all, Hrothgar warns Beowulf that his strength will eventually fail, and “that sickness,” or pride will be his undoing. We can see this happening in the second passage when the pride of the older Beowulf, or “the famous son of Ecgtheow,” makes it difficult “to give up his ground,” and admit defeat. But Beowulf does do so, and immediately recognizes, and accepts, his impending death. This can be seen when he describes giving up the “loaned days,” or life on earth, which is loaned to humanity from God. Secondly, Hrothgar describes in the first passage how the “grip of fire” could also “shatter his strength,” and lead to his doom. This is mirrored in the second passage when Beowulf is fighting the flame-spewing dragon and has “suffered anguish/ trapped by flames,” which results in his strength diminishing. And thirdly, the final statement made by Hrothgar, that “in one fell swoop/ death…will overwhelm you,” could be considered loosely connected to what is occurring in the second passage. For example, the word “swoop” has a connotation that relates to something airborne. So basically, death will overwhelm Beowulf from the sky. When read along side the second passage, the relationship becomes clearer, especially if we consider the possibility that death can be personified. Beowulf is fighting a flying dragon, which ultimately leads to his death. So the word “death” in the first passage physically manifests itself as the dragon in the second passage.
The wording in the second passage also implies that Beowulf has become what he hates, a monster. Because Beowulf did not heed the advice given to him by Hrothgar in the first passage, pride has destroyed him. True, this does lead to his death, but it is possible that Beowulf was dead, in a sense, already. Take a look at how Beowulf and the dragon are described in the second passage: “It was not long/ until those two great creatures came together again.” Why is Beowulf described as a “creature,” using the same term that is used to describe the dragon? What is the difference between the two? Could it be that Beowulf is no longer a man, but has become a creature? I wonder if the similar description and the close proximity of the two when the author writes “came together” means that they have become one in the same. In other words, Beowulf has become a monster. This may not be far from the intended meaning; the next few lines give added support to this hypothesis. For example, notice the barely perceptible shift in the wording when the author switches the focus from the dragon to Beowulf: “The hoard-guard took heart, his breast swelled with breath/ once again; he suffered anguish,/ trapped by flames, he who had once ruled his folk.” We don’t realize the “he” after the semicolon is Beowulf until we read “once ruled his folk.” Is this done purposefully? If the author did not intend for there to be a close relationship between the two, why did he word that line the way he did? I also find the description “hoard-guard” interesting. How different is the dragon from the rest of mankind in the story? All the men, Beowulf included, are either seeking treasure, or guarding it. Beowulf himself stood guard over the immense treasure of the Geats. So, in a sense, Beowulf could also be a “hoard-guard,” which perhaps adds more confusion to deciphering the passage.
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