Themes in Beowulf
From the beginning of Beowulf we are able to understand and see the central themes and points that are being focused on. From the assigned readings of Beowulf and after finishing the entire piece I found it stuck with its major theme in which we are given from the prologue of the story. From the start of the story we are able to identify with Scyld Scefing and his role as king and leader. Power plays a major role and theme throughout the entire story which allows the story to flow well and keep the theme strong and intriguing to the readers. I found that the major themes within this whole story revolve around the idea of power, legacy , and heroism. These three themes are what the story of Beowulf is about and the author portrays these themes by expressing them through each character and what and how they are represented within the text. I found that it would be difficult to describe the theme of this story only within one passage because the theme does not change but takes small shifts in the idea of power which is how we get the theme of legacy and heroism out of it. All three of these themes and ideas all contribute to what I believe to be the main point that the author is trying to get across and theme which is identity. At the beginning of the story the author introduces the character Scyld Scefing, The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Scyld Scefing is the mythical founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe’s highest values of heroism and leadership. The poem opens with a brief account of his rise from orphan to warrior-king, concluding, “That was one good king” (11). Within this first scene we are also introduced to Scyld’s son Beowulf, who is also represented by the author as some form of leadership and honor, “Thus should a young man bring about good with pious gifts from his father’s possessions, so that later in life loyal comrades will stand beside him when war comes, the people will