The Theme Of Father/Son Relationships In Beowulf & The Song Of Roland
...Literary Patterns of European Development Paper
#1 2/6/97
The representation of father-son type relationships in early Medieval
literary works is a key theme early authors used to give their works more depth
and meaning. Two works that use the theme of father-son relationships are
Beowulf and The Song of Roland. In Beowulf, the relationship between Hrothgar
and Beowulf is one in which there is no actual blood father-son tie, but the two
characters take on all the characteristics of a real father son relationship.
Hrothgar, although Beowulf's senior, has to rely on this new warrior who comes
to Heorot to help him rid his kingdom of a great danger which he can not get
rid of by himself, and Hrothgar treats him as if he were his own son. In The
Song of Roland, Charles' relationship with his nephew Roland also takes on the
characteristics of a father-son type relationship. In this work, although
Charles is the better warrior than Roland, he relies on Roland to watch the rear
guard of his army and Roland loses his life while serving his King. The
significance of these inter-generational relationships will be looked at in this
paper, as well as what the authors through the guise of these father-son
relationships were trying to say about various different aspects of life during
their time.
In Beowulf, the function of the relationship between Hrothgar and
Beowulf helps to further the plot in several ways. Whenever there is a reliance
on family in any literary work, it gives any story more meaning and significance.
When Beowulf first arrives in Hrothgars' hall, we get a sense of the old and
incapable state Hrothgar is in "old and gray-haired among the guard of earls"
(Beowulf, pg. 62) is how he is first described. When hearing who Beowulf's
father is he states in a joyous tone "I knew him when he was a child!..Well does
the son now pay this call on a proven...
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