Symbolism in Beowulf

‘’The scholar does not consider gold and jade to be precious treasures, but loyalty and good faith.’’ (Confucius) This epic poem written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet is now well-thought-out to be a cornerstone in the modern literature. Throughout the epic poem, many metaphors and symbols are found, which have what serve as the core of this literature. Although they are all just as valid to the epic poem, the one that stands out the most would categorically be the substantial element of gold. In Beowulf, the economic value of gold is less imperative than its social value. Gold could be seen as a sign of hard work and bravery; a way for the king to pamper his people and an act of regret or sympathy.

First of all, gold embodies a symbol of hard work, bravery and honor with none other than Beowulf, the warrior and future king of the Geats. To begin, Beowulf was continuously represented as a hardworking warrior, fighting every battle against enemy forces with no mercy for anyone in his way. Also, when fighting the three beasts, at some point, Beowulf showed signs of downfall, but did not give up and worked until he attained what he had desired. Hard work symbolizes gold because King Hrothgar and Healfdane’s son always rewarded the hard work and relentless effort by Beowulf with gold and other riches. Succeeding, bravery beheld by Beowulf was also demonstrated in the epic poem. It took a lot of bravery on Beowulf’s part to go and battle the three monsters knowing his life was at risk. After Beowulf showed an outstanding amount of bravery and hard work when battling the magnificent dragon, it was all worth the recognition and treasures received when :“Healfdane’s son gave Beowulf a golden banner, a fitting flag to signal his victory...

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...portant part to any work of art. In this epic poem, it is evident that there are many symbols that can be taken in many different ways, which is what makes this poem so epic. But lets not forget, the one symbol that stood out through the whole poem, the meaning of gold. Back then, Gold could be seen as a sign of social interaction, a way for the king to spoil his people and an act of regret or sympathy. Just like nowadays, gold and treasures have their own ways of persuading people to feel honored, to forgive and risk it all

Works Cited

Gold Quotes. "Gold Quotes." Gold Quotes. Marc Stranford, 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.

Raffel, Burton. Beowulf. New York: Signet Classics, 2007. Print.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Beowulf Wealth Quotes Page 2." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

"Wikia." Symbolism Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014