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Chloe Uy
Ms. Dill
British Literature
10 March 2023
To Death and Beyond
In Beowulf, Anonymous employs personification, a situational archetype, and diction to
communicate the theme of loss and the acceptance of the inevitability of death. For example, the
bard utilizes personification to convey the theme of loss to the reader. In order to make the
connection, the reader must understand that personification is a type of metaphor in which a
writer gives a nonhuman quality a human characteristic (“Handbook”). In the epic, the author
personifies several emotions to emphasize Hrothgar’s grief for his murdered men. After Herot
experiences twelve years of Grendel’s wrath, Hrothgar’s “misery leap[s] / the seas” (ll. 64-65).
Clearly, the scribe personifies Hrothgar’s feeling of misery in order to highlight Hrothgar’s
sorrow and mourning for the loss of his men. Hrothgar’s misery crosses over the seas, indicating
its vast expanse in infinite amounts. The reader can understand and sympathize with Hrothgar
due to the writer giving misery a human characteristic, evoking a sense of empathy in the reader
for Hrothgar’s despair. By the same token, Hrothgar’s followers face the reality of losing their
close companions when “agony [hangs] / on king and people alike, harsh / and unending, violent
and cruel, and evil” (ll.106-108). As shown above, Anonymous illustrates how agony hangs onto
Hrothgar’s people, specifying the heavy, physical weight upon Hrothgar’s followers. With this in
mind, the poet personifies agony to allow the reader to interpret agony as a harsh, emotional
burden that accompanies coping with loss. To clarify, the bard’s personification of agony enables
the reader to associate physical and emotional characteristics with the human theme of loss.
Altogether, the scop of the heroic poem amplifies and explicates the theme of loss to help others
understand the event of losing people in life.
Provided that the author uses personification to express the theme of loss, the writer
additionally utilizes a situational archetype to delineate the acceptance of the inevitability of
death to the audience. The first point to remember is that an archetype is a universal symbol,
motif, or theme that is found among varying cultures (“Examples”). In the epic poem, the bard
applies the situational archetype of the battle between good and evil to help the audience digest
the inevitability of death. During Beowulf’s final battle with the dragon, he “stare[s] at death, /
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unwilling to leave this world,” but he later understands that death is “a journey / into darkness
that all men must make” (ll. 737-738; ll. 739-740). To enumerate, Beowulf initially stares at the
dragon with hesitancy and reluctance in dying. Shortly after, Beowulf overcomes his reluctance
when he accepts that death is an inevitable aspect of life. The audience visualizes that Beowulf’s
battle with the dragon walks him through the process of facing and accepting the harsh reality of
death. Another important point to realize is that the battle between Beowulf and the dragon
represents the battle between good and evil, a “battle between two primal forces” (“Situational
Archetypes”). The most compelling evidence is when Beowulf’s battle with the dragon comes to
an end and “his soul / [leaves] his flesh, [flying] to glory” (ll. 827-828). To explain, Beowulf’s
soul flies to glory, indicating that he passes away after his victorious battle with the dragon.
Beowulf’s acceptance of his fate conveys his understanding of the inevitability of death. From
this information, the scop enlightens the audience with the concept of certain death, no matter the
circumstance. One might fight with undeniable force, one might accomplish their life goals, and
another might withhold all the riches in life, but in the end, all must accept the inevitability of
death. Ultimately, the author’s use of a situational archetype allows the reader to comprehend
that even Beowulf, a mighty king and warrior, meets his inescapable death.
As much as the writer relays the acceptance of death to the audience through a situational
archetype, the scop lastly employs diction to illustrate the theme of loss. To create a deeper
understanding, the audience must understand that diction is a writer’s or speaker’s choice of
words (“Handbook”). Toward the end of the epic, the poet utilizes diction to communicate the
emotions that Beowulf’s men feel after his death. Once twelve of Beowulf’s bravest men ride
around his burial tower, the men “[tell] their sorrow, telling stories / of their dead king,” once
more “praising him for heroic deeds, for a life / as noble as his name” (ll. 831-832; ll. 833-834).
As an illustration, Beowulf’s men express their grief while at the burial tower, remembering
stories of Beowulf and his heroic actions. The bard chooses specific phrases and words that help
the reader understand how Beowulf’s men feel. During times of grieving, individuals may recall
stories about the ones closest to them, reminiscing about the positive aspects of that person’s
character. In the same way, Beowulf’s men recall their noble king and his heroic nature. The
author carefully chooses “sorrow,” “dead king,” and “for a life / as noble as his name” to aid in
the audience’s understanding of losing people throughout life. A point often overlooked is when
Beowulf’s men “[mourn] their beloved leader, / crying that no better king ha[s] ever / lived” (ll.
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839-841). To point out, the writer’s use of the word “beloved” indicates that Beowulf’s men have
an intimate connection with their king, assisting the audience in understanding why his men
grieve so terribly. In addition, when Beowulf’s men cry that Beowulf is the best king to ever live,
the reader is able to sense the elegiac tone; correspondingly, the audience senses the gloominess
and heaviness of the author’s diction. Through diction, the audience is able to grasp the theme of
loss and losing close companions throughout life. All in all, the author’s diction helps expand the
audience’s comprehension of the theme of loss. For the most part, the theme of loss appears
throughout works of literature and in human lives. As for the acceptance of the inevitability of
death, others find it more challenging to ponder death and what lies beyond its cold embrace.