Part one of term paper
Beowulf takes an especially interesting look at old age and its ramifications for kingship and heroism. The poem's two main characters, Beowulf and Hrothgar, have long been a study of contrast for scholars of the work, and of course it is Beowulf who emerges favorably from the comparison. Especially interesting is the comparison between the ...

Part two of term paper
... the younger men go out to fight tornadoes, enemy soldiers, UFOs, or the popular pestilence of the day. Hrothgar's association is clearly not favorable to him, but how are we to interpret it? Is the poet deliberately undercutting Hrothgar's character? I would like to explore the poem's treatment of Hrothgar's old age, suggesting a possible interpretation of his character and touching on its significance to the values of the poem. I will make some observations and then try to draw some conclusions ...