beowulf comitatus essay

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Comitatus in Beowulf: a Study of Loyalty and Honor

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Published: Mar 8, 2024

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Beowulf vs. Modern Society

    Are there any similarities between life in modern America and the world of Beowulf ? Is it possible for such a technology oriented world such as ours to have anything in common with a world which had not even heard of electricity? Has this technology really separated us from prior civilizations? Is our thinking today any different from the thinking of ancient cultures? Although it may not seem to be true, there are actually many similarities between our world and that of Beowulf’s. These similarities are readily seen in all forms of media and entertainment, as well as noted sources of culture such as music and movies. If the similarity between the two cultures is accepted, it will not be hard to comprehend Beowulf .

    The first and most notable similarity is drinking. King Hrothgar built a giant mead-hall, namely Heorot, to accommodate his celebrations. Throughout Beowulf it can be seen that celebrations of any kind are always accompanied by drinking. Drinking is just present today as it was thousands of years ago. People today always include drinking in their celebrations, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, or marriage. Heorot is nothing more than a tremendous bar. The festivities of the warriors in Beowulf’s time can be seen every night in any local bar or pub.

    Modern violence is present all around us. No matter which way one turns, violence will be there to greet him. Whether it be on the street, in school, or even at home, violence cannot be avoided. The presence of this violence in society leads to stress. This stress is to a large extent the cause of the similarity mentioned earlier, namely drinking. Anyone from the local bully to a armed robber can be representatives of modern violence. Although it is present in everyday life, this violence can be seen easier in any form of media. There are virtually no movies today that do not depict some form of violence.

    The choice movies of modern America are such titles as Scream, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Urban Legend . It seems that every modern movie is followed by a sequel that provides more blood and gore. Not only are the "villains" of these movies representing violence, but the "heroes" and "heroines" are as well. All these movies begin and end with bloody, gruesome death. Another movie that has not even been released yet, Waterboy , stars Adam Sandler, the comedian. This movie is about a young boy who takes his inner frustration out on others as acts of violent behavior. It is unfortunate to see that even comedy has resorted to violence.

    Unfortunately, media today gives the impression that this violence is normal. This message, which all these forms of entertainment are sending out, is what is causing the real violence in society. People do not know how to express their feelings, so they follow in the footsteps of their heroes.

    The blood and gore is comparative to the actions of Grendel. Grendel was a monster in Beowulf who would literally eat his enemies; he was a cannibal. There was no mercy in his attack. The same frustrations of modern day are also seen in Grendel. He is frustrated with himself and his status. He wants attention just like everyone else.

    Yet another similarity is the idea of comitatus, the relationship between a king and his subordinates. Today, we see this in many relations. Society members feel this sense of loyalty towards their President, or Prime Minister. Army cadets feel this loyalty towards their commanding soldier. To some extent students feel it towards their teachers, and children towards their parents. In the world of Beowulf , it was honorable to die as a soldier. This seen as Beowulf speaks to Hrothgar: "Sorrow not, wise warrior. It is better for a man to avenge his friend than much mourn. Each of us must await his end of the world's life. Let him who may get glory before death: that is best for the warrior after he has gone from life. Arise, guardian of the kingdom, let us go at once to look on the track of Grendel's kin" (Norton, 45). Beowulf is clearly saying that there is glory in death. This idea is also present in modern society. The death of a soldier is looked upon as an act of extreme courage. Just as people who lack this courage in the armed forces are looked down upon, so was Unferth. His lending of Hrunting (his sword) to Beowulf was an act of cowardice.

    It might be argued that we have grown far ahead the characters of Beowulf , but with a closer look, this obviously does not hold so much truth. All the habits and values presented in Beowulf are still present in today’s society. No matter how much we evolve, we are still the same people inside.

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Review: James Seay’s essay collection reflects on mortality, literature and the natural world

May 4, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.

by Bradley Sides / Chapter16.org

"COME! COME! WHERE? WHERE?" by James Seay (University of North Carolina Press, 184 pages, $23).

James Seay takes readers to Mississippi, Moscow and many places in between in his latest book, a reflective and tender essay collection titled "Come! Come! Where? Where?"

In the opening essays, the author reflects on his own loss and grief. For example, "Down Among the Bones, the Darks, the Sparrows" finds Seay at his son's grave, observing a bee. Seay remarks, "At the moment, a bee is testing a plastic flower at the base of Josh's gravestone, then it moves on to the asters and marigolds, Russian sage and rosemary I have brought to his grave today." We, as readers, see — and feel — the presence of death, but we also, as the essay reveals itself, see life in the memories and objects that exist at the edges.

A similar careful juxtaposition exists within the next essay, "Wheat Field With Crows," which goes back in time and captures "a birthday trip to New York City" with the author and his son. We see the life and joy of the moment, but, with the knowledge of the preceding essay, we also know the pain of how the story will ultimately end.

In "Through the Trees," the author again reflects on mortality, but this time his own. Through "pale blue neon light" from a nearby funeral home, filtered on his childhood bedroom wall through a few trees, the presence of death makes its haunting entrance. It lingers, too, as family sickness becomes a frequent occurrence.

Seay, a Mississippi native who taught for a time at Vanderbilt University, is the author of four books of poetry and directed the creative writing program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1987 to 1997. His poetic sensibilities, which come to life through his command of language, shine when he discusses the convergence of literature and the natural world.

"One Corner of Yoknapatawpha" reflects beautifully on this very relationship, as Seay examines Faulkner's fictional county and his own experience of Faulkner's world: "I was aware too of another phenomenon having to do with literature and place. If I had never read Faulkner and you took me to this bean field and told me all about it and the clubhouse, which resembled the house of a tenant farmer more than a hunting lodge, I would nod and agree, but in truth it would be little more than just another bean field to me. When an author sets a narrative in motion around an actual place that we recognize, however, that place becomes invested with a kind of extra-reality, if the fiction has established a valid claim on our imagination. In addition to its own history, the place takes on that of the fiction as well."

Elsewhere, in "Avian Voices: Trying Not To Kill a Mockingbird," Seay summons Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," as well as David Lynch's film "Blue Velvet," Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf" and Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People." In this standout essay, Seay writes about trying to protect his garden from deer, an aggressively protective mockingbird and the monitored behavior of other types of birds. Readers with a special awareness of the avian world will likely find much kinship with the observations in this particular essay.

"I am not going to kill the mockingbird," Seay writes. "Truth to tell, I have become amused at his antics. Yesterday morning I walked out toward my garden and he took flight from the fence. I have a screenhouse that is elevated on wood pilings, but there is only a three-foot space between its floor beam and the ground. The mockingbird made a straight course for that restricted opening and flew under the screenhouse and out the other side. Showoff. But maybe a hint of détente. He didn't swoop down on me."

One of the most appealing qualities of "Come! Come! Where? Where?" is how richly diverse the contents are. Outside of the essays focused on mortality, grief, literature and the natural world, Seay writes about his grandmother's fried chicken ("Our Hands in the History of It"), life in a single-wide trailer ("The Single-Wide Wars") and how dogs get their perfect and intentional names ("Dogs With Agency").

"Come! Come! Where? Where?" is the kind of book that, by its end, reminds us of our world and our place in it. Even when it focuses on death, it is still buzzing with life.

For more local book coverage, visit Chapter16.org , an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.

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