“If You Forget Me” By Pablo Neruda: The Pain Of Love

Many chivalrous stories, such as Beowulf’s, combine loyalty with vengeance. Understanding the connections between the two themes is essential. Loyalty refers to the strong feelings of loyalty and support, whereas vengeance involves retaliation for a loss or injury. Someone who is loyal can do anything for the person to whom they are loyal. If a king is wronged, his loyal knights will punish the person who did it. Beowulf is a perfect example of vengeance and loyalty. It is not known who wrote the book, but it’s clear that the author was awed and adored by Beowulf.

Beowulf relates the tale of Beowulf – a knight turned hero. Beowulf was born to Ecgtheow. He is Hygelac’s in-law, and Hrothgars friend. His loyalty to Hrothgar, and hygelac was due to their close relationship with his father. The Scydlings were then seen by Beowulf in that country. The people adored him. He ruled many years, his father and Lord. Beowulf, the ruler and leader of Spear Danes was well-liked by all. Healfdene, his heir, was also loved by many and led her people with wisdom. Halfdane was the father of four sons. One daughter married into the Swedes royal family. This shows Beowulf’s popularity. The people love Beowulf.

The people even followed Grendel when he became rampant, ravaging the meadhall that Spear-Danes had built. Hrothgar, devastated by Grendel’s terror and hatred caused the meadhall to remain empty for a period of twelve years. In this time the people sought the help of the Devil. Hygelac told Beowulf of this Grendel feud. He then decided to assist Hrothgar in any way he could. It was because of the relationship between them that Beowulf decided to assist Hrothgar. Hrothgar was loyal to Beowulf even when he heard about his arrival. “Him I knew When He Was A Boy; His Father Was Old, Ecgtheow He was Called…It’s in the Favor of Holy God That He Comes To Visit Us, Comes To The Danes, Come For The Horror Of Grendel.” (page 11 line 372-385). Beowulf vows to defeat Grendel and avenge Hrothgar’s people, which is a great example of both loyalty and vengeance.

Beowulf is a book that revolves around vengeance. It’s the darker side of loyalty, as even the most loyal subjects can do unfathomable things to please their lord. Beowulf, who promised to revenge Hrothgar’s death and that of many others, avenged the murderers. In our view, this is a first sign of revenge. However, we might see it positively since most of them are human. Grendel’s mum found out about Beowulf’s vengeance on Grendel, and she acted in anger by killing more men and destroying the mead-hall. This is a negative view of this act. The “we” in this sentence is partially correct. The mother’s revenge would not be different from Beowulf. In Grendel’s or his mother’s eyes, their actions are perfectly acceptable no matter what we think. “Grendel s mother has a thirst for vengeance. The Earth’s folk know that even the avenging still outlived Grendel, and that she has been grieved for a long time. She may have caused the Swede Danes as much harm, if she didn’t cause more. Beowulf was hurt by this. When he returned to Grendel’s lair to kill the mother and decapitate Grendel, he offered Hrothgar the severed head. Hrothgar was his loyal friend, so he made sure to keep all of his promises.

Our history has given vengeance a negative connotation. Too many football fields’ worth of history can be attributed to loyalty and revenge. This essay focuses on Anglo Saxons history because Beowulf was born at this time. Edward was 15 when he became ungovernable and hot-tempered. Elfrida’s (or Aelfthryth) mother was a powerful rival. She wanted Aethelred to be king no matter what. (HistoryExtra). The website then explains how King Edward went to visit Elfrida. Elfrida & Aethelred seized the chance and stabbed Edward repeatedly in his stomach as soon as Edward felt comfortable. Many people disagreed after Edward’s death with Aethelred as king. Theodoric Paulus wrote that Edward was a man of devotion and good conduct. He led a good, holy and orthodox life. Aside from that, he was devoted to God and His Church. He was generous to those in need, a refuge to the good. A champion of Christ’s Faith. And a vessel of virtue. People regarded him highly and thought that his body was able to cure illnesses like blindness. It was a common term for a martyr, meaning a victim of political or religious reasons. Aethelred became known as the “Unready” king, which meant that most people didn’t think of him in a positive light. People were undoubtedly loyal to Edward.

We all follow the loyalty and revenge scheme to this day. You can see how many wars we have all been in. Only the amount of population and our technology are different. If you ignore the details, it is the loyalty and desire for vengeance that causes these wars.