The representation of father-son type relationships in early Medieval literary works
is a key theme early authors used to give their works more depth and meaning. Two works
that use the theme of father-son relationships are Beowulf and The Song of Roland. In
Beowulf, the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf is one in which there is no actual
blood father-son tie, but the two characters take on all the characteristics of a real
father son relationship. Hrothgar, although Beowulf's senior, has to rely on this new
warrior who comes to Heorot to help him rid his kingdom of a great danger which he can
not get rid of by himself, and Hrothgar treats him as if he were his own son. In The
Song of Roland, Charles' relationship with his nephew Roland also takes on the
characteristics of a father-son type relationship. In this work, although Charles is the
better warrior than Roland, he relies on Roland to watch the rear guard of his army and
Roland loses his life while serving his King. The significance of these
inter-generational relationships will be looked at in this paper, as well as what the
authors through the guise of these father-son relationships were trying to say about
various different aspects of life during their time.
In Beowulf, the function of the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf helps to
further the plot in several ways. Whenever there is a reliance on family in any literary
work, it gives any story more meaning and significance. When Beowulf first arrives in
Hrothgars' hall, we get a sense of the old and incapable state Hrothgar is in "old and
gray-haired among the guard of earls" (Beowulf, pg. 62) is how he is first described.
When hearing who Beowulf's father is he states in a joyous tone "I knew him when he was a
child!..Well does the son now pay this call on a proven ally!" (Beowulf, pg. 62-63)
Immediately there is a fond relationship here which will develop even further. When
Beowulf claims that he is in Heorot to cleanse the people of the monster named Grendel
who is plaguing them, Hrothgar is very grateful and he states "So it is to fight in our
defence, my friend Beowulf, and as an act of kindness that you have come to us here!"
(Beowulf, pg. 65) We see here that Hrothgar is indeed grateful to have the services of
so brave a warrior. When Beowulf slays Grendel, the pride that the old Hrothgar feels
towards Beowulf can almost be equated to the pride a father will feel towards his son
when he accomplishes a great deed. He even claims Beowulf as his son when he holds up the
slain Grendel's hand and states "Beowulf, I now take you to my bosom as a son, O best of
men, and cherish you in my heart. Hold yourself well in this new relation!" (Beowulf, pg.
80) This claiming of Beowulf as his son and his later bestowing to him gifts customary to
their society shows how strong their bond is. After the slaying of Grendel's mother, the
relationship grows even stronger, and Hrothgar from this point on will be ever grateful
to his new son who saved his kingdom from so great a peril.
In The Song of Roland, the relationship that exists between Charles and Roland is just
as significant as in Beowulf, but is somewhat different. Roland is recognized as a
prized knight and the King's nephew before he is assigned to the rearguard, (as can be
seen as through the protests of the thought of him going to negotiate with the
treacherous Saracens) but not until after Roland's betrayal and death is he esteemed so
high in Charles' mind and all the others involved. When hearing of the betrayal Roland
states "Where are you, fair nephew? ......God!" , Says the King, "how bitter my reproach,
that I was absent when they struck the first blow" (The Song of Roland, sect. 177) in
utter desperation. When later Charles finds out Roland has definitely been slain by the
Paynims, while lying down to sleep he thinks of his nephew who he thought of as a son.
"Charles lies awake and weeps for Roland's plight...The King is weary, for grief weighs
on his eyes; " (The Song of Roland, sect. 184) The deep pain in Charles heart is
different than in Beowulf, because Charles is in mourning, while Hrothgar was joyous, and
while Hrothgar could be proud of his son Beowulf, Charles feels as if he has let his son
down bye letting this whole situation happen when he trusted the evil Ganelon. He then
goes on with a new vigor to destroy those who killed Roland and the Franks, and the
resulting battle can be seen as a revenge mission for Charles, which further helps to
give the story more depth. Although the result of the two father-son relationships is
different in some of the respects that are stated above, both relationships are essential
in establishing the plot of the two works and giving the reader a sense of all the
intricate forces that were at work in the two societies.
The person who wields the power in the two stories also varies in each work. In
Beowulf, Hrothgar is seen as old and unable to challenge the forces of evil that have
befallen his kingdom, and Beowulf is seen as the young powerful warrior who will bring a
new energy to the fight against evil. Beowulf's arrival marks a time when the son is
taking over from the father the responsibilities of a great threat, and further help to
give the character of Beowulf more stature and prestige.
In The Song of Roland the situation is almost the complete opposite. In this work,
Charles will be the one who ultimately triumphs over the evil, and therefore it is
essential to build his stature up. Although Roland is regarded as a great warrior,
Charles is seen as the Christian conqueror of the enemies of Christ. In Charles' case,
his old age is to his
advantage, and his long white beard and hair are stressed by the author to help paint him
as very old. The fight scene between Baligant and Charles further goes to shed light on
the experience, leadership and general legend of the old King Charles. So who has the
power in a father-son type relationship clearly depends on the individual work itself.
Whoever the main and essential character is of the particular work is going to be granted
the superior power and prestige.
The strong father-son relationship in Beowulf is a way of stressing how the people of
the time felt. The comitatus of the Scandinavian kingdoms of the time Beowulf was
written emphasized family and clan above all else, and by having the Hrothgar-Beowulf
relationship act out in a certain way, you can get a great sense of what the comitatus
system was like. The political and economic ideas of the time are also commented on
through this relationship. The gift giving of Hrothgar and Beowulf in turn for deeds
done shows what the essence of the comitatus was, how services were rewarded and great
deeds applauded. The entire relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf is the prime
example of the comitatus, and the author was clearly trying to stress that when writing
Beowulf.
The author of The Song of Roland also clearly had the idea also of commenting on the
society of the time by using the father-son relationship as a model. Roland's complete
faith to his lord and King Charles gives the impression of how all loyal subjects should
be to their lord. When deciding if they should trust the Saracens and talk with them
Roland warns "Nevermore trust Marsile!" (The Song of Roland, sect. 14) Later on we see
the paternal instincts and wisdom of Charles when Roland and other members of the twelve
offers to speak to the Saracen Marsile. Roland states "That shall you not!" (The Song of
Roland, sect. 18) , showing how much he valued his closest warriors, almost like it was a
family, again showing how the feudal system was a two way relationship. Roland's
willingness to face anything that his King wishes also goes to comment on the social
characteristics of the day and what was expected from the code of chivalry. The final
revenge theory is also something that is interesting to look at. Charles' sadness and
anger at the death of Roland sparks his energy, and makes him take the war up as a
revenge for Roland and the others. The emphasis on revenging Roland is also
representational of Medieval society, and how if a family member was killed it was
expected that a fellow family member would revenge them. The father-son relationships
portrayed here clearly help give an emphasis on the values of the society in which the
two writers are writing in.
The significance of the father-son relationship in these two works are essential in both
works development. Just as one could argue the good-evil, or Christian-pagan conflicts
are essential to them both, the father-son relationship is just as important. Through
the relationship we can get a window on the past that lets us see the societies that are
written about, we can get a sense of their social, political, and economic customs.
Clearly both authors use this great technique to give their stories more depth and
meaning, and by doing so Beowulf and The Song of Roland are not only considered great
literary works of their respective periods because of the stories they tell, but also
because of the valuable information they give the reader on the society in which they
take place.
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