The Illest Motherf**ker Alive: Beowulf as an Old English Kanye West

Why is it considered a bad thing to make sure people are aware of your influence and achievements? In Beowulf, the majority of people have no problem with Beowulf flexing his muscles constantly. Beowulf seems cocky, full of himself, braggadocious, and other words to describe the same thing, but his achievements seem to completely justify his actions as far as the Danes are concerned. Yet somehow, an overwhelming majority of our class saw this to be a bad thing.

If Beowulf were placed in modern times, he would be Kanye West. Just stop and consider the implications I just made. Did you sigh at the name Kanye West? To the majority of people (including my parents), even hearing his name conjures up the same feelings we feel towards Beowulf as he continues to boast about his accomplishments. While Kanye never killed nine sea monsters (574-575) or slayed Grendel (817-819), his influence on hip-hop is undeniable, and he will let you know.

So why does this bother us? Does this boastfulness symbolize a lack of true confidence in one’s self due to a need to constantly remind people of one’s achievements? No one wants to be told, “I’m better than you” by anyone else, even if it’s completely true. Beowulf swam for DAYS, and killed NINE sea monsters. Kanye West released “The College Dropout” in 2004 and completely revolutionized modern hip-hop, paving the way for future rappers like Drake, Childish Gambino and countless others.

At face value, an Old English white Geat has almost nothing in common with a modern American black rapper. However, their personalities are fairly identical. Beowulf and Kanye both take on the world by themselves. Beowulf is one of the greatest warriors to ever live and Kanye is one of the greatest rappers to ever live. Both of them will let you know this. For Beowulf, this is justified because otherwise people may spread misinformation, such as Unferth’s incorrect version of Beowulf’s swimming contest (506-524). Though he sounded like a jackass, Beowulf was merely correcting Unferth’s incorrect assessment of the contest in order to uphold his name. The same tends to be true for Kanye West, as almost every show he’s ever put on features a long 15-20 minute “rant” about whatever is troubling him at the moment. When I personally saw him live, his “rant” was about how he wanted to get into fashion designing, but the companies he was working with only wanted him to be a face, rather than a contributor. He wanted to fight this in order to fulfill his dreams, yet most people simply write off his impassioned speech as just another rant.

In the end, it seems that, though they are different, Beowulf and Kanye West’s boastfulness and cockiness are vital parts of their characters, as they have gigantic legacies to live up to. Though we may dismiss it as an ego trip, it seems important to realize that sometimes people do need to hype themselves up to accomplish great things, such as slaying a dragon or releasing “Yeezus.” A humble man likely could not do either, and thus, the humble man would not receive that same critical acclaim.

  

The Importance of Patriarchy in Beowulf

Beowulf is set in a time of male-dominance where the patriarchy controls all choices. The opening of This Epic is a family tree of Hrothgar's male lineage and how each man is strong and a good leader based on his father's characteristics. This already sets into the readers mind that anyone of this lineage will be a great warrior and leader. Thus, Beowulf's characteristics do not need to be explained in detail further deeper in the story, as the reader knows to expect a fearless warrior based on the description of his Father. All characters also know each other in relation to who their father is. The ancestors are important as a bond between the characters, as Beowulf would not have gone to Hrothgar's aid if it wasn't for the debt that Beowulf owes through his father.


Beowulf's strong ties to his lineage is also shown in the fact that he dies without any heirs. While Beowulf's death was a sacrifice to his people, the real pain comes from the fact that he cannot continue on the lineage of his family, and thus ending the heroic line. Because of Beowulf's strong ties to lineage, he is fully comfortable in his identity. He can be confidant in his abilities, as he tries to do as well as his fathers did before him. He grew up in a family that expected him to do great tasks with ease, and Beowulf always complies.


Beowulf is contrasted in Grendel, who descends from Cain. This creates a large gap between the two, as Beowulf was born from nobility and a heroic line, but Grendel comes from the biblical figure that not only murders, but murders in his own lineage. This creates a gap between the two, as Beowulf would see such a strong connection to his family, and loyalty for them, while Grendel is a demon set solely on destruction, even if it falls on his own brother.


Beowulf can be compared to Shield Sheafson, who was an orphan. Beowulf's own father died when he was young, and both characters thus had to become "men" from a very young age and were able to step up to the challenge, becoming great men later in life. Sheafson, however, represents the start to a great line, being an orphan he continued his family to greatness, while Beowulf is on the other end of the spectrum, ending a great lineage when he dies without an heir.