How does Beowulf live up to the comitatus code and all that is good?
...alks about Beowulf fighting for his people. It says, “I am ready and willing to report my errand” (Norton 39). Beowulf shows in line 407 that he is there for his people and not himself when he says, “Greetings to Hrothgar. I am Hygelac’s kinsman” (Norton 41). Beowulf coming to fight for Hrothgar is directly related to a family debt. Years before, Hrothgar sheltered Beowulf’s father from a dangerous feud so Beowulf is doing this great deed to repay him. Beowulf is also fighting for his family. Epic for Students states, “Beowulf is a strong man who thinks and feels. His deep affection for his grandfather, Hrethel, and uncle, Hygelac lasts to the end of his long life. He is capable of discernment, sensitivity, and compassion” (Lazzari 29). These few lines show how strongly Beowulf feels about fighting for his family and upholding the comitatus code. Beowulf not only is fighting for his family but also for his friends and for his own glory. “Glory in Beowulf is usually connected with heroism in battle or with generosity. Treasure was the outward manifestation of glory” (Lazzari 33). Beowulf is a true man of honor and dignity. George K. Anderson stated in The Literature of the Anglo-Saxons, “Beowulf the hero stands forth as a man of dignity and polish, in sense that he knows to perfection the complicated etiquette expected of a champion” (65). Beowulf shows more than just his physical characteristics in the story. He also has a heart for God. “He, more than any other character, has a sense of God’s hand ...