One of the fundemental responsibilities of a king is to protect his people. This is especially true when a violent, man-eating monster is nightly breaking into his mead hall and eating his thanes! For 12 years, Grendel terrorizes Heorot and its environs, yet Hrothgar apparently does nothing to stop him. There are no indications in the text that Hrothgar attempts to deal with Grendel, or that his thanes and people are bothered or upset by the ineffectiveness of their leader. This is bizare to me since our society wants to oust any leader if he cannot resolve a problem in a few years, let alone 12 years.
Hrothgar, at least from the way he is introduced in the opening fitts, seems like he is a capable warrior. In fitt I the poet says, "Then success in war was given to Hrothgar, / honor in battle, so that his beloved kinsmen / eagerly served him / until the young soldiers grew / into a mighty trop of men" (I:64-67). He builds an impressive mead hall, has ample rings and treasure to give, and is married to a gracious woman. It would seem he has the makings of a good ruler. But military prowess, wealth, and generocity do not always denote an effective leader. This appears to be the case with Hrothgar, who lets Grendel roam the land unchecked.
Perhaps, though, he doesn't have time to fight the monster because he is more interested in pursuing other interests, mainly his wife. Several other blogs have rightly pointed out that Hrothgar often is seen emerging from the woman's chambers or relies on Wealhtheow. It seems she keeps Hrothgar on a short leash, or he would rather spend time with her than attending to his duties. I am not sure which of them is pulling the strings, but in any event, Grendel has free reign.
I don't want to judge him too harshly since there is so much the poem doesn't say about him. However, enough of his character is described to question his leadership. I do know that I were a subject of his, I would have left Heorot a long time before Beowulf showed up, that is if Grendel didn't kill me!
If we were to be conspiracy-theorist about it: Perhaps Wealhtheow encourages Hrothgar's passivity in relation to dealing with Grendel. As long as Grendel is rampaging around the mead hall, Hrothgar is in the women's hut with her. Considering the tragic ends of almost every other woman in the poem, she may consider the slaughter of a few thanes...every night for 12 years...to be a small price to pay for a husband who spends time with her and listens to her.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of her motives (which are no doubt less twisted than I posit), I agree that were I a thane I would have ditched Heorot a long time ago, no matter how towering it was.