Antonio Rosado

Mr. Lopez
English IV
4 April 2016
Commentary essay
In Beowulf fate played a large factor in every situation and result presented throughout the
whole poem. Fate was a belief that all of the people of Heorot, the Danes, incorporated in how
events in life were dealt with. Whether failure or victory, everything was said to be in the decision of
the greater power above. Not only was fate thought to be the cause of every issue, but it was used
as a tool to drive others, including Beowulf, to overcome a difficult situation as they set out to defeat
the threats that the village was facing. This is presented throughout the poem in different situations.
Beowulf informs the reader on his beliefs as he speaks with Hrothgar on the fate in the lines:
" Fate goes ever as fate must" ("Beowulf" 455). In this scene Beowulf is repeating how he will go
about his future fight with the evil and violent creature Grendel. He is coming to an understanding
and accepting the fact that there is a chance he may or may not come out of the fight alive. This
quote connects to the theme "fate" because Beowulf knows that he may not make it out alive when
facing Grendel but he decides to take on the challenge either way. This plays an important role in
most of the poem because Beowulf sets the tone for all of the other warriors and danes that have
failed when facing Grendel in the past and the near future. Also, Beowulf's acceptance of his
unavoidable future helped him maintain his calmness when he was constantly being doubted by
Unferth. It gave him the confidence and drive he needed to overcome Unferth's comment and kill the
beast Grendel.
Hrothgar is speaking to the people of Heorot stating that he feels Beowulf is fit to be king: "If
it should come to pass that Hrethel descendant dies beneath a spear then I firmly believe the seatraveling Geats won't find a man more deserving of fame and respect as their king and defender
than you" ('Beowulf" 1845-1852). Fate plays a role in this scene because Hrothgar is declaring and

coming to an end result that if anything, based off of the desires of the gods, was to happen to him in
which another person would have to claim the position as King of Heorot that Beowulf would be the
best fit.This idea of fate and the role of being King will push others also to have confidence in
Beowulf after he takes on many creatures and fights in which his life was being risked. This
confidence in Beowulf led to the safety and good being of Heorot considering that the people's
support pushed Beowulf to do what he could regardless the result.
In conclusion, the theme fate is most important to the result and ideas presented in the poem
because fate was identified as the most significant reason for every event happening throughout the
poem. This belief led to the development of characters attitudes. It forced characters that were
looked at to accept their future that was already planned and take on a challenge that they never
thought was possible.