The story begins with a description of King Hygelac of Geatsland who is Beowulf's uncle. Beowulf lives with his uncle and his aunt who is Queen Hygd. Young Beowulf was described as a very athletic young boy with a strength so that all of his friends were filled with jealousy and rage. Because Beowulf is his uncle's favorite, he is appointed as the king's thane, or a nobleman that served the king.
I've noticed that there is great criticism of Beowulf from his friends and the people of Geatsland. The legendary man is known for destroying dragons and swimming across the great sea for five days and night, yet people still call him a coward and lazy. It seems to me that Beowulf is stubborn and short-tempered. He cares about his reputation, and will never allow anyone to ruin it. This is obvious during the quarrel between Unferth, a counselor of the king of Danes, and Beowulf.
Unferth vs. Beowulf
In short, Beowulf hears from the songs of a traveling man that there is a monster named Grendel that has been terrorizing Daneland. He sees this as an opportunity to prove to his kingdom and his friends that he is the almighty and powerful Beowulf (and not a coward). He arrives at Daneland with a warm welcome from the king and his nobleman, except for one counselor, Unferth. During the celebration banquet to welcome Beowulf and his companions, Unferth declares that Beowulf should save himself from any embarrassment and go home. He calls Beowulf a "sluggard" and a coward that cannot defeat Grendel. Beowulf becomes enraged, but of course remains calm and collected. He makes a speech that entails of his many accomplishments to redeem himself and swears that he will defeat the evil, infamous Grendel.
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| Grendel. Source. |
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