The Massachusetts Medievalist on Beowulf, lines 1645-2176 (speeches and treasure)
The Massachusetts Medievalist knows this is the least popular section of the poem; there are no exciting fights, no cool monsters, and lots of long speeches. Many high school versions abridge it, and it rarely gets onto the radar of most undergraduate classroom discussions.
BUT this section is thematically crucial, as it reiterates the most important relationship of the poem, that between King and Hero (or Lord and Warrior, if you prefer). We basically see three versions of the same scene: the King and the Hero make formal speeches of mutual praise and treasure passes between them.
from the Kelmscott Beowulf, designed by William Morris, 1895
The first of these is the most extended, the feast in Heorot after Beowulf returns from his fight with Grendel's Mother. Hrothgar's "sermon" (as the critics call it) occurs here, and Hrothgar tries to give Beowulf some wisdom about leadership before giving him yet another set of reward-gifts. The second is largely a repetition, when Hrothgar and Beowulf make their formal farewells the next morning before Beowulf returns to Geatland. In both, the older King thanks the younger Hero for his brave deeds and dispenses advice along with treasure. These scenes then present an idealized narrative of the masculine life cycle: the young Hero kills monsters for the old King, gathering treasure and reputation and power along the way so that he can become an old King in his turn (spoiler: that's kind of what happens at the end of poem). Hrothgar and Beowulf are not related by blood, and their lack of a biological relationship underscores the allegorical nature of their paternal/filial bond.
That bond is echoed in the bond between Beowulf and Hygelac in the third of these scenes; Hygelac is Beowulf's uncle, and Beowulf's father is dead, so Hygelac is another father-figure for Beowulf. Hygelac is younger than Hrothgar but a generation older than Beowulf; like Hrothgar, Hygelac is a King with a beautiful wife who passes a cup to the warriors in the hall to create harmony and goodwill. He speaks more briefly than does Hrothgar; Beowulf's narrative of his Danish exploits fills most of this homecoming scene, and it's interesting to see how his version differs in some details from the "official" version we've already heard. Note too that the dynamic between this King and Hero is different - Beowulf gives Hygelac and Hygd (almost) all of Hrothgar's reward-treasure, and then Hygelac gives Beowulf substantial gifts that include extensive lands and his own hall. The exchange of treasure here moves in two directions instead of one, and thus reiterates the mutuality of the bond between King and Hero.
Headley makes one of her many provocative choices in this overwhelmingly masculinist section. She plays with the traditional idea of the woman as peace-weaver (OE freothu-webbe) in Old English culture: that through her body a bride "weaves peace" between the family of her birth and the family of her marriage. Headley seems to making fun of an overly simplistic understanding of this idea when she refers to "pretty peace-weavers" (l.1941) and then creates assonance and echo in the startling phrase "pretty peace-pleader" (l.2018), which is probably more accurate in its evocation of the way that a woman caught between warriors can do little but beg. Headley forces us to see the irony that in this world the only true peace comes through masculine bonding over violence: Hrothgar states that "The Danes and Geats are peace-woven now" (l.1855) as he affirms the alliance created through battle and treasure.
Please post comments and questions to get us revved up for the last section- the fight with the Dragon! Tip for reading the end of the poem: don't try to keep the events and individuals of the Swedish/Geatish feud straight -- just a general understanding that the Swedes and Geats are in a multi-generational conflict will suffice. Focus on the dragon-- and enjoy!