Beowulf

            Aging and the aging process have become important issues in our society today. To anyone, when he or she ages, they feel like they are becoming "helpless" since they can not do a lot of the things they could do when they were younger. The poet of Beowulf uses two central characters to the poem to treat the issue of aging, Beowulf himself and Hrothgar. The Beowulf poet treats the issue of aging as something that is not just a normal process in an individual's life, but also as a process in learning things about oneself that might have not been known before.
             Beowulf has the traits of a perfect hero. The poem explores his heroism in two separate phases: youth and age. There is, however, a clear division between his youthful heroism and his mature heroism as an aged king. These two phases of his life correspond to two different models of virtue, and a lot of the moral of the story centers on distinguishing these two models and showing how Beowulf makes the transition from a youthful hero to an aged king. In his youth, he was an incredible warrior, characterized mostly by his feats of strength and courage. For example, his swimming match against his friend Breca, where the two raced across the ocean to see who was the better swimmer. He also perfectly represents all the things stated in the heroic code: loyalty, courtesy, and pride. .
             In the first part of the poem, Beowulf matures very little, and Hrothgar steps in to become his mentor and father-figure. Giving him advice about how to eventually become and act like a wise ruler. Although the second part of the poem is very vague, we are given recounts of Beowulf's adventures, and are able to see how Beowulf begins to mature into both a great warrior and a king. The death of Beowulf's uncle, Hygelac, who is also the king, is a turning point in his maturing. Instead of rushing for the throne, his supports Hygelac's son, who is the rightful heir.