After Hygelac is killed in an ill-advised raid on Frisia, Beowulf makes a heroic escape (2359 ff.) back to Geatland. When the hero returns to Geatland, he continues his loyalty to his uncle and king, Hygelac, risking his life even when the tactics of the ruler are not the best. The tie between the families goes back many years, and Beowulf is proud to be able to lend his loyal services to Hrothgar. Hrothgar even remembers Beowulf as a child. When the tribe sought vengeance, Hrothgar, then a young king, sheltered Beowulf's father and settled the feud by paying tribute (wergild) in the form of "fine old treasures" (472) to Ecgtheow's enemies. Now deceased, Ecgtheow had killed a leader of another tribe in a blood feud. The young Geat is devoted to the old king because Hrothgar came to the assistance of Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow, years before. However, we soon learn that a major motivation is a family debt that Beowulf owes to Hrothgar. Certainly he is interested in increasing his reputation and gaining honor and payment for his own king back in Geatland. At every step of his career, loyalty is Beowulf's guiding virtue.Ä«eowulf comes to the assistance of the Danes (Scyldings) for complicated reasons. One of the central themes of Beowulf, embodied by its title character, is loyalty. In Beowulf, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of the characters. A theme in a literary work is a recurring, unifying subject or idea, a motif that allows us to understand more deeply the character and their world.
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