Wiglaf's perspective

     My king had fallen and I knew that major troubles lay ahead. In this land that perpetuates the cycle of revenge now it was our people's turn to receive its sharp sting. We would be attacked by all our enemies now that Beowulf was gone and it was my job to protect my people. I will not let them done and repeat such cowardly and unfavorable acts as was just created a few hours ago by Beowulf''s men; for I will rather die in honor on the battlefield and return with my body on my shield then run from cowardliness and return without honor.
     I am sad that my king has died, no one could match him in this living world, not his bravery nor his strength. He was the greatest shield to protect our people and now that he is gone could I possibly be a shield as strong as he was? Can I be as tough as the strongest metal and shine like the clearest gold? I will strive for excellence until the day I can. I will gather the strength I had in battle when fighting with Beowulf against the dragon, and use it to defend my people.
     I am sad that my king died this way, for such a foul beast to take the breath away from such a noble creature is an unthinkable wrong. My king need not to have suffered the way he did. Maybe if I had jumped in and helped sooner. It would have been better if I could have been bitten instead of him. Maybe if is men had not run away from the dragon, but if we had all faced him together maybe we could have succeed in defeating the beast with no casualties. The betrayal of the men a person trusts the most really is the most dangerous. I must make sure no such thing happens again. So that not another man as noble and honorable as Beowulf dies. A man above the lure of simple temptations, exemplified even in his last breath's wish, should not die like this again. For a man to die with his most trusted gone, for his strongest ties to be cut in a matter of minutes at his death bed and know that only one has been loyal to him is too sad a death for any man to go through yet a king. However, I acclaim and will forever revel in the greatness of my king because he never gave up,even at the last hour when he was not sure he would live, he kept of fighting for his honor, courage, people, and himself. If only man was not as selfish, to want to save himself so he runs from aiding his brother. or to want to take all the glory himself so he dives into battle alone, head first. I will try to learn from the mistakes of my brothers so that I can create a company that will work hard together and make a greater outcome that way. I will not let the legacy of my shield go to waste but expand on it so that the kindest of kings can be proud of those he left behind.(540)

Beowulf

     The style of language used in the epic story of Beowulf is very unique in its own. Reminiscent of other epic narratives, such as The Aeneid and Odysseus, it projects grandeur and valor in each page. The style of the language is a big component of putting across the noble images this epic tale conveys. An important part of the language of Beowulf is the alliteration. Having similar sounds in each sentence is a common theme in Beowulf and is a nice tool to emphasizing a certain thing. For example, "He was a weary seafarer, far from home," (Norton 69) is a great example of alliteration setting the tone and emphasizing a certain thing. In this line the words far, from, and seafarer all have a prominent F which makes this sentence soft and light. By adding the word weary the sentence gets a little of a depressed mood and drags down, especially with the pronunciation of the Y at the end. Also the many R's and M's help to make a more rounded voice. Without even knowing the meanings of the words a reader can get a feel for the sentence by the way it sounds. Alliteration is a key component to the composition of Beowulf, along with word choice.
     Another characteristic of the language of Beowulf is the combination of words and how they affected the subject they are describing. Throughout the story there are many words that are put together to create an affect or to simply describe a thing. With these combination of words the book creates its own language that the reader must decipher to fully grasp the full meaning of a story. For example "Ring-Danes's country" (Norton 68) or "shield-clash" (Norton 74) or "battle-famed"  or "gold-chased" or "gem-studded" (Norton 77). The combination of words can produce a completely different meaning then before. For example with the first example talking about the "Ring-Danes's country," the two words separated mean a completely different thing then with them together, where they actually stand for a person. Also with the second example, it provides for a more detailed account of what occurred then simply saying battle. Also it is part of the book's own vocabulary which helps us identify with it. The combination of words in this epic story helps create a more personal connection with the book and also is used as a more descriptive and creative way to describe something, or name it.
     The style of the language used in Beowulf is very important for it gives you the whole feeling of the book. It helps convey the emotions correctly and the scenes correctly. Because of the use of this unique style  the experience of reading Beowulf greatly improves. (450)