The necessity for fame, material gain and conquest are the driving force behind Beowulf. It seemed that in Beowulf, in order for someone to do their best, there had to be some sort of materialistic reward. I believe that achievement of either fame, material gain or conquests were as germane in the past as they are in today’s society. It was important to Beowulf to be well known and to have fame in his life; he was overly obsessed about being famous.
For instance, at the end of the story when Beowulf asked the Geats to build a tower on the waters high edge, it was to exploit his name and let all who did not know of him know that he was a heroic warrior. It is this type of feat that makes American society an emulation of Beowulf [and his]. In corporate America, for example, fame is a great mean of survival. If you are not well known and/or famous you are not respected. In today’s society fame brings about certain privileges and advantages that are not present to the average person.
In Beowulf material gain plays a large role. After each monster Beowulf defeated he expected some kind of material reward in return. Whether he received jewels, armor or gems, it wasn’t the monetary value that Beowulf was concerned with; it was the glorification and recognition that came with the treasures. As in Beowulf’s time, material gain in today’s society seems to be an encouragement for people to do things for others.
For example, in corporate America, a businessman would be willing to help you with a problem in your company if he knows that he will receive material reward in return. Beowulf’s ability to defeat the monsters shows his drive for conquest. In today’s society, corporate America is a great example of conquest. A larger more powerful company will do any and everything in its power to take over a smaller company. This than shows that the larger company was the better of the two in battle for victory.
