The End of Comitatus
Throughout the epic poem Beowulf the code of the comitatus is clearly displayed.
However by the end of Beowulf, the way of the comitatus has all but been abandoned by the
knights if King Beowulf. Although Beowulf himself lives and dies under the comitatus, the story
of Beowulf plainly depicts the ending of the practice of the comitatus in Anglo-Saxon culture.
Beowulf himself can be easily summed up in one sentence from the poem: “They said
that of all the kings on earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people
and keenest to win fame.” (Beowulf line 3180) In every aspect of his recorded life Beowulf
sought to win fame and gain a name for himself as a warrior. Even in his death he did everything
that he could to die a warrior’s death so that he would be remembered as heroic. This personality
trait of Beowulf, shown in the way that he lived his life and in the manner that he chose to die,
clearly represents the attitude of Anglo-Saxons with the comitatus. It can be assumed that when
Beowulf ultimately decided to fight the dragon he knew that his chances of survival were slim.
Beowulf did not fight the dragon to prove himself to his people; he was already great in their
eyes. He fought the dragon so that he could die a hero’s death and fulfil his own role in the
comitatus.
Although Beowulf lived and died a warrior his knights ultimately failed to live up to the
comitatus. Near the beginning of the poem when Beowulf fights Grendel, Beowulf’s knights,
although practically useless, do their part in helping him defeat this monster. These knights held
to the code of the comitatus by standing beside their lord in battle. However as the poem
progresses, the knights slowly but surely begin to forget or ignore the comitatus. The ultimate
example of this is when Beowulf is fighting the dragon. Sadly for Beowulf “No help or backing
was to be had then from his highborn comrades; that hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for
their lives to the safety of the wood.” (Beowulf line 2596) When these knights broke rank and
abandoned their lord they acted in direct conflict of the comitatus; instead of reacting with
loyalty and courage, they acted with nothing but fear and cowardice.
Although Beowulf depicts the ending of the comitatus through the actions of the knights,
it does leave the reader with a glimmer of hope that some warriors may still follow that code. At
the end of the poem when all of the other knight have run away in fear one remained to loyally
aid his king, a young inexperienced knight named Wiglaf. Wiglaf stood with his king through the
entire battle and proved that the warrior’s code still existed in the hearts of some. He is the
example of a true warrior. Ultimately, his is the example that we are meant to emulate.