The Humanness of Mistakes It has often been said that, “To error is human”. As a human race we are prone to mistakes. They are, essentially, what separates us from the divine and define our humanness. Hrothgar best illustrates humanism in these regards within the epic “Beowulf”. Hrothgar’s characteristics as a king, especially in regard to his short-comings and inequalities compared to Beowulf, provide the quintessential matter for the reader to identify with Hrothgar …showed first 75 words of 740 total…

…showed last 75 words of 740 total…life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as the king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning…” (Beowulf, 2510-2514). The reader is made to see that Beowulf’s rational lies in personal gain and pride rather than devotion to his people. Finally, Beowulf’s divine persona is dismissed and he openly displays human attributes that reader can associate with in the same manner as Hrothgar.