Loyalty and Exile-9

“The Seafarer” and “The Wife’s Lament” both portray the ideal of loyalty and the tragedy of being separated from the lord. In “The Seafarer,” it was the man’s fate to explore the sea. Being separated from the lord, however, caused turmoil and rough seas. The man felt at home when traveling upon the sea but almost met his maker a couple times. The author talks about all the suffering one endures while being separated from the lord. “My feet were cast in icy bands, bound with frost, with frozen chains, and hardship groaned around my heart (line 8).” He also brings up the fact that we all fear God. He turns the Earth and set in space. “Death leaps at the fools who forget their God (line 106).” “The Wife’s Lament” shares a similar story about loyalty and exile from God. She was very loyal to God but her husband’s kinsmen plotted to keep her separated from God. The wife has faced hardships her entire life and being separated from God didn’t help any. Her life continues to take turns for the worse. “So in this forest grove they made me dwell, under the oak-tree, in this earthy barrow (line 28).” She has to continue to live in grief and hardship until she’s reunited again with her lord.