After finding that his sword is not sharp enough, he discards it and begins struggling with Grendel’s mother. He then spies another, bigger, sword, and swiftly uses it to cut off her head. Being able to do this remarkable feat is astounding, and accurately portrays the courage embodied in Beowulf. The last battle was with the dragon, that was terrorizing the Dane’s Hall, after a slave stole a cup from it’s lair. Beowulf hears of this, and with the
However, Beowulf is not a young man anymore. He is now older and has the duty, as king, of protecting his people. So, he sets out to find the dragon and kill it. The passage “BEOWULF ATTACKS THE DRAGON” begins with Beowulf and his men standing outside the cave talking. He mentions that he would rather fight with dragon with no weapons at all like he did with Grendel.
Thus, leaving him with no protection. Also, during the battle, Beowulf’s sword was broken, this left Beowulf with no weapon. Though, thanks to one of Beowulf’s warriors, Wiglaf. The two were then able to slay The Dragon. Another similarity in the 3 battles is that Beowulf retrieved a prize from each
His men desert him when he goes to fight the dragon. “Although he wanted this challenge to be one he’d face by himself alone” (2642-2644) one loyal comrade raised his sword along side Beowulf. “That final day was the first time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle” (2573-2575) Wiglaf, who stood beside Beowulf, was able to land a killing blow to the dragon. In the 3 battles that we read about in Beowulf, we see
He had help by means of his followers and the princess. Nothing like William Wallace, Gilgamesh fought the monster by himself. Gilgamesh fought to save his friend and became famous for that. Their challenges were successful because they meet their goals. William Wallace was wrath at the British for killing his wife.
Beowulf is aware of his duty, and whether he likes it or not, he is obligated to live for the sole purpose of winning battles and fighting monsters to save those who are weaker than he. In lines 2532-2535, Beowulf tells the people that it is up to him to fight the dragon: “This fight is not yours, / nor is it up to any man except me / to measure his strength against the monster / or to prove his worth.” He knows that he is the only one in the world who can battle such battles, and such knowledge most definitely alienates him from all others. Throughout his life he is set apart. There is no one who can truly relate or put themselves in his shoes. He has responsibilities he cannot forsake.
This paper will tell examples and reasoning of why Beowulf is all of these things. An epic hero is one that stands out among all the rest. Even after hearing many stories of Grendel’s wrath, he still planned to fight the best without any hesitation. The reader would believe this is an example of a very brave fighter. Beowulf shows his abilities and proves brave enough as he resolves to kill the “lady monster”, (excerpt page 40).
My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield: My hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.” In this quote Beowulf is trying to convince the King of the Danes to let him defeat the monster Grendel. He tells him how he has defeated many other monsters and how he could
Beowulf satisfies the idea in which Ambrose Redmoon recognizes, “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”. Sitting awake in uncertainty, Beowulf decides to fight the hideous creature, Grendle, in order to aid the terrorized Danes. Prior to the battle with Grendel, Beowulf declares, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting/Flames, stand till fate decides/Which of us wins” (l. 637-639). Beowulf faced the dragon bravely even though “[He] did not know when he challenged the dragon how his end would come” (Ogilvy and Baker 70). The poem recurrently gives evidence to Beowulf‘s extraordinary strength.
Beowulf meets evil monsters which represent the opposite of the warrior spirit: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the fire dragon. He fought with Grendel and ends with Grendel’s death. Beowulf brought peace to the country for fifty years. After fifty years, his country faced another terror: the fire dragon. He used all his power and sacrificed himself and finally killed the dragon.