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
Herot is all of the following EXCEPT: the place where soldiers flee for safety 5. Why did Grendel attack the Danes? : He hated the warriors’ songs that rejoiced in God 6. Before Beowulf sets out to help the Danes, he had: defeated Giants and killed monsters 7. The line “This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied” means that: this is the first time a man has battled Grendel 8.
Fifty years ahead and now King Beowulf faced a task of killing a dragon. He would “[fight] with fate against him” (724) seeing as his “the ancient blade broke” (727) while striking the dragon’s side. The beloved king would eventually die with “None of his comrades\Came to help him” (745-746) and his “Followers… ran for their lives…” (745-748). King Arthur’s story is also an epic poem which speaks about an honorable leader who will do anything to defend his people. Arthur went off to battle, with his comrades at his side the whole time and is able to defeat his foe, but doing so left him fatally injured, until he is eventually killed.
Beowulf eventually becomes king and dies defending his people from a fire dragon. Beowulf accomplishes his hero cycle through heroic deeds, encounter with numinous phenomenon, and his death, proving he is an ideal hero. To begin, Beowulf starts off the hero cycle strong by performing heroic deeds leading up to his challenge. He says, “A monster seized me, drew me swiftly toward the bottom, swimming with its claws tight in my flesh, but fate let me find its heart with my sword, hack myself free; I fought that beast’s last battle, left it floating lifeless in the sea” (Beowulf 273-278). Once in a swimming race Beowulf had been attacked by a sea monster and had to save himself.
When Jim suddenly collapses and dies, Henry is devastated. The tattered soldier again asks Henry about his wound. Again, Henry can't explain that he has no wound, so he leaves the disoriented, wounded, tattered soldier stumbling in the field. Henry anguishes over his lack of courage, but he can't overcome the guilt and self-hatred that stop him from returning to his regiment. He hears the noise of a battle and sees reinforcement troops heading toward the front.
Amazed, and horrified at the monster’s strength, Angelos courageously drew up his sword. Knowing that the battle may be his last, and charged headfirst at the dragon. The dragon then swiped at Angelos with it’s claws, and threw him into the ground. Angelos was doused in the dragons searing breath, but was unharmed. Shocked and rejuvenated, Angelos charged up to the dragon and fed his blade to the dragon’s flesh.
After winning both battles, Beowulf goes home and fifty years pass. Beowulf then battles a dragon, is fatally wounded and dies. There are a total of seven Anglo-Saxon characteristics, but there are three that absolutely describe Beowulf: The Anglo Saxon warrior values bravery, courage, and prowess in battle, the most honorable death is death in battle, and after the Christian influence, the literature displayed a mixed belief of pagan influence (fate) and God's control over all aspects of life. The Anglo Saxon warrior values bravery, courage, and prowess in battle is one of the seven characteristics of an Anglo Saxon warrior. This certainly characterizes Beowulf throughout the whole poem.
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.
Throughout the entire poem Beowulf sustains these qualities with every monstrous encounter he faces. From the very beginning he triumphs over Grendel using merely his bare hands, then chops off the head of Grendel’s revenged seeking mother, and lastly battles the lethal dragon in his elder days, ultimately resulting in his death. On his way out to face the dragon Beowulf says to another soldier, “This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me… I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (“Beowulf,” in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. I, 8th ed. Ed.
Beowulf's men draw their weapons and rush to his help their comrade in combat, but their weapons do not hurt the vicious Grendel because he has put a charm on all human weapons. Last but not least, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes to die. Some of the literary elements I will talk about is Grendel the Monsterous Fire Breather and Grendel the Conquer. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf was horrendous. Grendel comes up from the misty hills moving quickly to Herot to feast.