Fate In Beowulf

Neither man nor beast can escape what is meant to be. Beowulf attributes the successful outcomes of his many fights and struggles to the reasons of fate. As Beowulf vows to kill Grendel, Hrothgar offers up all of his gold if Beowulf can perform this feat. Beowulf says that he will leave it to

Later, Hygelac dies, meaning Beowulf is king. Beowulf rains peacefully for 16 years until a dragon starts ravaging the countryside again because someone took a cup from his treasury. When Beowulf finds out that the dragon destroyed his hall, he goes to battle against the dragon. After they get to the lair and the dragon starts attacking them, Beowulf finds himself alone on the battlefield except for Wiglaf because his men had ran away in fear. Just then, the dragon rushes up to Beowulf and bites him while being decapitated. The bite kills Beowulf and before he dies he says that Wiglaf should inherit his kingdom. Although the people got lots of treasure, they mourn for the loss of their king and great warrior. Wiglaf then decides that no one will have the treasure and buries it in Beowulf’s grave. Beowulf’s grave has a curse on it that no human will ever touch

In Burton Raffel’s poem Beowulf, Beowulf asserts that people can not have self control over their own destiny if fate was present. When he heard of the evil monster Grendel destroying Danish King Hrothgar’s men, Beowulf claims that he could battle with Grendel even if people were to criticize him because “Fate will unwind as it must!” (Raffel line 286). The meaning of fate is that whatever directions it leads to, it is meant to happen that way. Fate is important to Beowulf as it influences his philosophy and beliefs. Beowulf believes that God is with him in what he does and that “God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip.” (Raffel lines 271-272). This emphasizes the fact that God has the potential to determine who deserves to

In what some might call a conceited display of pure arrogance, Beowulf renounces his weaponry to level the playing field when the time comes to battle with the monster. In a way, he is embracing the challenge from evil and asserting his confidence not only in his abilities but in his God as well. With this act, Beowulf expresses his reassurance that he is fighting for the right cause, and that, no matter what dire circumstances might confront him, he cannot be displaced with God on his side. Fate is primarily a pagan quality, as Christians believe that man was given the power to by choice disobeys God’s will “sin.” As a result from every triumphal battle Beowulf has a sense that all his strength is God given from good judgment.

An epic story is one that combines elements of supernatural powers and heroic deeds with plebeian troubles. In Beowulf , the unknown author paints a typical yet magnificent tale that is one of the great epic chronicles of the Middle Ages. Like the poems of Homer, Beowulf possesses terrible monsters, men with supernatural powers, the search for glory, and deadly defeats. However, this medieval account brings a new element into the folds: the association between established religious forces and personal choices. The concepts of predestination and fate intertwine in this work with the idea of free will.

After killing Grendel and his mother, He became the King of the Geats. When he came to fight his final battle against the dragon, he mostly thought about the glory and riches he would have after battle. In the text he says, ‘And this dragon's treasure, his gold and everything in that tower will be mine or war will sweep me to a bitter death” (line 685-687). During the battle, the texts says,”Flames beat at the iron shield, and for the first time it held, protected Beowulf as he’d planned; then it begin to melt, and for the first time in his life that famous prince fought with fate against him, with glory denied him” (line 720-725). In the beginning of the battle he knew in his head that he was guaranteed to take the dragon's treasure but, during the battle, it also illustrates that the first time, Beowulf actually didn't know how he was going to make it out of this battle and didn't have fate on his side this

As Beowulf fights the Grendel, he acknowledges God’s hand in his success, but also fate’s role in the deaths of the men who were killed. However, God reigns as He controls fate and the outcome in the end. The narrator says that Hrothgar is “mourning the fate of his lost friends and companions” (lines 130-131). When Hrothgar loses several of his subjects and his friends, the deaths are blamed on fate and God’s plan

Courageously, Beowulf continues his attempt to execute the dragon. In the end, Beowulf and Wiglaf stab the dragon and the dragon is

During the battle between Grendel and Beowulf, they feel as if fate is the only thing in between them, living or dying. “By morning; the monster’s mind was hot / With the thought of food and the feasting his belly

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

Fate and free will are often shown as contrasting subjects. While free will allows for a person to make their own conscious decisions, its devil’s advocate suggests that even individual choices made are the work of fate. This suggests that every path one takes down a fork road is already predetermined. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, faces many decisions that could have unimaginable consequences in which he always refers to a greater power like fate. Because of these actions, the plot is completely reliant on the driving force known as fate and although our hero of the story battles with decisions, it is ultimately fate that makes the final call.

Fate directly helps Beowulf kill Grendel. When Beowulf first arrives and meets Hrothgar, Beowulf believes that it is no accident that he and Grendel will meet. Beowulf believes they were brought together by fate saying “Now Grendel and I have been called together”

Unfortunately, Beowulf, now a king, was no exception. When his final foe appeared Beowulf revealed pride was one of his core characteristics. A dragon, angered since its hoard had been robbed, destroyed entire villages in its fury. King Beowulf was the only one for the job. Before his last battle Beowulf spoke these valiant words, “By daring will I win this gold; war otherwise shall take your king, terrible life’s-bane! (Beowulf 2533-5).” Encouraged by his own words, Beowulf confidently made his way to the fight. Despite taking eleven men with him he foolishly begain warring against the dragon competly alone. Although later one brave man joined in the fight, Beowulf’s prideful solo attempt showed readers the true contents of his heart. His pride was not without just cause. It was based on the feats he had accomplished in the past. Beowulf himself put this plainly and said, “Battles in plenty I ventured in youth; and I shall venture this feud and again achieve glory (2508-10).” The pride of remembering his former feats blinded the aged warrior to the difficulty of the challenge in front of him and made him oblivious to the fact that he was not the warrior he once was. Pride, ultimately, was Beowulf fatal character flaw. At the end of this battle both the dragon and Beowulf laid dead, one for his treasure, the other for his name. Pride hade made the strong king

Beowulf’s virtues of courage and strength appear throughout the poem during his life as a warrior and as a king. He begins the story with courage and “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381), which are vital to his accomplishments as a warrior. His courage and strength are apparent when he fights Grendel without the use of weapons. Both virtues are crucial to his success in that battle and lead him to become a leader of wisdom and stature. As king of Heorot he uses his courage and strength in the battle against the dragon. Before the fight he has a feeling of uncertainty and it is stated “He was sad at heart / unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. / His fate hovered near, unknowing but certain: / It would soon claim his coffered soul.” (2419-2424). His sense of forthcoming death may illustrates a lack of confidence in his ability to slay the dragon; however, it also shows tremendous courage by involving himself in an unevenly matched fight. Although his physical strength may have abandoned him in his last fight against the dragon, his courage and wisdom intensified his glory beyond his death.

Instances of fate are scattered throughout Beowulf. Something seems to be in control of Beowulf's life, and it drives him to achieve things that no one else has ever been able to achieve. Though he is a mere mortal, he defeats monsters even when it seemed like he was doomed to failure. Further, he rises to the level of King of the Geats even though he is not directly in line by birth to do so. Whether Beowulf is meant to be a Christian piece or a pagan one or not a religious piece at all, Beowulf becomes the