Identity In Beowulf

Hrothgar, the king of the Danes is faced with the issue of a horrible monster, Grendel tearing apart his soldiers and causing bloodshed. This is where Beowulf comes along, he is prepared with his men to defeat this monster and when the time comes Beowulf is more than ready to face him. Beowulf

Beowulf’s strength is beyond any of human comparison and has allowed him to accomplish tasks that would have obliterated lesser men and gain renown throughout the world. Beowulf’s boasts of his strength are not to be received as prideful or egotistical but rather as a true representation of his power as Beowulf always fulfils his boasts. When Beowulf pledges to vanquish Grendel, he does not take it lightly and tells Hrothgar and his wife, Wealhtheow, that “..I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud victory or meet my death here in the mead-hall.”(636-638), showing that he is prepared to die, if needed, to defeat this hellish creature. Later that night, in his battle with Grendel, Beowulf showed his strength. “The Captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth… in all his days, he had never been clamped or cornered like this”(749-752,755-756). Beowulf’s strength surpassed that of even supernatural beings and allowed his to go on the offensive against a foe that had ravaged Heorot for years and thus allowed him to fulfill his boast. Beowulf power is brought out in his recitation of his deeds and again later actions against the mother of Grendel and a fire breathing dragon that threatens his home. In all of this fights, Beowulf is not seeking glory for himself, but

Beowulf’s two main positive attributes are his selflessness for the people that he does not consider friends initially as well as confidence to go into battle whenever certain death is prevalent. During the story Beowulf goes against four different enemies, three that are monsters where typical weapons would do no good and an impossible battle against the Swedes. In all he is the only person save Wiglaf at the end that is willing to fight these enemies. The moments leading up to Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, the narrator implies the sheer animosity of the enemy, “None of them expected he would ever see his homeland again or get back to his native place and the people who reared him.They knew too well the way it was before, how often the Danes had fallen prey to death in the mead-hall. (Heaney 47)” Nobody, likely including Beowulf even saw the remote possibility of him defeating even, only the first monster, yet he showed a willingness to fight and powered through and won. It is heavily implied that he only did this for his own glory and the pure danger of the situation, but by many especially the characters in the book, this is interpreted as someone without a fear of death.

Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious

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.

Starting as a warrior and later becoming the king, Beowulf left behind a legacy. Beowulf portrays many traits of a hero. According to the Beowulf History Channel documentary, implies that he was a “superhuman” (History Doc.). Beowulf was known as “the strongest of the Geats” (Beowulf 195). According to the epic Beowulf, Beowulf was “stronger than anyone anywhere”(194). He was like no other anywhere else. Beowulf was not scared of battle, and felt like the best way to die was in battle.Beowulf was fearless. He voluntarily put himself in danger in order to protect his people and friends. Beowulf sailed across the sea to Denmark “in friendship” to

In the book Beowulf, Beowulf, the main character, is a man of great strength and ability. He is depicted as a man of wisdom, and that he is a prince that comes from a kingdom that is well respected. He fights many battles, and is seen as a hero with glory to his name, but this does not mean that he is as flawless as he seems to be. Beowulf is a man who desires to help those in need, however, he is greedy for the glory and treasure that he will receive in thanks of his success. He is truly confident, but because of this he is impulsive, never questioning his ability to take on a task. He is also brave, he has almost no fear, but this tends to make him reckless. He is a hero to many, but he believes in himself in such a way that he acts foolishly, and it will eventually be the death of him.

Beowulf has killed a lot of the king’s men he stands alone and alarmed ready to fight. “So the Spear-Danes in days by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness we have heard of the heroic campaign”. The Spear-Danes bravery/heroism was celebrated. Beowulf’s fight with Grendel shows off his true strength.

To begin with, Beowulf’s first challenge is against the monster named Grendel.

Beowulf is a very interesting person with many traits that define him such as, being honorable, brave and very courageous.

Beowulf is a story of dual conflicts. Beowulf’s external conflicts of his physical battles in turn develop his internal conflicts of arrogance and pride. Although Beowulf overcomes many obstacles physically, his internal conflict of hubris leads to his eventual and unnecessary death. Beowulf is able to overcome Grendel not only physically, but also mentally through his pride. Beowulf counts himself “as dangerous any day as Grendel. /

He has so much devotion to save Hrothgar and his men from the monster that he has no limit to how far he’ll go to ensure their safety. Bravery is one of the major characteristics of an epic hero that Beowulf possesses. “I have heard, / Too, that the monster's scorn

Grendel is the first monster in Beowulf, attacking King Hrothgar’s mead hall and devouring his men, causing the town to become huddled together in fear. Lucky for Hrothgar, a

Nobody tried to stop him, which clearly shows that nobody would dare challenge him, as he is mightier than anybody else. He also shows bravery when deciding to help Hrothgar by “like the leader he was, enlisting men, / the best he could find; with fourteen others / the warrior boarded the boat as captain,” (206-208). By choosing the mightiest and bravest men, Beowulf reflects himself as a brave man to lead his noble people. Beowulf was very persistent in choosing the brave men he did, which not only proved how much braver he was, but proved that he was an epic hero. Before Beowulf faced Grendel, “He began to remove his iron breast-mail, / took off the helmet and handed his attendant / the patterned sword,” (671-673). In doing this action, Beowulf decided that using a weapon or protection of any kind would make the battle too easy. After this action of bravery, he boasts, “When it comes to fighting, I count myself / as dangerous any day as Grendel” (677-678). Beowulf appears to be more daring and heroic after these reckless and impressive

No one knew that Beowulf would be the one to conquer Grendal along with Grendal’s mother and the dragon and save all of the people in his country. The confidence he withheld is what let him be able to take his best men along and construct a steady plan in order to defeat the beasts. Beowulf’s pride did not amount to anything when it came to saving his country and keeping them secured. His pride is what gives him the courage to take on the tasks of his individuality. Beowulf ends up victorious because he truly believes in himself and he never gives up.