What Caused Beowulf's Downfall

Last of all, Beowulf is not scared when his weapons break or they do not work on the monster. “The shining blade/ refused to bite. It spared her and failed/ the man in his need”(1523-1525). Even though the blade failed him he instanly throws it away continues to fight. Beowulf continuing to fight is showing that he has the courage not to give up.

Beowulf’s life has come to an end when he fights the dragon because he is fated to die in this battle. When fighting the dragon, Beowulf is losing he is old and weak and this dragon, when he breathed flames which were hot enough to burn his shield, and Beowulf had no comrades to help him because they all ran, and no weapon because it broke. . Beowulf fighting the dragon, was very wounded by this dragon his “mouth was silent, spoke no more, he said as much as it could; he would sleep in the fire, soon. His soul left his flesh, flew to glory” (825-825). The fate of Beowulf was now pretty apparent to him even though he tried to fight it there was no way of winning against that beast. That would be Beowulf’s last battle, he was now dead and according to Anglo-Saxon beliefs he was always fated to this way of death was because it was inevitable.

Beowulf has many characteristics and develops a huge change in his personality throughout the three battles. In his first two battles, he was seen as a confident man with enormous strength. Beowulf hears about Grendel and decides to fight him,

Upon entering the Danes' hall, Herot, Grendel is confronted by Beowulf, who immediately seizes Grendel's arms and drives fear into the monster's heart, "... [Grendel] knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had he met a man whose hands were harder..." (lines 751-752). Through his slaughter of Grendel, Grendel's mom, the dragon, and other monsters, Beowulf proves his amazing strength to the other characters and to the readers.

Beowulf is an epic poem about the heroic journey of a great warrior named Beowulf, the king of the Geats. His desire was to reveal to others how strong and brave he was compared to any other monster. “There was no one else like him alive in his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, high born and powerful”. He signifies the true heroic character because he is willing to risk his life for his ideals. Beowulf defeats three horrific monsters, two of whom are descendants of Cain.

The dragon seeks retribution for its stolen treasure. The monster goes to the nearest village, to kill and terrorize the people with its fiery breath. Beowulf hears what is happening in his kingdom, and that he has to help his people. He knows that he is old, but he is the only one brave enough to go against the dragon: “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” (2511-2515).

The story of Beowulf has many battles within the whole story. Whether it was fighting the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or even a dragon. Beowulf shows his courage and bravery in many situations throughout the story. He did not necessarily need to fight these battles because they did not threaten him directly, but instead he helped others and fought with them. Beowulf goes about each of the fights differently, preparing and fighting in different ways for each.

Beowulf engages in conflict with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon in the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel. For each battle, Beowulf uses different tactics. Beowulf grows as a hero throughout the poem. Beowulf shows his courage and kindness when protecting those who need his help. Beowulf miraculously attempts to defeat all three monsters.

Upon the arrival of Beowulf he asks the permission to fight the ugly monster Grendel. This is only the beginning of Beowulf’s fights and each has an incentive. Beowulf must battle Grendel, Grendel’s Dam, and a dragon, all of which he was a different motivation for. Grendel, the grotesque swamp monster, is the first monster that Beowulf must fight. Grendel had been terrorising the people of Herot and there needed to be a stop.

When Beowulf fights Grendel, the integrity within him notifies Beowulf he must fight Grendel without the use of weapons. Grendel does not attack Herot with weapons, so Beowulf will not fight with weapons. Beowulf was portrayed as an honest man with very substantial moral

Beowulf’s last test of courage comes in his old age when his people are threatened by a “mighty” dragon. Beowulf felt as if something he had done had caused the irascible beast to wreck havoc on his people, “killing and destroying” them and their homes with its “molten” breath. Knowing what had to be done, Beowulf bravely faced the dragon, while all of his people, except for one, fled in fear. His last battle, which ended in death, displayed Beowulf’s unwavering courage, the type that every hero should possess.

In the battle against Beowulf and Grendel, Beowulf is so eager for ultimate glory that he decides to use no weapons or armor. Beowulf states, “I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I.” Beowulf says this to tell the people of Herot that he will not fight with weapons or fear if the enemy is not doing the same. Another account of this is when Beowulf explains, “My lord Higlac might think less of me is I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to…” He is willing to use no weapon at all then to use one and

Beowulf lives as a king of the Geats for 50 years until his peace got disturbed once again. Beowulf must go “toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs”(30-31) that “no coward could have walked there!”(31) to fight the dragon. By going to the lake and dragons den, Beowulf proves he has one characteristic of being an epic hero.

Throughout the book Beowulf, the titular character takes on many tough, mythological foes for fame and glory. Beowulf begins by slaying a creature known as Grendel without any trouble, but with his later opponents he struggles to win and is even harmed. As the story progresses, Beowulf’s battles with monsters escalate in difficulty, cost, and reward. The primary difference between Beowulf’s three battles was the level of difficulty each trial consisted of.

Beowulf continued to gather his strength to fight the dragon until he finally triumphed. As his life ends, he tells Wiglaf that he was proud of his time as a ruler and of his strength, “No king of any neighboring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me” (2732-2736). Throughout the tale, Beowulf exemplified a strong, valiant hero who reigned with honor and