Beowulf Is Not Worried About Dying

“None of them expected he would ever see his homeland again…” (lines 691-3) This quote explains that Beowulf and his entourage knew very well how likely they were to defeat Grendel. They’ll be lucky if two or three of them survive. This mindset can, however, be beneficial. All the fear and dread that would likely be within the men at that time can actually inspire determination, and people become more ferocious in combat when fear is in control, rather than confidence. Considering what his thoughts were, and the outcome of the battle was Beowulf ripping off Grendel’s arm, and the monster then fleeing, Beowulf was, in this moment, a hero.

Beowulf had never been one to back down from a challenge, even though he may possibly lose his life. Beowulf, certain of his victory arrives to Hrothgar’s kingdom and assures him that he shall defeat Grendel. Beowulf eventually does defeat Grendel, but Grendel’s mother soon arrives to avenge her son. Beowulf once again arrogantly goes to fight with the mother, taking a group of both his and Hrothgar’s men. Beowulf’s fate seemed bleak as he fought with Grendel’s mother, but with his quick thinking he was able to decapitate the she-monster. Beowulf’s pride compelled him to finish his task of eliminating the problems of the Danish kingdom, refusing to be defeated by Grendel or his mother. Beowulf receives his reward from Hrothgar, who is eternally grateful for the deeds Beowulf has done for his kingdom. Beowulf selflessly gives most of his treasure away to those who helped him, because though he may be prideful Beowulf is not selfish or greedy.

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

In “Beowulf”, we see that death is not something that the warrior Beowulf is concerned

Beowulf will go confront the most dangerous monsters, without the help of anyone but a few of his soldiers. In Beowulf the author states, “I have heard/Too, that the monster’s scorn of men/Is so great that he needs no weapon and fears none /Nor will I” (Lines 261-264). Beowulf shows that he is not petrified, and will fight this menacing monster with his bare hands. People might think that Beowulf is crazy, but to Beowulf it is him honoring his King. Author Diana, M Casey states “After the monster devours a warrior, Beowulf spurns the use of a weapon and wrestles Grendel to the ground” (Pg.1). Beowulf seemed to know of some type of wrestling tactics to help him defeat Grendel. Also Beowulf says “My hands/alone shall fight for me, struggle for my life/against the monster. God must decide/Who will be given to death’s cold grip” (Lines 267-270). The hero does not care if he dies, as long as people remember him as brave, and honorable warrior. Beowulf is not terrified of death and he will show his honor till

He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. “And if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac...”. Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all of them but his last. He understands that fate will work its magic no matter what, and he could be killed at any point in his life. He faces that reality by showing no fear and preparing for a positive or a fatal outcome.

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.

In this quote, Beowulf is getting ready to meet Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair. Beowulf is ready and does not fear death. He would rather fight until he dies instead of giving up a fight. No other human being would even think to try to defeat Grendel, or even think about trying to defeat Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf is a true epic hero because he is fearless, very strong, and well honored. Beowulf portrays all of the traits of a hero throughout the epic. He never hesitated to kill a monster, or even to give a helping hand at any time. He could always back up his boast with perfection. Beowulf is not a god, or a supernatural man, but he was the closest man to

Beowulf’s men show unquestioning loyalty as they submit their lives to their lord. The night of Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, the men are told by Beowulf to sleep (in the mead hall) and they bravely do, showing immense trust and devotion as they are aware of that they could very well increase their chance of dying when Grendel attacks if they follow as Beowulf instructs (to sleep as opposed to standing guard through the night). Beowulf remains loyal to King Hrothgar and as he promised to purge the mead hall of its murderous foes, he fulfills his pledge by killing not only Grendel, but also Grendel’s mother. Beowulf in turn is also loyal to his men as he states to King Hrothgar, “…if I at your need I should go from life, you would always be in a father’s place for me when I am gone: be guardian of my young retainers, my companions, if battle should take me.” Nor does Beowulf forget his king as he also requests that Hrothgar send the rewarded treasures and gifts to Hygelac if Grendel’s mother defeats him. Wiglaf, portrayed as the only worthy one of Beowulf’s company that joined him at his battle with the dragon, also showed loyalty in his aiding his Beowulf in fighting the dragon (as others cowardly shy away from the fight) and followed Beowulf’s instructions for carrying out his funeral and other processions after Beowulf’s death, and in his speech to the people he

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Beowulf is called once again to prove his courage.In order to prove his courage, he must defeat the mother of Grendel. In the peom Beowulf shows off his courage by saying that it is always better to seek for revenge instead of being sorrow and depressed.”Wise sir, do not greive. It is always better/ to avenge dear ones than to indulge in the mourning” (1384-1385). Beowulf’s courage is too massive to be upset about the death of his friend and, he would rather seek for revenge to avenge the fallen friend. Secondly, Beowulf jumps right into the lake of the the mothers den. “He dived into the heaving/ depths of the lake” (1494-1495). Beowulf does not care if there is monster in the lake he is only seeking for revenge and nothing will stop him. Last of all, Beowulf is not scared when

An Epic Hero is a brave, noble character in an epic poem, and they are admired for great achievements or affected by a grand event. In another point of view, A Epic Hero has to have strength, faith and Braveness in order to perform heroic deeds. In the story Beowulf , Beowulf is an epic hero because he kills Grendel the monster, Grendel’s Mother and a dragon that no one else could have defeated. All the things Beowulf did throughout this story showed evidence of an epic hero, also with his personality and dedication. Beowulf is an epic hero because of how he sacrificed his life to perform heroic deeds. Also for his extraordinary strength, Braveness, and Faith.

Beowulf killed Grendal's mother just like Grendal. He fought again with no regards of the possible outcomes. He did it for the glory he would receive from the kill. Hrothgar compliments Beowulf after killing Grendal's mom by saying "forever you will be your people's mainstay and your warriors helping hand”. (Beowulf,1707-1709). Hrothgar is one who tries to understand a man's mortality. He informs Beowulf that he should "learn true values and he has wintered into wisdom”. (Beowulf,1722-1724). He alerts Beowulf to the notion that one day he will die. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that no amount of treasure or victories can gain a man's immortality. Beowulf is advised to not act as Heremod once did. Heremod's rule only brought "death and destruction to the Danish people.’(Beowulf,1712-1713). He killed his “fellow comrades” and vented rage on any who wrong him. (Beowulf,1713-1715). Hrothgar does not want Beowulf to be absent minded and ignore the "shape of things to come."(Beowulf,1752). It appears that Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be cautious of his actions. He tells Beowulf to choose "eternal rewards" and not "give way to pride."(Beowulf,1760). That is Hrothgar's approach to Beowulf about having and representing Christen behaviors. The course of all the advice given by Hrothgar was because he wanted Beowulf to accept his mortality. He told Beowulf that although his "strength is in bloom it will fade

Beowulf is an epic hero who enjoyed challenges and feeling adrenaline while fighting battles. He was not afraid of death so risk taking was no problem for him. Like he said “and if death does take me, send the hammered/ Mail of my armor to Higlac, return/ the inherence I had from Hrethel and he/ from Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!” (Pg.414. line186-189) Beowulf wouldn’t care to die in a battle because he wanted to be remembered as a legacy in his town. He was aware that the fall out of his battle was not in his hands, which drove him to be fearless. Beowulf’s heroic vision never failed to motivate him even if many believed he wouldn’t succeed fighting alone without any armor. Beowulf was victor against his battle with Grendel. After this event