Essay Sample on The Heroism of Beowulf

Beowulf was a perfect hero, contrary to some arguments that he could have been a tragic one. During fighting activities, Beowulf depicted himself as an outstanding fighter. His courage, bravery, and fierce strength that made him fear no enemy while in the war made no doubt that Beowulf was indeed a perfect hero. Beowulf was also a loyal and great hero because he showed fairness, even when fighting his enemies. Through the poem, Beowulf seems to believe and considers eternal rewards like fame could only be worn through worldly triumph and success.

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Beowulf was a hero due to his outstanding and robust fighter. As a protagonist in the poem, Beowulf is seen to fight three antagonists. Beowulf's enemies include Grendel, the mother of Grendel, and the Dragon. The dragon had gone on a reign of terror and destroyed most of Geatland, which included the home of Beowulf. Beowulf showed his heroism during his fight with Grendel. Beowulf's men tried to attack Grendel with the swords they were attempting to kill him, but their swords could not penetrate his flesh (Chambers & Robert, 12). Grendel seized the first warrior and devoured him when he found that he was still asleep. When Grendel tried to attack the second warrior, he got shocked when the warrior, who was Beowulf hold him back with a lot of strength. In his fight with Grendel, the giant, Beowulf, neither used a weapon nor did he depend on his companion for any assistance. Beowulf used the power given to him by God to attack the giant; he tears off the arm of Grendel, fatally wounding the creature. Although Grendel manages to flee, he dies while he was in his marsh-den (Chambers & Robert, 12).

The second fight, Beowulf, engaged the mother of Grendel when she revenged against the death of her son. Without fearing death, Beowulf grasps his weapons and swims for a part of a day before he could reach the bottom of a lake, where he could find the mother of Grendel. Upon getting to the bottom of the lake, Beowulf is grabbed by Grendel's mother, squeezing him, although his armor protects him. When they started fighting, Beowulf hit the mother of Grendel with the sword that he had borrowed, although the sword did not affect because it broke (Chambers & Robert, 13). When the sword broke, Beowulf looked unfazed, and he grabs the hair of the monster pulling her to the floor, attempting to defeat and kill her with his bare hands.

During the struggle, the monster meets the Beowulf blow for blow, she stabs him with a knife, but fortunately, his shirt defends him from the blow. Beowulf showed his heroism by grabbing a sword and using it to strike the mother of Grendel slicing her neck. After she was sliced on her neck, she fell on the floor and died. After Beowulf managed to kill Grendel's mother inside the cave, the cave was blazed with light, confirming the bravery and heroism of Beowulf (Chambers & Robert, 14). When Beowulf swam back to the surface of the lake alive with the sword and the head of the Grendel, the people of Geat became joyful. The people of Geat had earlier thought that Grendel's mother had killed Beowulf.

After his triumph against Grendel and his mother, Beowulf returned to Geats and became the king for fifty years. His third and the most devastating war was between him, and a dragon that mercilessly burned homes and lands of the people of Geat. Beowulf could have decided to stop being a warrior and become a king. His bravery and the desire to protect his people from enemies like the dragon forced him to continue being a warrior despite his old age. Beowulf deceived himself about his age when he decided to fight the dragon alone. He believed that he was equal to the task because he had overcome many risks, including defeating Grendel and his mother. Beowulf forgot he was in his 80s, and therefore, he could not be powerful during fighting as he had been during his active life (Chambers & Robert, 16). Although Beowulf died after the war with the Dragon, he still managed to kill it only with the help of Wiglaf, one of his warriors. Beowulf courageously entered the barrow, where he stayed shouting to awaken the dragon. The dragon woke up, attacking Beowulf with a breathing frame. Although Beowulf tried to protect himself, the dragon blasts him with the deadly fire when the sword failed after striking the dragon.

During the attack, the warriors who had accompanied Beowulf flee except Wiglaf, who had enough courage to help Beowulf, who had gone to help their king. As a result of his bravery and courage, Beowulf used his sword to strike the dragon on its head. He drove it to the bone, although the sword breaks and the dragon got a chance to bite Beowulf on the neck (Chambers & Robert, 17). Even after the dragon bite Beowulf on the neck, he still dared to pull out a knife that was on his shirt and stab the dragon the last attack that killed the dragon, although he succumbed from the bite of the dragon that was poisonous.

The great dragon jealously guarded its treasure, although one day, a thief managed to steal the treasure, awakening the wrath of the dragon (Chambers & Robert, 18). If Beowulf could have allowed the dragon to remain in the barrow guarding its treasure, the dragon could have continued to rampage, burning the homes and villages of the people of Geats. By leaving the dragon to guard the barrow and not engaging in any war with it. Beowulf could not have lost his life to the dragon, and the dragon could not have lost its life. Beowulf could have continued to live peacefully, although the properties of his people could have been destroyed by the dragon.

Works Cited

Chambers, Robert W. Beowulf. BOD-Books on Demand, 2018:12-18.