Beowulf
In the beginning of Beowulf, Beowulf comes to Heorot to get rid of Grendel. However, when he fights Grendel, he does it without protection or a weapon, and rips Grendel’s arm off without mercy. Through his battle, is clear that Beowulf is in danger of becoming a monster just like Grendel. Beowulf also fights, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon, and the fight with Grendel’s mother reminds him of his humanity again. Beowulf is in danger of becoming a monster because of his boastfulness combined with his monstrous strength, and his forgetfulness of his humanity. These attributes and the dangers of a change from man to monster were also problems for the warrior culture in general.
From Beowulf’s first appearance in the book, he was arrogant. He wanted to rid Hrothgar of Grendel’s horrors, but he wasn’t just doing it to be a good person. He …show more content…
Fighting both Grendel’s mother and the dragon were what made him see this. For Grendel’s mother, since she was more human than her son, when Beowulf killed her he saw his own humanity through a brush with death. After he returned home, he became king. This would have also helped him to be more human, because it wasn’t just himself that he had to protect. Instead, he had his people. The fight with the dragon is clear evidence for this. Beowulf chose to go alone to face the dragon, so as not to put the rest of his people in danger. This definitely shows that he has become more human than monster.
Although there was a huge risk of Beowulf becoming a monster through his strength, boastfulness, and forgetfulness of his humanity, in the end he proved he could be a human. It was ultimately the warrior culture and tradition that saved him, because of his obligation to his people and his belief in fate. So, in the end, the human part of Beowulf killed the monster
In the beginning of Beowulf, Beowulf comes to Heorot to get rid of Grendel. However, when he fights Grendel, he does it without protection or a weapon, and rips Grendel’s arm off without mercy. Through his battle, is clear that Beowulf is in danger of becoming a monster just like Grendel. Beowulf also fights, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon, and the fight with Grendel’s mother reminds him of his humanity again. Beowulf is in danger of becoming a monster because of his boastfulness combined with his monstrous strength, and his forgetfulness of his humanity. These attributes and the dangers of a change from man to monster were also problems for the warrior culture in general.
From Beowulf’s first appearance in the book, he was arrogant. He wanted to rid Hrothgar of Grendel’s horrors, but he wasn’t just doing it to be a good person. He …show more content…
Fighting both Grendel’s mother and the dragon were what made him see this. For Grendel’s mother, since she was more human than her son, when Beowulf killed her he saw his own humanity through a brush with death. After he returned home, he became king. This would have also helped him to be more human, because it wasn’t just himself that he had to protect. Instead, he had his people. The fight with the dragon is clear evidence for this. Beowulf chose to go alone to face the dragon, so as not to put the rest of his people in danger. This definitely shows that he has become more human than monster.
Although there was a huge risk of Beowulf becoming a monster through his strength, boastfulness, and forgetfulness of his humanity, in the end he proved he could be a human. It was ultimately the warrior culture and tradition that saved him, because of his obligation to his people and his belief in fate. So, in the end, the human part of Beowulf killed the monster