In the epic poem Beowulf, the author presents an action-packed twist on the classic good versus evil trope. Beowulf, the noble leader of the Geats tribe, was known for his power and honorability. In the poem, Beowulf battles three forces that others would cower away from and entered each fight with an inspirational sense of bravery. In the following essay, the differences between the battles with Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the dragon, will be analyzed and discussed, as well as Beowulf’s development as a hero. To begin with, the battle with Grendel took place in the Danish king Hrothgar’s mead-hall—Heorot. In the epic, Grendel is a vicious beast that has been banished by God because of the sins of his ascendants, such as Cain. This isolation
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For starters, his first two battles were against pure evil. Grendel slaughtered innocent people just because he was unable to join in on their joy. Grendel’s mother, on another note, killed because she was stricken with grief and revenge. Their bloodline was dirtied with sin and murder, driving them to kill innocent bystanders. Unlike Beowulf’s third battle, he was unable to use mortal weapons to defeat Grendel and its mother. The dragon, on the other hand, was the lesser of three evils. He only sought to kill when the mound he was guarding was disturbed by a thief. Other than that, he had no true intentions of killing. On the contrary, there are a number of similarities as well. Beowulf went into each of his battles with bravery and determination. He never backed down from a fight, even if he knew he would die. In conclusion, the trio of battles that Beowulf had to face were all similar and different in their own respects. Beowulf had to go against evil three times and was only able to prevail twice. He was a character that grew wise with age and fought without fear. Beowulf selflessly helped those in need and put his life on the line to do so. He was a true hero that possessed such traits that propelled him further into glory. However, as the story portrays, even the wisest and the most reputable of heroes prospers in the
For starters, his first two battles were against pure evil. Grendel slaughtered innocent people just because he was unable to join in on their joy. Grendel’s mother, on another note, killed because she was stricken with grief and revenge. Their bloodline was dirtied with sin and murder, driving them to kill innocent bystanders. Unlike Beowulf’s third battle, he was unable to use mortal weapons to defeat Grendel and its mother. The dragon, on the other hand, was the lesser of three evils. He only sought to kill when the mound he was guarding was disturbed by a thief. Other than that, he had no true intentions of killing. On the contrary, there are a number of similarities as well. Beowulf went into each of his battles with bravery and determination. He never backed down from a fight, even if he knew he would die. In conclusion, the trio of battles that Beowulf had to face were all similar and different in their own respects. Beowulf had to go against evil three times and was only able to prevail twice. He was a character that grew wise with age and fought without fear. Beowulf selflessly helped those in need and put his life on the line to do so. He was a true hero that possessed such traits that propelled him further into glory. However, as the story portrays, even the wisest and the most reputable of heroes prospers in the