Beowulf Research Paper

Beowulf Who is Beowulf and where is he from? Beowulf is the prince of Geats, known to be strong and courageous. It is known that once he makes a vow, he stands by his word, no matter what the cost, even if it takes his life. He is unwilling to back down from a battle, just to be there for people who are in need of help from evil. Later on in his life, he becomes king of the Danes. He is a true heroic character because he is willing to risk his life for his beliefs. In medieval culture, monster was the word that meant birth defect, that was thought as a bad sign from God—a sign of dangerous things to come. The monsters that Beowulf had to fight during this Anglo-Saxon poem appear to represent an inhuman presence that has to be exercised for the safety of the citizens. The three monsters that Beowulf slays all appear to possess a symbolic meaning. For example, Grendel is from the biblical figure Cain, who slain his own brother, Grendel may represent the evil of raiding and killing others. A figure of medieval folklore that is the symbol of sin the dragon could represent a …show more content…
Beowulf takes his armor, shield, and his sword and goes to the cave where the dragon lives, vowing to destroy it single-handedly. He is old now, and he is not as strong as he was when he fought Grendel. During the battle, Beowulf breaks his sword against the dragon's side; the dragon, enraged, engulfs Beowulf in flames and wounds him in the neck. All of Beowulf's followers flee except Wiglaf, after seeing his king in trouble. Wiglaf stabs the dragon with his sword, and Beowulf, in a final act of courage, cuts the dragon in half with his knife. After the fight Beowulf lay dying, when he asks Wiglaf to bring him the dragon's treasures, saying that seeing the jewels and gold will make him feel that the effort has been