Flaws In Beowulf

Deciding on whether Beowulf is flawed or is fundamentally good is a decision that has many possible answers, and mostly is not able to be decided fully upon. I believe Beowulf may have begun fighting as a reason to do good, but once he realized how much praise and fortune he would receive from the fights, he began to risk himself time and time again simply for the glory. It seems he may be blinded from this truth, however, since he believes himself to be the only hope of winning, specifically when he mentions, “he had no call / to go looking for some lesser champion,” when discussing Grendel’s attack and king Hygelac (2493-2495). It seems, also, as time progresses he becomes even more sure of himself. Looking at the speech he makes before fighting the dragon, Beowulf …show more content…
One example is when he begins fighting the dragon. Despite the eminent danger, Beowulf is so sure of himself and “sure of his ground” (2567) that he does not prepare himself for the worst. Yes, this may be helpful in some instances, to disregard any thoughts of defeat, but in this case it would have been better and wiser for him to consider what would need to be done in order to be victorious. Of course, Beowulf does not care though, which eventually leads to his death. Before that happens however, while talking with Wiglaf, Beowulf gives us one more instance of his pride. He mentions how “No king / of any neighboring clan would dare / face me with troops, none had the power / to intimidate me” (2732-2736). Even as he lay dying, he still cannot accept the fact that he may not have been as indestructible as he always believed himself to be. It sad to think that if he would have been humbler about his accomplishments, he may have been able to live a full life, but unfortunately he did not listen when someone gave him advice. Pride became the cause of Beowulf’s