Maturity In Beowulf

Maturity Through Battle Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf shows off his many heroic qualities over the course of three battles. The first against Grendel, the second against Grendel’s mother, and the third against the Dragon. Within each of these battles, Beowulf shows the characteristics which make him the greatest hero in the history of English mythology. With each battle, Beowulf’s legend grows stronger, with him embodying the pure form of heroism. Beowulf’s first battle was against the demon Grendel. Grendel was said to be a descendant of Cain, the origin of sin. Grendel began attacking the mead hall of the great King of the Danes, Hrothgar, due to the loud noise the Danes made during their feasts. Grendel terrorized the hall every night, …show more content…
The people had a glimpse of hope when Beowulf came to the aid of Hrothgar. He does so because Hrothgar assisted Beowulf’s father years before. Known as the best warrior alive, Beowulf had proven himself in many ways throughout his life. When he was young, he challenged a friend to a swim race. He lost, but for one reason - he had to stop and kill several sea monsters before he could finish the race. Rumors spread around the Danes, with many of them believing he had the strength of thirty men. In preparation for the battle, Beowulf decides to fight the monster on even stakes. While he waited for Grendel’s attack, he had no weapons and stood ready with no armour or protection of any kind. Eventually, Grendel came to terrorize the hall. A fierce battle ensued, with Grendel taking the upperhand in the beginning. However, Beowulf noticed Grendel’s sensitivity to sound and used this to his advantage. He broke the eardrum of Grendel, causing him to go mad with rage. Beowulf then took the upper hand …show more content…
The Dragon woke up when a thief stole a cup from its lair. The beast leaves its home and proceeds to burn everything in sight. Knowing he cannot leave his people to perish, Beowulf takes his eleven best men to go and fight the Dragon. However, upon seeing the monster, all of his men except for Wiglaf flee. Beowulf attempted to attack it with the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother. Yet it has no effect on the beast. The two men were physically outmatched by the beast, but worked together to fight it, regardless of the likelihood that they would fail. Wiglaf helped weaken the Dragon so Beowulf could deliver the final blow. However, during the course of the battle, Beowulf was fatally injured. In his final moments, Beowulf declared Wiglaf his heir. In his third and final battle, Beowulf sacrificed his life to save the lives of his people. This showed a great level of maturity, cumulating the journey of his