Power In Beowulf

The story Beowulf takes place in Denmark under the rule of King Hrothgar. While ruling, Hrothgar is faced with a constant threat to his kingdom. After hearing of this threat, Beowulf and 14 of his best men sail over to lend a hand. Once arriving in Heorot, Beowulf is welcomed by the king and led to the mead hall where they are informed about the problems in the kingdom. Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf takes on three different monster and shows his strength, bravery, and power in battle. The first battle Beowulf takes part in is against Grendel. Before Beowulf arrives to help the Danes, Grendel has killed over 30 men. He had been terrorizing for 12 years and Beowulf wanted to help. Beowulf did not prepare much for this battle. He did not gather …show more content…
Grendel, taken by surprise when he could not dominate the fight, realized how strong Beowulf was. When the fight neared an end Beowulf, being as strong as he was, ripped off the monster’s arm using his bare hands. Grendel left the castle to die while the King’s men celebrated and hung the arm from the ceiling on display. The second battle that takes place is between Grendel’s mother and Beowulf. Beowulf is called on by the King to help fight the monster. The motivation behind calling Beowulf to help occurs when the King’s best friend is taken by the mother one night. Grendel’s mother sought revenge after Beowulf fatally injured Grendel in the fight at the castle. She took revenge by placing the kingdom in fear of another attack along with taking the friend. Beowulf now had to prepare for this epic battle he was about to …show more content…
When the kingdom falls under attack after thieves stole a cup from the dragon’s cave, Beowulf prepared to bring peace back to his home. Along with peace, Beowulf wanted to bring all the treasures from the dragon’s cave back to the castle. The battle took place in the cave where the dragon lives. The heat from the dragon’s fiery breath had no effect on Beowulf, but it melted his sword. He began to lose the battle when he could not penetrate the dragon’s skin and his sword broke. After seeing the sword break and Beowulf struggle to beat the dragon, the remaining soldier, Wiglaf, steps in to help distract. Beowulf was able to use his dagger to stab the dragon and kill it. Unfortunately, the dragon also bit Beowulf and he began to die from the poison. Before dying, Beowulf told Wiglaf his last remaining wishes. He wanted to be cremated and buried on top of a cliff that looks out on the water so everyone can see him and know what he did for the kingdom. Wiglaf made sure to carry out these wishes.
The difference between Beowulf’s last battle against the dragon and his previous two battle begins with the way he prepared for them. For the third battle, Beowulf put on armor and thought about the consequences if he lost. He also brought along help in case he could not win the battle alone. Beowulf had aged over 50 years since his second battle and he was not as strong as he once was. The similarities between