Theme Of Mortality In Beowulf

All living beings must face the inevitable fact that we all must die. In the poem, Beowulf, mortality plays an important part in many characters where they must confront an enemy that may lead to their death. The role of mortality is brought up of several times throughout the poem and some people argue that the characters are reminded of their mortality so they can preform as many deeds as they can so they be remembered by it. I argue that the characters are reminded of their mortality as a warning that there is always a stronger opponent out there and some day that opponent is going to be the one to end their lives. I argue this because you see characters like Grendel, Hrothgar, Beowulf and Beowulf’s men face their own mortality. To begin with, the character Grendel is one of the first characters to experience his own mortality. Grendel is a demon who terrorizes King Hrothgar’s mead hall because he hears the king’s men singing songs about God which angers …show more content…
Hrothgar is the King of the spear-dances in Denmark. Hrothgar was a strong warrior during his younger days but now is an old king who is in a dangerous position where he cannot defend his people against Grendel without the assistance of Beowulf. Hrothgar understands his own mortality because he is not the warrior he once was and he would have been killed like all the other warriors that lost their lives to Grendel if he battled him. If Hrothgar dies then there is no one to take his position as king because his children are still too young. This makes Hrothgar accept Beowulf’s offer to defeat Grendel for him. After Beowulf defeated the demon, Hrothgar explains to him that “soon in their turn sickness or war/ will break your strength, or the grip of fire/ overwhelming wave, or sword’s swing/ a thrown spear, or hateful old age/ the lights will darken theater were your eyes/ Death overcomes you all at once, warrior.” (Beowulf, pg.