The Battles of Beowulf
The story of Beowulf is one of a great hero. Beowulf is a very generous person who is always willing to help out when people are in need. Over the course of the story, Beowulf ends up in three major battles: the battle with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother, and with the dragon. All of these battles were different in their style and the way Beowulf approached them was different. Beowulf also had different reasons to participate in each of the battles. The first major battle that Beowulf fights in is against Grendel. Beowulf’s motive for this particular fight is to get revenge for what Grendel did to the Danes. Grendel raided the Danes for a total of twelve years. As we learned throughout the book Beowulf was very selfless and was always willing to help out other people. When Grendel comes to Heorot, he devours and kills a Geatish warrior all while Beowulf watches very closely. After this, Grendel tries to reach out and get Beowulf, but is surprised to find his arm gripped with the great strength of Beowulf. Grendel tries to run back to his home in the swamplands because he knows that he will not be able to compete with the mighty Beowulf. At the end of the battle Beowulf summons great strength and rips Grendel’s arm off his body. Grendel, now fatally wounded, goes back to his home and eventually dies. Beowulf holds up the bloody arm of Grendel like a trophy and hangs it on the wall in Heorot as proof that he defeated Grendel. Around the
Imagine a slimy swamp like place where only the most horrid monsters with the most disgusting features live, this is the fen. Now imagine A wonderful bright beautiful hall that’s almost castle like, these are the two elements of the story Beowulf a New Telling.
In the Battle of Beowulf his battles where epic. Everyone praised Beowulf’s name and the stories of his heroic battles of the monsters he battled and defeated. Battles will forever be recognized and remembered.
Fifty years after killing the evil Grendel and his mother, the epic hero, Beowulf, faces his third and final monster, a dragon that has been attacking Geatland. But this last battle will be completely different than the ones before, and spells the end for our epic hero.
The first fight with Grendel it talks about a beast that kills people for singing .This beast kills at night, the beast kills his victims by splendid and consumption. When Beowulf’s caught them things directly arranged out Herot. When Beowulf’s reached he agreed camp and set up camp and, delayed waited for Grendel to come. Beowulf gripped Grendel’s arm and put it around his back and influence. The fight Beowulf tore
Beowulf’s second battle is with Grendel’s mother. Having heard of her son’s death, Grendel’s mother is overcome with a desire to exact revenge. She killed many, including Hrothgar’s best friend. Upon hearing the news, Beowulf decides to help exact revenge. Beowulf went into the swamp to find Grendel’s mother, and was given a sword to help him defeat her. The sword, Hrunting, had been used in many battles previously and had always produced a victory. Beowulf came face to face with Grendel’s mother and fought her with Hrunting. The sword did not harm her, so he threw it aside. Grendel’s mother landed a couple blows, hitting his shoulder through his armor. Beowulf saw a sword in her armory, he took it and used it to defeat her. Beowulf’s second battle was more difficult, and he was completely alone while fighting. The second battle, like the first, was for self-preservation rather than for glory. There is symbolism in Beowulf fighting underwater, as it is similar to a baptism. Beowulf entered the water with a purpose and a tool, but while under the water he had to make a new plan because his original plan failed. He exited the water a hero with new experiences and a new trophy.
Another way in which Beowulf represents a characteristic of an epic hero is he travels and fights with a group of people. “So Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find,/ The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen/ In all,” (ln. 119-122). Beowulf personally chose the warriors he journeys with himself; although Beowulf is generally the one to conquer the monsters, these soldiers are with him through all of his battles. In The Battle With Grendel, all of the men are sleeping in Herot; yet, when Grendel appears, Beowulf is the one to fight and execute him. The story is similar in The Battle With Grendel’s Mother; his men follow him to the edge of the lake, yet he is the one to explore the lake and fight and kill Grendel’s mother. Likewise, in The Last Battle when Beowulf fights the dragon, he begins fighting with all of his men, yet all but one abandon him. Beowulf obtains a strong group of people that he travels with, yet ultimately he solves problems himself.
First Beowulf went on to fight Grendel, without any help from the Danes because, he wanted all the glory to himself. Foster, Edward states, “When he hears the
I’m writing this essay on the three different battles in the epic called “Beowulf”. I’m going to be explaining the differences between the battles and the different weapons Beowulf uses as well as the “trophies” he won after each battle. He wins all three battles, but each one is different in its own way.
The poem Beowulf includes three battles where Beowulf has to defeat the monsters known as Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Although he is successful in defeating the three monsters, his preparation for fighting them, his motivation for going into battle, and the conclusions of the battles demonstrate similarities and differences.
Beowulf’s first battle that portrayed his supernatural ability was with Grendel, a monster who has been plaguing Hrothgar’s kingdom. He comes at night and wreaks havoc upon the kingdom, killing the men who dare destroy him. Beowulf hears of the stories about Grendel and decides to take a journey to Heorot, to free Hrothgar of the monster. Hrothgar let him in with open arms because he knew of his ancestry and he settled the debts that his father left behind, “he knows your ancestry; also that he welcomes you here to Heorot,” (lines 392-3). That night after Beowulf arrived, he stripped off his armor because he did want to face this battle with Grendel having armor and weapons. He decided that he would fight him bare handed, “And the Geat placed complete
Beowulf is a warrior more by reputation than what he actually does throughout the duration of the text. Although he defeats Grendel fairly quickly after being introduced to us, and after that Grendel’s mother, fifty years pass without much detail of Beowulf’s triumphs.
What are the challenges of the Anglo-Saxon life, that Beowulf faces? The strongest competitors Beowulf faced were Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.
One of the major fights that make Beowulf an epic hero is the fight with Grendel. Grendel is a monster spawned out of slime. He terrorizes and kills the Danes every night for 12 years with their attempt of fighting back. Beowulf hears about Grendel and decides to take matters in his own hand. He chose fifteen warriors to go and battle with him. On the way he meets a king named Hrothgar. Beowulf introduces himself and they go to the hall to meet the other warriors. During the night, Beowulf stays up and waits for Grendel to come out. Grendel comes out and kills a male then Beowulf wrestles him and puts up a good fight. Grendel notices Beowulf strength and starts to panic. “Grendel knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder; His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight Hard grip.” ("Beowulf." : A
In his three major battles, Beowulf fights for many different reasons. His motivation varies, and as he grows older and wiser his attitude toward these battles also changes. Throughout the epic, Beowulf bradoshously beats Grendel, then more methodically murders Grendel’s mother, and with his last breathes humbly hollers for help to slay the dragon. This shows that Beowulf’s early focuses of glory and riches changes as he becomes a weathered warrior acknowledges that he cannot defeat his enemies alone and must utilize the resources provided to him such as armor, magical items, and companions.
If I were the director then I would of made more fighting scenes and also would’ve had Beowulf fight Grendel's mother underwater. I would change these few things cause I think it’d be more appealing to the audiences. Every one likes fighting scenes , so I would add some more like flashbacks of Beowulf fighting monsters. Also just to build up his reputation and I think he should be more known through the world instead of just the area. These few ideas is how I’d improve this film.