Bravery In Beowulf

Beowulf
Beowulf is an epic poem from the Angle-Saxon period, about a hero who takes on great challenges and adventures. The character Beowulf embodies the virtues of the Angle-Saxon culture and beliefs. He embodies the traits of Angle-Saxon society: strength, bravery, honor and desire to help the helpless. He shows bravery within the events of his fearless actions for the better living of other human beings ;( ‘… having come to him from over the open sea you have come bravely and are welcome’’ lines 129). This illustrates the importance of bravery Angle-Saxon people due to their actions of Beowulf.

Beowulf is a great warrior, characterized predominantly by his feats of strength and courage, including his fabled swimming match against Breca His defeat of Grendel and Grendel’s mother validates his reputation for bravery and establishes him fully as a hero. In first part of

(2625-2630) the poet reflects further on how the responsibilities of a king, who must act for the good of the people and not just for his own glory, differ from those of the heroic warrior. In light of these meditations, Beowulf’s moral status becomes somewhat ambiguous at the epic poem’s end. Though he is deservedly celebrated as a great hero and leader, his last courageous fight is also somewhat rash. The poem suggests that, by sacrificing himself, Beowulf unnecessarily leaves his people without a king, exposing them to danger from other tribes. To understand Beowulf’s death strictly as a personal failure, however, is to neglect the overwhelming emphasis given to fate in this last portion of the poem. The conflict with the dragon has an aura of inevitability about it. Rather than a conscious choice, the battle can also be interpreted as a matter in which Beowulf has very little choice or free will at all. Additionally, it is hard to blame him for acting according to the dictates of his warrior