Motives In Beowulf's Motives

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Beowulf’s Motives

An Analysis of Beowulf 's Intentions

The epic entitled “Beowulf” introduces its main character, Beowulf as a strong and mighty warrior who has proved his superhuman strength and endurance. As quoted in Beowulf 's introduction, “In his far off home Beowulf, Higlac 's follower and the strongest of the Geats- greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world-” (109-111) His power and strength is known by many and he continues to prove his might with every victory he achieves in the duration of this epic story. Although, many question why Beowulf fights the monsters voluntarily, seen as he is not obligated to do so. After analyzing this epic, one can come to the conclusion that Beowulf 's motivations for fighting …show more content…

It is not like Beowulf is an evil character who doesn 't care about the wellbeing of others, he truly does care and he doesn 't fight the monsters just for his benefit. Beowulf is a leader and he is responsible for a large amount of people. Therefore, since he is part of a group and groups help each other out, it was Beowulf 's responsibility to take care of the group. Even though, Beowulf is old and his skills are degrading by the time it comes for him to fight the dragon, he still feels like he can defeat the monster in order to save and help his people. This is proven by a few lines from the epic that state, “And Beowulf uttered his final boast: ‘Ive never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.” (623-628) Just as he did with the other two monsters, since many people were being killed from them and he helped them even though they weren’t even his people. Evidently, Beowulf wasn’t just about himself, he cared about others and his people which is why he went on to fight the three monsters even though his life was being put in

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