Beowulf then began to die and Wiglaf, by Beowulf’s order, brought Beowulf a portion of the treasure to see before he died. Right before he died, Beowulf showed great kinsmanship by announcing Wiglaf king. In conclusion, Beowulf was a great king. In the end, his strength failed him and lost him his life. His bravery was his biggest weapon.
When Beowulf fights Grendel's mother, first he looked around his surrounding and “he sights a famous old sword of the giants, which he seizes and thrusts at Grendel’s mother, who falls in helpless death throes” (Foster 1). In every battle, Beowulf is overpowered with wisdom, which makes him an epic hero. The second thing that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his strength. Beowulf’s main weapon against any opponents, he face is his mighty strength, which makes him the true epic hero. Beowulf fights many battles throughout his life, he killed all the monsters he faced, which shows his mig... ... middle of paper ... ... enormous risk that all the instincts of self-preservation resist”(Hanning 60).
Wiglaf was in full strength and was unhurt but all that he could do was stab the dragon. Beowulf, however, was badly wounded, but still managed to provide the fatal slice to kill the dragon. Hrothgar, Unferth, and Wiglaf all relied on Beowulf to kill the monsters that they could not kill themselves. This makes Beowulf superior to them because he obtained the strength, courage, and will that they all lacked. Beowulf is superior to Hrothgar, Unferth, and Wiglaf because he becomes a widely feared warrior and king.
Grendel’s mother quickly grabs Beowulf and takes him to the battle arena. Once there, Beowulf fights and finds his sword cannot pierce the monster’s hide. So once again, Beowulf throws his sword aside and fights hand-to-hand. Yet, he could not defeat her with his hands alone. Then Beowulf sees, “hanging on the wall, a heavy, Sword, hammered by giants, strong And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons.” Taking the sword and holding it high above his head he strikes the monster in the neck cutting deep into the skin, breaking bones and all.
“ The nobel son of Weohstan saw the king in danger at his side and displayed his inborn bravery and strength(lines 2694-2626).... Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt, sharpened in battle , He stuck it deep into the dragon’s flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound. They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life; that pair of kinsmen, partners in nobility, had destroyed the foe. So every man should act, be at hand when needed;”( lines 2702-2710). Even though beowulf and wiglaf slay the dragon king Beowulf dies from his injuries.
After defeating Grendel, Beowulf came back twice in order to kill Grendel 's mother and a fire-breathing dragon. Although during his bout with the dragon, Beowulf was fatally injured. As his services were needed, he always prevailed; Beowulf 's bravery never tired. He
With a sliced neck, Beowulf managed to pull out a dagger and slay the dragon in two. The dragon is defeated, but Beowulf lays dying. Beowulf had proved himself to be an epic hero through this part of the story because he put up one more fight after conquering Grendel and his mother. The motivation and courage he possessed allowed him to fight his last battle before the final hours of his life. He had won the fame and honor he once hoped
Before his confrontation with Grendel, he did many other things to assist his people. An example of him doing this is when he speaks of himself killing the giants and wiping them off the earth. He says, "They have seen my strength for themselves,/have watched me rise from the darkness/of war, dripping of my enemies' blood/I drove five great giants into chairs, chased/all of that race from the Earth." (246-250) Beowolf proves his strength to others and to himself. In his fight with Grendels' mother Beowolf proves many things.
In his fight with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf discovers a gigantic sword with an engraved hilt created by giants. With the giant-made sword, Beowulf swings and hits Grendel’s mother in the neck, fatally wounding her. Beowulf finds Grendel’s body in the monster’s cave and decapitates him to bring his head as a prize. The blood of Grendel is so poisonous and acidic that it melts the blade of Beowulf’s new sword, leaving only the jeweled hilt. Beowulf returns victoriously and presents King Hrothgar the hilt of the sword he used to slay Grendel’s mother.
Beowulf and his most trusted friend Wiglaf defeat the beast, although not without Beowulf being bitten by the beast first. Wiglaf sinks a sword in the dragon 's belly, but this still does not kill the dragon, but rather wounds. Beowulf, with what strength he had left, stabbed the dragon with a dagger and kills him once and for all. Beowulf proves yet another valiant move with the courage he possesses by continuing to fight even when he has little to nothing