Beowulf Battles
Stew Dent
October 12, 2013
Exposotary Writing
In the epic poem titled “Beowulf”, Beowulf, the hero, has three battles against three different monsters. In each of these battles, our hero has different motives and he uses different strategies. Beowulf’s motives for his battles each have distinct differences, and his success in each is acquired differently from each other. I will explain the battles in their chronologic order. Starting with the monster Grendel, then to his mother, and lastly to the dragon. Grendel was a monster that according to the Christian translation of the poem was a decedent of Cain. One night he came to the mead hall and sat outside to listen to the bards; he became angry when they began singing of God and his creation of the Earth. So when everybody was asleep, he massacred thirty men. The men were powerless against him. He returned the following night and frequently returned for the next twelve years. The Danes could not challenge him, and all of their attempts to stop him failed. Beowulf, the hero, is the greatest hero in the word. When he hears about the havoc that Grendel, and decides to aid Hrothgar. He travels from the land of the Geats, accompanied by fourteen of the Geats finest warriors. Beowulf informs Hrothgar and his men that he will be killing Grendel single handedly, with interestingly enough, his bare hands. When night falls, Grendel creeps toward the mead hall. Beowulf is completely confident with his own abilities to slay the monster. His men on the other hand are sure they are going to be dead by morning. The monster comes in and our hero drives him off after cutting off some of his limbs, the monster is pretty much dead at this point and does die. Beowulf starts this fight off with genuine concern for the Danish people. He travels to slay the monster for the same reason that people become firefighters or doctors: to help people. After our hero slays Grendel, it really aggravates the monster’s mother, as one would
October 12, 2013
Exposotary Writing
In the epic poem titled “Beowulf”, Beowulf, the hero, has three battles against three different monsters. In each of these battles, our hero has different motives and he uses different strategies. Beowulf’s motives for his battles each have distinct differences, and his success in each is acquired differently from each other. I will explain the battles in their chronologic order. Starting with the monster Grendel, then to his mother, and lastly to the dragon. Grendel was a monster that according to the Christian translation of the poem was a decedent of Cain. One night he came to the mead hall and sat outside to listen to the bards; he became angry when they began singing of God and his creation of the Earth. So when everybody was asleep, he massacred thirty men. The men were powerless against him. He returned the following night and frequently returned for the next twelve years. The Danes could not challenge him, and all of their attempts to stop him failed. Beowulf, the hero, is the greatest hero in the word. When he hears about the havoc that Grendel, and decides to aid Hrothgar. He travels from the land of the Geats, accompanied by fourteen of the Geats finest warriors. Beowulf informs Hrothgar and his men that he will be killing Grendel single handedly, with interestingly enough, his bare hands. When night falls, Grendel creeps toward the mead hall. Beowulf is completely confident with his own abilities to slay the monster. His men on the other hand are sure they are going to be dead by morning. The monster comes in and our hero drives him off after cutting off some of his limbs, the monster is pretty much dead at this point and does die. Beowulf starts this fight off with genuine concern for the Danish people. He travels to slay the monster for the same reason that people become firefighters or doctors: to help people. After our hero slays Grendel, it really aggravates the monster’s mother, as one would