The Three Battles In Beowulf

In Beowulf, the main character Beowulf battles three different monsters. He battles Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. These battles have its similarities and its differences. In his first battle against Grendel, the author displays Beowulf and Grendel as being very aggressive. The tone displayed in this duel is praising because of the author’s description of Beowulf’s heroism. From the description of Beowulf, the author states that “his courage, his bravery, and his wisdom had been known to many” which reinstates just how many people know about him (7). When Grendel enters the Herot, his actions are very monstrous. Grendel "tore open the entry of the hall when he was enraged" (14). The way Grendel enters help elaborate the author’s
purpose of the violence in this battle. In this battle, Grendel "suffered pain in his body. A great wound was seen in his shoulder" (15). Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat Grendel. In the second battle against Grendel’s mother, the tone is very subtle since there wasn’t much of a leading story to battle her. This battle was not as aggressive as the first one. The only thing that Beowulf does after he kills Grendel’s mother, is he strikes Grendel's head off. In the last battle, the tone is dark and tragic.
Even Though Beowulf knew that he had the chance of dying, he continues to fight through all of his battles, he knows that it is his responsibility as a warrior and a king is to protect his people and not just
himself.
Beowulf’s strengths and powers throughout his life are all shown differently in his battles. In the first battle, when he is young “he had not met in the world, on the face of the earth among men, a mightier hand-grip” (14) this displays his strengths. He did not need any armour or swords, instead he relied on his physical strength and the powers of God in order to help defeat him. In this second battle againist Grendel’s mother, Beowulf uses a sword to defeat her “... in that hall in the depths I cut the head of Grendel’s mother with a gigantic sword, with violence I tore her life from her” (39). This is different from the first battle because just his strength won’t help to defeat her. Without the use of his sword, Beowulf would not have defeated Grendel’s mother. He describes his armour as "the war-corslet, hand- woven, broad, cunningly adorned..." (26). In this last battle against the dragon, when he is much older “Beowulf came thence by his own strength; swam over the sea. Alone he held on his arm thirty suits of armour when he set out on the sea” (43). Beowulf is unsuccessful in this fight. Even with all the weapons and help he still gets defeated. He was to kill the dragon and win the treasure but he wasn’t able to save his life In this battle unlike the other battles, he fights this battle as a king and not a warrior.
Throughout all of his battles, Beowulf is seen as a heroic warrior.
The similarities that are seen throughout them is in all of his battles, he tries to help out and serve his people. In the first two battles, Beowulf is dealing with Grendel somehow. Beowulf’s quest to battle Grendel describes him as “...a valiant man among the Geats, heard of that at home, of the deeds of Grendel. He was the greatest in might among men at the time, noble and powerful. He bade goodship to be built for him” (4). In his second battle, Beowulf’s quest to battle Grendel’s mother he states “...let us go quickly hence to behold the track of Grendel’s kinswoman. I promise thee she shall not escape undercovering darkness, nor in earth’s embrace, nor in the mountain forest” (25-26). In all of the battles that Beowulf is involved in he deals with fighting someone dark and evil. Grendel is a monster that preyed on the Danes and fed himself with their bodies night after night. Grendel’s mother battles Beowulf out of revenge to the person that killed her son which makes her evil and the dragon killed any man who dared to try and take his treasure. Also the last similarity that is displayed during his battles is Beowulf was unable to defeat the monsters with mortal weapons. Beowulf could not kill Grendel with his weapons so he had to use his hands. During the fight againist Grendel’s mother his sword did not kill her and in the battle against the dragon his shield
melted.
All of Beowulf’s battles relate back to each other to help contrast the author’s changes in the tone. The tones changed from praising Beowulf’s heroism to a subtle tone of battling Grendel’s mother then it changes to a more dark and tragic tone. Beowulf continues to fight in all of these battles from when he is a young warrior until his is a old king. Through all the similarities and differences, the reader is still able to see how much of a heroic warrior Beowulf really is.