Beowulf is an exciting tale of a hero from Geatland (modern Sweden) who sails across the sea to Denmark in the noble pursuit of a vicious monster that has been terrorizing the land for twelve years. Beowulf, the hero, aims to kill the monster called Grendel, who is pure evil, and rumored to be descended from the biblical figure, Cain. Over the course of Beowulf’s story, he fights in two more battles against equally terrible foes. The historical epic, Beowulf, is an ideal representation of the Anglo-Saxon people’s values and culture between 975AD to 1025AD. Anglo-Saxon is the term for Germanic people from north-western Europe who invaded Britain during Roman rule during the 5th century. The hero of this tale exudes all the known Anglo-Saxon …show more content…
In this poem, the hero exhibits his bravery through his daring actions. He courageously sets out to kill Grendel even though no man has survived an encounter with the beast. He does this in search of honor and reward for himself and his men. Beowulf believes he can beat this foe because he takes pride in his strength and courage, saying, “Because all knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies (204)” Beowulf shows his loyalty in the poem by honoring his uncle’s alliance with King Hrothgar as he resolved to help the Danes rid themselves of this evil monster Grendel. When the monster is slane, the story’s hero doesn’t hesitate to stop Grendels “the greedy she-wolf (471)” mother from enacting her revenge on the Danes. Instead, Beowulf leaps into the unknown depths of the monster’s lair, kills the mother, and cuts off the head of the dying Grendel as a trophy and representation of all he has done. Beowulf’s fight with the monsters in this poem is one of the first classic tales of good versus evil. Because Beowulf was able to kill the evil monster, he is seen as a good hero. Beowulf was rewarded for his noble deeds with many treasures, and when he returned to Geatland, he assumed the throne as