Battle Of Beowulf Research Paper

Battles in Beowulf In the British epic Beowulf, there are three major battles. One battle is in between Beowulf and Grendel, the next is in between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, and the last battle is in between Beowulf and a dragon. During each of these battles Beowulf kills the monster and takes a trophy in order to boast about his victory (Applebee 33). The trophies range from an arm, to a head, to stolen treasure and each trophy says something different about the character development and the values of Beowulf’s society. In the first battle, Beowulf defeats Grendel in the mead hall of King Hrothgar. Beowulf uses his strength to crush Grendel and to rip off the monster’s arm, which he keeps as a trophy (Applebee 43). This arm is the first trophy that Beowulf takes during the course of this

In this battle Beowulf openly uses a sword and a shield, which he refused to do in his battle with Grendel. After being wounded by the dragon and losing his sword, Beowulf is aided by his second-in-command Wiglaf (Applebee 56). Together, Beowulf and Wiglaf manage to kill the dragon, though Beowulf’s injury is fatal. As he is dying, Beowulf orders Wiglaf to bring him the treasure of the dragon so that he might be surrounded by gold and jewels as he dies. After Beowulf succumbs to his injuries, a great tomb is built for him, per his instructions, and the riches of the dragon are buried with him (Applebe 58). Beowulf wished to take the riches with him because he wanted to see everything he had won during his battle with the dragon and he wanted to know that he was wealthy. The trophy that Beowulf takes away from this battle is the dragon’s treasure, which signifies his greed. Even though he was dying he still valued the material fortune he had won over any other trophy he could have taken. This act demonstrates his endless desire to be the most respected and the most well-known person in the