The ideas of battle and victory are recurring themes in the epic Beowulf. The main character and hero, Beowulf, demonstrates his generous and courageous attitude in three different situations of conflict. Each scenario represents the strength, bravery, and in some cases, the sense of defeat that he felt. The beginning of the story introduces the Danes and the trouble and terror they are experiencing. As the evil demon, Grendel, goes about preying on the people in the kingdom that belonged to king Hrothgar, Beowulf hears of the news and knows he must help. He has his men accompany him to Denmark. To Beowulf’s success, he makes valiant efforts to defeat Grendel and protect the Danes. The second battle becomes introduced when Grendel’s mother …show more content…
Following Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel, the Danes praised and thanked him graciously, but his battle efforts were immediately needed again. The revenge that Grendel’s mother took on the village called for another fight that the young hero had sought to face. The result that came from this was the defeat of the wicked creature and knowing that he had ultimately kept the Danes safe from any harm. The last battle took a drastic turn of events and definitely ended the most differently from the others. Although he was able to defeat the dragon and create another victory, he lost his life saving the people of Geatland. This was the first time that Beowulf’s weakness became evident. After ruling for fifty years, his youth had surpassed him and mustering all the strength he had left was barely enough. He therefore needed help from his companion, Wiglaf. A common idea found in each duel would be the need for help and moral support. Even though the men that supported Beowulf and went into battle with him, they were generally cowards and did not put forth many valiant efforts. Although, Beowulf had more confidence knowing that he had his men following him in the event that it was needed. This shows a more humanistic and vulnerable side of Beowulf that remains hidden by his superhuman