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Beowulf's Legacy

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In the great epic, Beowulf, an unknown poet describes Beowulf as an invincible hero with the amazing strength stronger than any human ever, but does having the traits of an incredible warrior, make him a great king? A great king is loyal, generous, reliable and should be able to realize what he needs to do to make sure his people are safe. Beowulf is brave, strong, and extremely confident in his combat abilities, but Beowulf does not think about the possible effects of his actions. Beowulf cares about his fame, fortune, and legacy, but he often makes rushed decisions that risk his life and could potentially leave his people powerless and unprotected. During Beowulf’s transformation from thane to king, he has always had more of a warrior’s mindset, …show more content…

Beowulf says, "No Weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me/ if face me he dares"(55. 683-685). This passage shows that Beowulf is fighting Grendel for the pride of killing the greatest monster, instead of fighting Grendel to save the Danes. If Beowulf's top priority is to save the people, he would have known that his best chance would be to wear armour and use weapons, but because he wants the pride and fame he goes into battle without armour or weapons. Beowulf was the best chance for the Danes to be safe again, and if Beowulf went in with no armour and no weapons, and died, then Grendel could continue killing men, women, and children every day until he finally dies. This is an example of a rushed decision, and if Beowulf was king he could have left his people helpless against …show more content…

He risks his life against the dragon to save his people and get back the treasure. Although he dies before leaving an heir, he is known as the greatest king on earth: “They said that of all the kings upon earth/ he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,/ kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”(106. 3180-3182). Beowulf was an incredible king because he was strong, generous, brave, and kind to his people. He made the decision to fight the dragon, even though he was very old and knew he had little chance of winning. He frees his people and is able to return the treasure to the kingdom. The warrior mindset he has makes him brave, and reliable for his people. He is able to keep them from danger, and to protect them. Having a warrior mindset affected the way he ruled, but for the better, he never second guessed going into battle to save his people, and he died a

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