Beowulf believed that masculinity and honor were the two most important qualities for any man to embody. This shows that Beowulf’s two most valued character traits are the ultimate versions of both the id and superego, working harmoniously in a single person. Beowulf’s id is stronger than he knows, leading him to meet his end at the hands of a dragon. Beowulf never learned to balance bravery with cockiness. Chasing a perfect masculinity, Beowulf destroyed himself. The id is not supposed to work with the superego. The idea behind both of these figures is that they coexist, but neither wants to work with the other, creating the need for the ego, which steps in to moderate the two. On the surface, Beowulf seems like a man who is consumed by his …show more content…
This meant that while Beowulf was proving his masculinity, vanquishing monster after monster, many of his men were dying. To a certain point, this is to be expected - war leads to death - but it’s clear that Beowulf unnecessarily put men in harm’s way at least twice in the poem, simply to further his glory. When Beowulf originally fights Grendel, he tells everyone to sleep in Herot as usual, so that he could lure Grendel into his trap; but, had Beowulf used animals instead of humans, Grendel still would’ve come to Herot, and several lives wouldn’t have needed to be sacrificed. Additionally, when Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother, he brings people with him and, while he asks that they not follow him into the lake, it marks them as Grendel’s mother’s next meal, should Beowulf fail to kill her. Beowulf doesn’t only face challenging enemies; he challenges himself with the men he chooses to accompany him to Denmark. So Beowulf/ Chose the mightiest men he could find,/ The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen/ In all, and led them to their boat;/ He knew the sea, would point the prow/ Straight to that distant danish shore. (Beowulf 204-207) By choosing the most masculine men he could find, Beowulf is making the statement that he is more masculine than all of them combined, as he is their self-appointed leader. Moreover, Beowulf gives them the best weapons around. Their weapons and armor are …show more content…
These two qualities, combined with his intelligence, as shown by his ability to navigate the sea, and his leadership skills, as shown by his ability to rise above the best of men as their leader, show that Beowulf is the ultimate example of masculinity. Embodying every definable aspect of masculinity, this fact cannot be disputed. Regardless of how many people have failed to defeat his foe, Beowulf is always prepared to destroy him or die trying. Frequently described by a number of adjectives, all synonymous with great, Beowulf is godlike and a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for him, the god he most resembled was Icarus, whose wings melted and who fell to his death upon flying too close to the