Internal Conflict In Beowulf

Beowulf conquers three battles throughout the story which appear physical in nature, but turn out to be internal conflicts in the end. Beowulf is a heroic poem that focuses on the development of a hero, Beowulf. He fights a dragon in his final battle which represents his self-consciousness and ego. Unknown Anglo-Saxon writers wrote this poem between the years 700 and 750; the poem reflects their values of bravery, loyalty, community, and honor. Three individual sections show Beowulf's development as an epic hero displaying different battles in each which also represent an internal struggle with himself. The first of Beowulf’s battles is with a monster named Grendel which represents the naivety of Beowulf at the time as he requested to fight Grendel after going to Hrothgar. This battle shows Beowulf as a hero as he faces mythological creatures not known to the normal world when the author describes it as, the “Descendent of Cain”(21) and a “powerful monster”(1).

This battle displays the Anglo-Saxon values of loyalty, strength, and community as Wiglaf and Beowulf show all of these things. Beowulf shows his heroic abilities as he boasts about fighting the dragon no matter the circumstances, “I’d use no sword, no weapon if this beast could be killed without it”(613). This shows that he has gained confidence in his battle with Grendel’s mother and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to defeat this monster. Additionally, he shows his heroism when he has a resurrection towards the end when “Wiglaf rejoins Beowulf”(26). This shows him coming back from a low point and his companion Wiglaf showing Anglo-Saxon values. In this battle, he proves to be fighting an internal battle with his ego and self-confidence rather than just a physical battle against a