Beowulf is considered to be the first great work within Anglo-Saxon literature. Written in the form of an epic poem, it tells the tale of the heroic Beowulf, who is the embodiment of what it means to be a man, both in Anglo-Saxon times as well as in present-day times. However, the concepts of heroism and masculinity are not the focus of this paper, per se. Rather, this paper will examine the three battles that Beowulf fights during the course of his adult life, and the impact they have on how the poem as a whole is viewed.
The first battle Beowulf faces is his fight against the monster Grendel. At the start of the poem, King Hrothgar of Denmark is enjoying a successful reign. To celebrate that success, he has a great hall called Heorot built. It serves as a meeting place for he and his soldiers, a place where they can drink and mingle in good times or bad. Unfortunately, the party atmosphere disturbs the monster Grendel, who lives in the swamplands of King Hrothgar’s kingdom. To retaliate, Grendel decides to terrorize the Danes, killing them on a regular basis. This goes on for many years, until the tale reaches Beowulf. He immediately sails to Denmark, with a small band of men, determined to be the one to put a stop to Grendel’s reign of terror.
Upon arrival, he informs King Hrothgar and his men that he intends to kill Grendel. The king, his soldiers, and all the court are quite glad that Beowulf has been sent by a higher power to come put a stop to their misery. As for Beowulf, he lies down, unarmed in any way, awaiting the arrival of Grendel. Like clockwork, Grendel appears late that night, intent on killing more Danes. Initially, Grendel is able to kill a few Danes. However, when he attempts to kill Beowulf, it is he who is injured rather than Beowulf: “The outlaw dire / took mortal hurt; a mighty wound / showed on his shoulder, and sinews cracked / and the bone-frame burst” (Beowulf, Episode 12). Clearly, Beowulf and his men are the victors, and Grendel is left to slink away and nurse his wounds. It is not clear if he is actually dead, but the meaning is implied.
This first battle is a clear, unadulterated example of bravery within a young warrior. Beowulf faces Grendel with little demonstration of fear, and it is most likely that very lack of fear that allowed him the upper hand against Grendel. However, there is another aspect to this first battle: the concept of good versus evil. This concept is a running theme throughout the play, as each battle is ultimately a fight between Beowulf – good – and a monster – evil.
This battle is repeated a second time when Grendel’s mother comes looking for revenge. As previously stated, there is no initial, outright evidence that is Grendel is dead. However, one can assume that the appearance of a vengeful is more than enough proof to assure the reader that Grendel is permanently out of commission. In retaliation for the death of her son, Grendel’s mother goes to Heorot, and murders Aeschere, one of King Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers.
Naturally, his murder must be avenged. Once again, it is left to Beowulf to be the hero. Taking a band of men with him, they travel to the swamp where Grendel’s mother lives. Upon arrival, it is Beowulf alone who dives into the water, and fights with her in her underwater lair. His weapon of choice is a sword that was actually made for a giant rather than a normal-sized human like himself. After killing her, he stumbles across the corpse of Grendel. He uses the same sword to decapitate the dead monster, bringing the head back as a prize for King Hrothgar. Finally, the Danes can rest easy knowing that both monsters are dead. Beowulf is now able to return to his home in Geatland, where he eventually becomes king and has a successful fifty-year reign.
It is late in his tenure as king that he faces the prospect of battling another monster, this time in the form of a dragon. The dragon becomes a problem after a thief disturbs the dragon in his lair. It is common knowledge that this dragon is guarding a vast amount of treasure, and therefore, all those who attempt to get to that treasure run the risk of arousing the dragon’s anger.
Having been disturbed by this common thief, the dragon retaliates by killing Geats with his fiery breath. For the third and final time, Beowulf must come to the rescue. However, unlike his encounters with Grendel and Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is no longer a young man. He is now much older, and thus, not as agile as he used to be. In fact, the one major difference between the battle with the dragon and the battles with Grendel and his mother is that, in this last battle, Beowulf has help defeating the monster.
While fighting the dragon, Beowulf is bitten on the neck, and the deadly venom within the dragon is what ends up killing him. Yet, he does not die until after he and his comrade Wiglaf successfully kill the dragon. As for the vast treasure belonging to the dragon, it is distributed by Wiglaf to those who he believes are worthy of it. Beowulf is placed on a funeral pyre and burned, and then his remains are buried along with a massive treasure in a mound overlooking the sea. So ends the heroic life of Beowulf. He dies as he lived – fighting evil.
The impact that all three battles have on the poem as a whole is one of great importance. Most students who read this particular poem only see it as a tale of heroism and bravery. For them, Beowulf is the epitome of what a man should be. However, there is another way of viewing this particular poem. The three battles, as stated previously, are representations of the struggle between good and evil. More specifically, they are representations of the struggle between Cain and Abel. While both were of the same parents, it was Abel who was looked upon with favor by God, while Cain was not. In a fit of jealousy, Cain killed his brother. His punishment was to be marked by God, and to be banished to an unknown land. Therefore, just as Cain was banished to an unknown land, so were Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. In fact, there are many instances in which it is implied that Grendel and his mother are descended from Cain. Ultimately, however, all three monsters were outcasts due to their inherent evilness.
It is Beowulf that serves as the parallel to Abel. Like Abel, he is favored by God, and this is evident through his successes as a warrior and as a king. Therefore, his death in battle against the final monster – the dragon – is considered to be an honorable death, just as Abel’s death was honorable. Both die serving their god. Thus, not only is Beowulf a great epic poem, it is also a great Christian allegory. When one realizes this, it allows the poem to be seen in a whole different light. It is no longer just a source of entertainment, but rather a guideline for how one can live the best life possible – one that is filled with honor, respect, loyalty, and above all, love.
