What Is Beowulf Evil

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In the epic poem, Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf has slain three great evils in his lifetime. Beowulf is a young lad from Geatland, where his uncle is king. He is called by Hrothgar, a friend of his late father, Edgetho, who is desperately in need of Beowulf to ameliorate his kingdom from the great evil, Grendel. Beowulf slaughters the beast, because of this, Grendel’s mother arrives for revenge of her son. Beowulf sucessfully kills her also, leaving him more wealthy than ever. He becomes ex officio of his own kingdom and reigns for fifty, peaceful years. Soon, a dragon begins terrorizing his own kingdom. Beowulf becomes a victor one last time, dying shortly after battle. This essay is going to analyze three homeric traits shown in the epic: being an aristocrat or demigod, valuing strength, skill, and courage, and last but not least choosing death before dishonor. The first trait to be discussed …show more content…
After half of a century of peace, Beowulf is once again encountered with another great evil, a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf however, does not submit to the challenge even though he is of old age now. He tells his people that he is “‘old, now, But [I] will fight again, seek fame still’”. Line 3-4 Close Reader. Beowulf could have told a young warrior to go and defend the kingdom, but his homeric hero traits shines through once again, choosing death before dishonor. Even though he is old and not in his prime, he defeats his last great evil. In closing, this essay analyzes only three of the many homeric hero traits in the epic poem, Beowulf: being an aristocrat or demigod, valuing strength, skill, and courage, and choosing death over dishonor. All three of these traits help to mold the poem and keeps readers on their toes while reading. Beowulf is a great hero, he fights for people in need and for the fame he can carry for generations to come. Although he is not a demigod, he certainly has the traits to be

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