Beowulf

            
             Heroism, warriors, and bloody battles between humans and god"'s ferocious creatures all describe the tale Beowulf. Beowulf, the hero of the poem, son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hygelac, fights three monsters throughout his lifetime, and each leads to the climax of his death. Throughout his adventures, Beowulf demonstrates bravery which when carried to an extreme results in foolhardiness, a characteristic of the human condition that is valid today and forever. .
             In the first part of the novel, Beowulf fights Grendel, the monster who terrorizes Heorot and his mother, therefore proving his strength and courage throughout the Danish land. Because Grendel returns to the mead hall every night to devour a few Danish men during their sleep, eventually the others get the message and flee. Soon after the fiend claims their land as his lair. When Beowulf arrives to defeat this creature, he is doubted and challenged by the Danes, yet he convinces them of his strength and courage with stories of his past adventures. Soon the men resort to sleep and await the arrival of their enemy. When Grendel arrives, after consuming one of the warriors, he approaches Beowulf who, to his surprise, is not asleep and actually fights back! Beowulf, with extreme bravery, struggles against the monster, tearing off his arm. However, this is not the end of the battle between man and beast, for Grendel"'s mother avenges her son"'s attack and snatches up Hrothgar"'s favorite warrior and her son"'s arm. To rid the town of this creature, Beowulf had to go into the lake where it resided. He kills both Grendel and his mother with a sword from god. After Beowulf"'s defeat, he was rewarded and honored greatly and then returned to his homeland. .
             Fifty years later, Beowulf"'s bravery was put to the test yet again by a greedy dragon that burned his land, and this time he feels overly assured that he can save the day once more. Because his uncle was once the king, the throne had been passed down to Beowulf and life for him had been peaceful until a man stole treasures from an avaricious dragon.