Beowulf Essay

In the book “Beowulf”, some readers may see Beowulf as prideful and arrogant, however, Beowulf has earned the right to boast of his victories. Beowulf has battled many creatures of all kinds through the years and is very credible when he speaks of his triumphs. Clearly, he is prepared to face the mighty and ferocious Grendel, along with his mother. There are many references in the book to Beowulf being a credible warrior. For instance, in book 8, Unferth speaks harshly to Beowulf and stretches the truth about his encounter with Brecca. He says that Beowulf lost the battle because he wasn’t strong enough, but Beowulf comes back and tells the real story of his battle with sea monsters. Another example is found in book 10. Beowulf makes the public decision to defeat Grendel weaponless, using only the strength in his bare hands. Some may consider this a foolish thought. Once again, Beowulf proves his strength by defeating Grendel in the next book with no other weapon than his robust hands. At this point even more than before, he has the right to boast of his strength. Then, in book 21, Beowulf makes a daring promise. He tells King Hrothgar and the Danes that he will kill Grendel’s mother, and he only needs one day. If broken, this promise would have let down the entire kingdom. The Danes had no need to worry. Beowulf defeats Grendel’s malicious mother, vicious and vindictive, on his own after one day. Through all of these triumphs, it is obvious that Beowulf was not an arrogant warrior. He understood his strength, and assured the people he served that he would take care of them.