Bravery in Beowulf

Bravery in Beowulf

Bravery was definitely, in my opinion, Beowulf's most distinguishable virtue, though he had plenty others. It was his courageous will that characterized him, elevated his reputation, won the hearts of his people, and destroyed many foes. However, it was this same virtue that led to his end as well. There was definitely a noticeable shift from the outmost bravery portrayed in the first half of the poem to a lesser amount then a complete lack thereof in the second, not entirely by Beowulf.

Completely fearless was Beowulf when he defeated Grendel and Grendel's mother. The poet displays his fearlessness and heroicness repeatedly as it was done when Beowulf was preparing to fight Grendel's mother, "Beowulf got ready/ donned his was-gear, indifferent to death" (1442-1443). Beowulf entered those battles confident in his skills, and with a serene attitude, knowing that if he were to die in battle, God had it destined for him. This feeling in Beowulf seems diminished later as he is about to seek battle with the dragon and understandably so because he is no longer that young invincible hero, something he is well aware of, "He was sad at heart/ unsettled yet ready, sensing his death" (2419-2420). Once in battle, the poet depicts actual fear, an unthinkable feeling in Beowulf's younger days, "Roused to a fury/ each antagonist struck terror in the other" (2564-2565). Beowulf's hand chosen thanes demonstrated cowardliness, a complete lack of bravery, when they ran and left their lord alone in the fight of his death. Nonetheless, there is immediately a shift back to heroic bravery when Wiglaf is the only retainer to go to his lord's aid.