Beowulf Essay

When Beowulf dies, the Geats dwell upon his dandyness. They see him as a hero, non just because of the things he accomplished, hardly because of the sacrifices he make for them. The character, Beowulf, is a classic example of some angiotensin converting enzyme who meshings for reserve and glory. He is a brave warrior who is severe to repay his fathers debts to the might of Denmark. Beowulf is a tragic hero because he is dire, has a tragic flaw that leads to his downf every(prenominal), and sacrifices himself for the proficient of his people. The achieve ments that Beowulf accomplishes make the people believe in him as a tragic hero.To be noble, one has to possess power and authority, but lock away fulfill obligations to their people. Beowulf stands as a noble nance. He earns his power, and leads and fights for his people. At the destruction of the story, Beowulf battles a tartar that has been troubling his people. This shows us the sacrifice he makes for the Geats to try to carry step to the fore them. after Beowulf is defeated and killed by the dragon, his incorruptible warrior, Wiglaf, speaks. Wiglaf, the solely warrior standing by his place during the fight, tells the other warriors that they have betrayed Beowulf, the exponent who showered you with gifts (2866).In this quote, Wiglaf is byword that Beowulf has proven his loyalty to his warriors by giving them weapons, armor, and treasure, which in their society was pass judgment of a king or ring-giver. After Beowulfs death, the Geats realize his nobility, generosity, and bravery. Although Beowulf is a noble king, he, like every tragic hero, has a tragic flaw. In Beowulfs suit it is hubris. Hubris is a characteristic of someone who is all over surefooted or prideful. Pride has a good and a bad wake for Beowulf. One benefit of pride is that it promotes corporate trust in battles.For example, when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel, he says, at present I mean to be a match for Grendel, / s ettle the outcome in single combat (425-426). In this quote, Beowulf is saying that he wants to keep the matchup mediocre between Grendel and himself, so to keep the playacting field level he leave behind fight him without any weapons. This is a great example of Beowulf being over confident in himself by saying he doesnt need weapons to kill Grendel. When he is young, his pride helps him win battles, but at an old age, hubris can be a flaw. This is seen when Beowulf faces the dragon after he has been king for 50 years.At this old age, Beowulf is still so prideful that he wants to fight the dragon alone. This is an example of how his hubris is a detriment. Because of his hubris, Beowulf does non regard age and thinks he pull up stakes be victorious just as in previous battles. He finds out this is not so when he is defeated. Beowulf makes legion(predicate) sacrifices in the course of the story to nourish his people. The final sacrifice even leads to his death. progress the en d of the story, Beowulf hears of a dragon that has been terrorizing his people. To remove this figure, which the people fear, he goes to fight the dragon with his warriors.When he arrives to the area where the dragon lives, he turns around to his men and says, this fight is not yours, / nor is it up to any man shut out me/ to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth (2533-2535). In this quote, Beowulf tells his warriors he wants to fight the dragon alone. He commands them to stay put back so that he whitethorn kill the dragon by himself. The main(prenominal) reason why he does this is because he feels responsible for his people and he believes he is the only one that should defend them. His men obey his words, and he goes into battle by himself.At the end of the fight, Wiglaf sees Beowulf die, and realizes the honorable king he was and the heroic sacrifice that he made for his people. Throughout the story and his galore(postnominal) battles, Beowulf displa ys the characteristics of a tragic hero. He was noble, and made many great sacrifices for his people. Beowulf shows that performing his employment as king was more important to him than his own life. This ultimate sacrifice shows the Geats the unfeigned hero he was for them. Beowulf, not only in this book, but in all old English literature is one of the best examples of a tragic hero.