Beowulf is a hero who evolves over time in a way unique to his story. As the poem says, he faces three different monsters. From each monster to the next, Beowulf has different motivations and fighting styles that reflect the situation, his level of preparation and his confidence. It also helps to show the different spiritual influences that may have gone into the recording of the epic poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Before we get to the part of the story in which Beowulf fights Grendel, we, the readers, are given a glimpse of Beowulf's earlier accomplishments. Throughout the introduction, Beowulf is seen as a hero like no one has ever seen, and Hrothgar praises him as having the strength of twenty men on each arm. Beowulf is also asked about his defeat in a competition between him and his friend in which the two swam for a week to see who would last the longest. What is most important about this part of the poem is the insight it gives us into one of Beowulf's ancient encounters with monsters. He tells how he killed nine sea serpents on the sea and that is why he could not win the challenge. This battle was a way for him to be better than anyone before him, as seen when he repeatedly boasts that he has never heard of anyone accomplishing such a feat on land or sea. the time comes for Beowulf to leave for When he fights Grendel, it is clear that he does so to protect the people, but also to be recognized as the greatest hero of the land. He is confident and fearless and makes sure the people he fights against know it too. He proclaims to the people: “I hereby renounce the sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war plank: the hand-to-hand combat will be like this…”. In this battle, there is also more of a spiritual presence since Grendel is revealed to be the parent of Cain, the origin of all earthly evil in Christian beliefs. As Beowulf goes into battle, he knows that he will return alive, which is why he leaves behind all the armor and weapons to fight the beast one-on-one. As such the creature was a nuisance, Beowulf was able to easily defeat it and take its arm as a trophy. “The monster's entire body was in pain, a huge wound appeared on its shoulder. Tendons split and bones shattered. Beowulf had the glory of winning…”. Beowulf retrieved Grendel's arm straight from the monster's body as a trophy for his success. Beowulf's victory over Grendel here proves his confidence as a young hero. When fighting Grendel's mother, there isn't as much of a shift in trust from Grendel to him because the battles are only a few days apart, but the way Beowulf prepares is always different. This time he takes a dagger and armor, and takes the hilt of the magic sword as a prize, but in the plot of the story, this battle is rather a continuation of his battle against Grendel himself, in my opinion notice. continues and we come to the last battle, Beowulf is faced with his last enemy and Beowulf proves himself to be a different type of hero in this battle. The Dragon is a new type of threat to Beowulf, one that he has never faced before. If Beowulf is still as courageous as in the first battles, he has a more down-to-earth approach to the final battle. “I often risked my life when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people, I will continue this fight for the glory of the.