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Pride In Beowulf

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Beowulf was known as a hero of his people. And he was. When he was young, he defeated the demon Grendel with his bare hands, and slayed Grendel's mother with a sword. After these feats, Hrothgar, the king of the Spear-Danes, warned Beowulf about the risks of being too prideful. Even when Beowulf grew older, he still believed that he could achieve what he had accomplished in his prime. When a dragon started terrorizing his town he decided to take on the dragon by himself. So Beowulf, ignoring Hrothgar's warning about the dangers of pride, decides to battle the dragon to protect his reputation, and succumbs to hubris. When Beowulf was young, Hrothgar warned him about the dangers of being too prideful. After he had defeated Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar said to him, “Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.” (Beowulf) Hrothgar could see, even then, that Beowulf was on the wrong …show more content…

Because when a dragon started to wreak havoc his country, he could not help himself; he wanted to defeat the dragon on his own. He believed in his strength and courage so much that he decided to kill a dragon by himself. In fact, he didn’t believe in the dragon’s strength or courage at all. He expected it to be any easy challenge. In his last speech before his duel with the dragon, he said to his men, “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open.” (Beowulf) Beowulf knew that he was old and not a strong as he was when he was young, but still decided to fight the dragon on his own for glory. Beowulf let his pride blur him from the actuality of the situation. Even after fifty years of ruling a country well, he still chased after honor and fame. And it destroyed

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