The hero of this epic completes
his last heroic act when he battles and kills the dragon. The dragon has killed
and destroyed in the Geat-land and when the dragon hits too close for comfort, Beowulf
is reminded of his own mortality. Beowulf has become an aging king and hero. He
knows his days are numbered: “After many trials/ he was destined to face the
end of his days, / in this mortal world, as was the dragon.”(Beowulf. 80.
2342-2344). The Dragon and Beowulf have
something in common; both have protected and have come to the end of their
time. Yet Beowulf is proud and orders that his men wait at the barrow as he
fights the dragon. Beowulf forces the thief who stole the cup to bring them to
the dragon’s keep realizing that it was his act that caused the Dragon to
destroy. Beowulf, as king of the people is pursuing this fight for “the glory
of winning” (Beowulf. 83. 2523-2514). The fact that Beowulf is not as strong is
revealed when he says that he won’t fight the dragon unarmed. As Beowulf
prepares to battle the dragon, he knows this will be his last battle and he
knows that he wants to die a hero not an old man.
The dragon is very much like
Beowulf. While the dragon has guarded the treasure for centuries, Beowulf has
protected the Geats for over 50 years. It is until a thief trespasses into the
dragon’s cave that he attacks the Geat-land in search of the man. Beowulf,
doesn’t react to the dragon until his own home, the throne-room, is destroyed
where is own treasures are kept. With respect to this similarity, the dragon
represents greed. When we first learn about Beowulf, he is more concerned with
heroic acts, not the spoils of his victory. Yet, it is the loss of his
throne-room that causes him to react as an aging king. Dying while battling the
dragon was exactly what Beowulf was expecting. In the end, Beowulf and the
dragon are seen side by side in death. I feel that Beowulf’s act of killing the
dragon was more of a selfish act for Beowulf. He wanted to assure that he would
die in a glorious way and he took advantage of the situation with the dragon.
He could have used his men-at-arms but he knew that he wanted to die.
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