Who or what kills Beowulf?

Sensing his own death approaching, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon. With the aid of Wiglaf, he succeeds in killing the beast, but at a heavy cost. The dragon bites Beowulf in the neck, and its fiery venom kills him moments after their encounter.

Who actually kills Beowulf?

The one warrior who does not desert Beowulf is Wiglaf; the two of them fight the dragon together. During the battle, the dragon's tusk pierces Beowulf's neck, mortally wounding him. Though he and Wiglaf do kill the dragon, Beowulf dies.

Who or what defeats Beowulf?

Unferth asserts that Beowulf was vain and foolish to enter such a dangerous contest and that Breca proved the stronger, defeating Beowulf in seven nights.

How is Beowulf finally defeated?

Even when the ideal of camaraderie breaks down and his men abandon him, Beowulf doesn't give up. It's notable, too, that the strength of the dragon doesn't defeat him. He's bitten, but he still manages to kill the beast with the help of Wiglaf. Ultimately, Beowulf dies because of the poison from the bite.

Who killed Grendel Beowulf?

Finally Beowulf tears off Grendel's arm, mortally wounding the creature. Grendel flees but dies in his marsh den. There, Beowulf later engages in a fierce battle with Grendel's mother, over whom he triumphs even if only thanks to a sword found on-site.

Beowulf Video Summary

Who killed Grendel and why?

Beowulf, a warrior and headman of the Geats (a Swedish tribe), engages him in combat and mortally wounds him. Grendel's horrible mother avenges her son's death but is also defeated and killed by Beowulf.

What caused Beowulf's death?

Beowulf died because of his injuries when battling with the third monster, a raging dragon. As ruling a king of fifty years, he aged and became an old man, there came a malicious dragon near his kingdom who became angry.

What kills Grendel?

Beowulf kills Grendel by tearing his arm off with his bare hands. After receiving this mortal wound, Grendel slinks away to his watery home, where he dies. Beowulf intuits that normal man-made weapons cannot harm Grendel, so he relies on his own strength to slay the monster.

What does Beowulf do after he kills Grendel?

Fatally wounded, Grendel slinks back to his swampy home to die. Back in the mead-hall, Beowulf holds up his gory trophy in triumph. He proudly hangs the arm high on the wall of Heorot as proof of his victory.

What happens to Beowulf after he kills Grendel?

Mortally wounded, Grendel slinks back into the swamp to die. The severed arm is hung high in the mead-hall as a trophy of victory. Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a feast in his honor. Songs are sung in praise of Beowulf, and the celebration lasts late into the night.

Who wins Grendel or Beowulf?

The ensuing Beowulf vs Grendel fight is brutal, but Beowulf wins. Using only his hands, Beowulf rips Grendel's arm from his shoulder. Grendel, bleeding and mortally wounded, flees Heorot so that he can go home to die.

Who defeats Beowulf's final enemy?

Now read about Beowulf's final moments. Wiglaf is the only one of Beowulf's men to stick by his side. In and out of consciousness, Beowulf helps Wiglaf fight this fire-breathing dragon with courage and bravery. Beowulf gets out his knife and cuts the dragon.

Who dies for Beowulf to become king?

Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband (Hygelac) died, thinking that her young son (Heardred) was unable to protect the kingdom; Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. After Heardred's death, Beowulf did become king and ruled his people well for 50 years.

What were Beowulf last words?

'After they burn my body, tell my warriors to build a great burial mound on the cliffs that stick out into the sea. The sailors steering their ships on the gloomy waters will see it and call it Beowulf's barrow, and my people will remember me. ' These were the last words from the thoughts of the old man's heart.

How old was Beowulf when he died?

He is a young man at the beginning of the poem, but he is not a child. After he kills Grendel's mother, fifty years pass before he slays the dragon. If he is around twenty years old when he kills Grendel, he is around seventy when he dies.

What happens to Beowulf after he dies?

The Geats fear that their enemies will attack them now that Beowulf is dead. According to Beowulf's wishes, they burn their departed king's body on a huge funeral pyre and then bury him with a massive treasure in a barrow overlooking the sea.

What happens to Grendel at the end?

He comes to in the middle of the forest. Animals have gathered around to watch him die with “mindless, indifferent eyes.” Grendel dies; with his last words, he says that he has had an accident and spitefully tells the rest of the world, “So may you all.”

Does Grendel eat his victims?

1402–41). He eats his victims – bones and all – and fights without weapons or armour in frenzied attacks that leave dozens dead in his wake (ll. 120–25, 730–44).

Why is Grendel so evil?

Grendel is said to be the descendent of Cain. According to the Bible, Cain is the son of Adam and Eve and the first person to commit murder. Because Grendel is a descendent from Cain, he is considered an outcast by God and an evil being as a result of his ancestor's murderous ways.

What made Grendel evil?

Grendel is evil because he is a demon from hell and thus a “foe of mankind.” His mother's evil is more ambiguous, because killing for vengeance was allowed in the warrior culture of Beowulf's time.

How is Beowulf's death ironic?

Beowulf's body is placed high above the sea in a pyre for all to see the beloved king. The irony of Beowulf's death is that the treasure he died securing is rotted; but the rotting treasure is Beowulf's dead body.

What is Beowulf's tragic flaw?

Beowulf is considered an epic hero because his bravery has won many battles. This bravery also makes him a tragic hero because he is a great man with the tragic flaw of pride, which leads to his death.

What creature killed Beowulf in his old age?

Beowulf and a troop of men leave to find the dragon's lair. Beowulf tells his men to stay outside, that this fight is his alone, but the dragon proves strong and mortally wounds Beowulf.

Who betrayed Grendel?

Eventually, Beowulf defeats him, but after trying to confront Grendel's mother, he is seduced by her, and falls on the track of betraying the kingdom that had giving him everything.

Is Grendel a monster or demon?

Grendel is a man-eating demon (never a good sign) that lives in the land of the Spear-Danes and attacks King Hrothgar's mead-hall, Heorot, every evening.