Throughout the poem it is apparent that the idea of heroism and what it truly
means is one of the main things a reader begins thinking about as Beowulf starts his
circle of “heroism”. What stood out to me the most in this work is the idea of
wanting to be a “hero” for your people can come from a pure place, however it can
be blinded by the need of glory to go along with it. The two things together can be
fatal just like we saw happen.
I believe that the “prestigeness” that was granted to his reputation is what
ultimately ended his life. The first two battles for Beowulf gave him confidence and
introduced him to his first taste of glory. He was feeding on the praise from the king.
His false sense of self assurance made him think he was close to invincible. As Jack
Roush pointed out, Beowulf was prideful. “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew
another way to grapple with the dragon.” (2518-2519). Beowulf was boastful
enough to think that he could kill a dragon on his own, until the actual reality hit
him. I believe Wiglaf’s quote is a true example of a character in the poem examining
the idea of glory vs heroism. “Often when one man follows his own will many are
hurt. This happened to us.” (3036-3037) The words “own will” spoke to me that
Beowulf was believed to have been following a personal mission rather than a true
hero who does for the good of others. When examining the quote with just the main
parts it states that “one man” =“many hurt”. It suggests that, maybe, if it wasn’t for
Beowulf’s constant drive to want to fight battles alone, many people would be better
off. I believe that Beowulf is an example of a person with the right intentions who
was blinded by the “richness” of glory on his journey. It is interesting to see that
something written so long ago is relatable to us today on some level, as we see
celeberties and political leaders being blinded by the “glory” and steering off from
the original intentions.