Beowulf is a hero who changes 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, how prepared he is, 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before we get to the part of the story where Beowulf fights Grendel, we readers are given a taste of Beowulf's previous successes. During the introduction, it is noted that Beowulf is the greatest hero anyone has ever seen, and Hrothgar praises him for having the strength of twenty men in each arm. Beowulf is also questioned about his defeat in a race between him and his friend in which the two swam for a week to see who would last the longest. What is most important in this part of the poem is the insight it gives us into one of Beowulf's previous encounters with monsters. He tells the story of how he killed nine sea serpents on the sea and because of this he failed to win the challenge. This battle was a way for him to be better than anyone before him, as we see when he boasts several times that he has never heard of anyone who has ever completed such a feat either on land or sea. When the time comes for Beowulf to set out to fight Grendel, it is clear that he is doing so to protect the people, but also to receive recognition as the country's greatest hero. He's confident and fearless and makes sure the people he's fighting against know that too. He proclaims to the people: «I renounce the sword and the shelter of the broad shield, of the heavy board: hand to hand so it will be...». In this battle, there is also a more spiritual presence as Grendel is shown as Cain's Kin, the origin of all earthly evil in Christian beliefs. When Beowulf goes into battle, he knows he will return alive, so he leaves all his armor and weapons behind to fight the beast one on one. Because the creature was so troublesome, Beowulf was able to defeat it easily and take its arm as a trophy. “The monster's whole body was in pain, a terrible wound appeared on his shoulder. Tendons snapped and bones burst. Beowulf was granted the glory of winning...". Beowulf claimed Grendel's arm severed from the monster's body as a trophy for his success. Beowulf's victory against Grendel here demonstrates his confidence as a young hero. When fighting Grendel's mother, there isn't a big change in confidence from Grendel to him since the battle is just days away, but the way Beowulf prepares is still different. This time, he takes a dagger and armor and, in my opinion, chooses the hilt of the magic sword as his prize, but in the plot of the story, this battle is more of a continuation of his battle against Grendel himself. moves on and we come to the last battle, Beowulf is faced with his last enemy and Beowulf is shown as a different kind of hero in this battle. The Dragon is a new type of threat to Beowulf, one he has never faced before. While Beowulf is still as brave as he was in the early fights, 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 carry on this fight for the glory of winning...". He is no longer as confident and there is less of a spiritual motive shown during this battle. As readers, we are also able to see how age influenced Beowulf's decision on how to deal with this threat.