In the thrilling Beowulf, the theme of fatalism is very evident throughout the poem. "Fate will go as it must." (Line 455) The Anglo-Saxons believed that people experienced life as a daily struggle against unbeatable odds and that a man's "wyrd" or destiny would be what it would be (Chickenring 269). The Anglo-Saxon conception of destiny is that it is a force that controls a man's life regardless of his actions. Beowulf is a valiant hero in this poem; he fought many battles and won many wars. He understands that his life is in the hands of fate. Beowulf knows that no matter how well he fights or how many weapons he uses, if the wyrd is not on his side he will be doomed. At the beginning of the poem Beowulf is presented as a fearless hero who possesses the power and strength of thirty men. As the story unfolds, Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until he is fatally defeated. He cannot escape his mortal fate. The author demonstrated the power of fate by showing the gradual decline of Beowulf's forces through the results of his three battles against monsters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Beowulf's journey takes him to the land of the Danes where he is confronted for the first time by a guard who, immediately upon seeing him, remarks on his impressive appearance. "I have never seen a more powerful nobleman, a greater man, than the armored warrior among you." (Lines 247-249) Once he and his men are admitted to Denmark, Beowulf reunites with his late father's old friend Hrothgar in the mead hall. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he desperately wants to get rid of the wild beast, Grendel. He says, "It is a great shame to me that I must reveal / the disaster that Grendel has brought upon me in his persecution. / my men are inferior. Fate has swept them away." (Lines 473-477) Beowulf promises to help Hrothgar and pledges to fight to the death if necessary. He says "that I would completely fulfill the desire of the Danish nation otherwise I would fall slaughtered in the grasp of the enemy. Tonight I will perform a heroic deed or I will serve my last day of life here in this mead hall" (Lines 632-638). His speech to Hrothgar shows Beowulf's courage and confidence in his abilities. So, confident in his incomparable power, he chooses not to use weapons or armor of any kind. When Beowulf fights Grendel, he simply grabs the monster's arm and tears it off. Grendel returns to his liar and dies. Beowulf returns to the Danes with Grendel's arm and is thanked profusely by the people and by Hrothgar. This fight illustrates how strong and courageous Beowulf is at this time. Fate has brought him success in his battles and he is at the peak of his life. He may be strong and powerful, but without fate on his side he is damned. He says: "Fate often saves a defenseless man when his courage is good." (Lines 572-573) Unfortunately, Grendel's death brings another battle for Beowulf, Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother becomes angry at her son's death and wants to avenge his death. Before entering the water to fight Grendel's mother, Beowulf shows that although he "cares not for his life" (Line 1443) he knows that the possibility of death exists. Beowulf approaches this battle as confidently as before, but this time he covers himself in armor and uses a sword to protect himself. "On his breast lay the iron net; it saved his life while she cut and stabbed" (Lines 1547-1549) Beowulf's original sword proves useless against this beast. He sees an ancient sword in the lying monster and thekills. If there had not been a sword in the liar, Beowulf may not have been victorious. Beowulf's wyrd had to defeat Grendel's mother, but he may not have succeeded if fate had not allowed him to find the other sword. "I did not save my life very easily in battle under water/ soon the fight was decided against me, except God saved me. In that battle I could not use the Hunt, though that weapon is still good/ the ruler of the men granted me the favor of seeing a shining sword hanging on the wall, gigantic heirloom / so that I found the right weapon to unsheath.(1655-1665) Compared to the defeat of Grendel, where he needed only his hands naked to finish off the monster, Beowulf seems to slowly grow weaker. Hrothgar warns Beowulf that his strength will not last forever. Your fame lives now, in a strong moment. Soon in turn disease or war will break your strength, or the grip of fire a sweeping wave, or swords will wave, or hateful old age will darken the lights that were your eyes, death overwhelms you suddenly , warrior. "(Lines 1762-1769) Hrothgar shares his wisdom to remind Beowulf not to let pride overcome him because everything in life is ultimately defeated due to the power of destiny. After killing the two monsters, Beowulf achieves great respect from the Danes and returns to his homeland, Geatland. He and his men reunite with their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd and tell them of his adventures in Denmark. Over time, the great king, Hygelac, is killed in a battle against the Shylfing. When Hygelac's son dies, the queen offers Beowulf the throne of the Geats. He reigns for fifty years , bringing wealth to Geatland However, when a thief disturbs a barrow, where a dragon lies guarding a pile of treasure, the dragon becomes enraged and begins killing Geats and causing chaos throughout the land. country After Beowulf received the news of the angry dragon, his reaction was expected to be similar to how he responded to Grendel and Grendel's mother. However, his reaction to the news was a feeling that something bad was coming. He's not completely sure of himself. "For the great king it was a great anguish, a deep pain in the mind." (Lines 2327-2329) At this point the narrator warns the reader that Beowulf will die in the coming battle. “The king, long good, was to read the end of his days as a sailor, his life in this world together with the serpent who, though long had ruled the wealth of the treasure.” (Lines 2341-2344) Beowulf puts aside his fears and gathers his men to fight the dragon. Before embarking on his fateful mission, he tells the Geats a sad story of the death and pain he caused the Geats people. This story indicates that Beowulf is aware of his old age and diminished strength and seems unsure of his fate. "His spirit was sad, restless, ripe for death; immeasurably close to the fate that was befalling the old man to seek his soul by separating the two, his life from the body" (Lines 2419-2423). Beowulf prepares to fight the dragon by protecting his body with armor, realizing that he will hardly be able to defeat the dragon without protection and weapons. When he fought Grendel many years ago, Beowulf was confident in his abilities and his destiny and chose not to use weapons. Beowulf fights the dragon with all his strength and manages to kill it. Unfortunately, Beowulf's time has come and he dies from the dragon's poisonous bite. The tragic death of Beowulf signifies the great role of fate in the life of the Anglo-Saxons. No matter how great the warrior, fate prevails "He couldn't al.2020.1799164)