In the thrilling epic Beowulf, the theme of fatalism is very apparent throughout the poem. “Fate will go as it should.” (Line 455) The Anglo-Saxons believed that people lived their lives as a daily struggle against invincible obstacles and that a man's "wyrd" or destiny would be what it would be (Chickenring 269). The Anglo-Saxon understanding of fate 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 destiny. Beowulf knows that no matter how hard he fights or how many weapons he uses, if the Wyrd is not on his side, then he is doomed. At the beginning of the poem, Beowulf is presented as a fearless hero with the power and strength of thirty men. As the story unfolds, Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until he is mortally defeated. He cannot escape his mortal destiny. The author demonstrated the power of fate by showing the gradual decline of Beowulf's forces through the results of his three battles against the monsters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Beowulf's journey takes him to the land of the Danes where he is first confronted by a guard who immediately after Having seen it, notices its impressive appearance. . “Never have I seen a mightier noble, a greater man than this among you, a warrior in armor.” (Lines 247-249) Once he and his men are allowed into Denmark, Beowulf finds his deceased father's old friend, Hrothgar, in the mead hall. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he is desperate to get rid of the fierce beast Grendel. He says, "It shames me indeed to have to reveal/the disaster Grendel has brought upon me in his persecution./my men are outnumbered. Fate has swept them away."(Lines 473-477) Beowulf promises to help Hrothgar and agrees to fight. until his death if necessary. He said "that I would fully carry out the desire of the Danish nation, otherwise I would fall massacred in the hands of the enemy. Tonight I will perform a heroic deed, otherwise I will spend 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 chose not to use weapons or armor of any kind. When Beowulf fights Grendel, he simply grabs the monster's arm and rips it off. Grendel returns to his liar and dies. Beowulf returns to the Danes and with Grendel's arm and is thanked profusely by the people and by Hrothgar. This fight illustrates how strong and brave Beowulf is in this moment. Destiny brought him success in his fights 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 an uncondemned man when his courage is good. » (Lines 572-573) Unfortunately, Grendel's death leads to another battle for Beowulf, Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother becomes furious 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 there is a possibility of death. Beowulf approaches this battle with confidence as before, but this time he covers himself in armor and uses a sword to protect himself. "On her chest was the iron net; it saved her life as she cut and stabbed" (Lines 1547-1549). Beowulf's original sword proves useless against this beast. He sees aancient sword into the lying monster and kills it. If there had been no sword in the liar, Beowulf might not have been victorious. Beowulf's wyrd was to defeat Grendel's mother, but he might not have succeeded if fate had not allowed him to find the other sword. "I did not very easily save my life in an underwater battle/ immediately the fight was decided against me, except that God saved me. In that battle I could not use Hrunting, although this weapon is always good / the ruler of men has granted me the favor that I see on the wall a shining sword hanging, a gigantic inheritance / so that I have found the right weapon to draw (1655-1665). Grendel's defeat, where he only needed his bare hands to finish off the monster, Beowulf appears to be slowly weakening and warns Beowulf that his strength will not last forever. Your fame now lives in a strong era. Soon, in turn, sickness or war will break your strength, or the grip of fire on a crushing wave, or the swing of swords, or hateful old age, the lights that were yours will darken. eyes, death invades you suddenly, warrior. "(Lines 1762-1769) Hrothgar shares his wisdom to remind Beowulf not to let pride win because everything in life is ultimately defeated because of the power of fate. After killing the two monsters, Beowulf gains respect of the Danes and returns to his homeland, Geatland He and his men find their king and queen, Hygelac and Hygd and tell them of his adventures in Denmark. As time goes by, the great king Hygelac is killed in a battle against the Shylfings. When Hygelac's son dies, the queen offers Beowulf the throne of the Geats. Beowulf becomes a wise and noble king. He reigns for fifty years, bringing wealth to Geatland. where there is a dragon guarding a pile of treasures, the dragon becomes furious and starts killing the Geats and wreaking havoc throughout the land After Beowulf received news from the angry dragon, his reaction must have been similar to that. that he had towards Grendel and Grendel's mother. Nonetheless, his reaction to the news was a feeling that something bad was going to happen. He's not completely sure of himself. “For the great king it was a great anguish, a deep pain in the spirit.” (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 sailing days, his life in this world with the serpent, although long he reigned from the wealth of the treasure." (Lines 2341-2344) Beowulf puts aside his fears and gathers his men to fight the dragon. Before setting out on his fateful mission, he tells the Geats a sad story of death and the grief it brought to the Geat people. This story indicates that Beowulf is aware of his old age and diminished strength and seems uncertain of his fate. "His spirit was sad, agitated, ripe for death; infinitely close to the fate that was reserved for the old man to seek his soul separating the two, his life from the body" (Lines 2419-2423). Beowulf prepares for battle against the dragon by protecting his body with armor, realizing that he is unlikely to defeat the dragon without protection and weapons. When he fought Grendel so many years ago, Beowulf was sure of his abilities and his destiny and chose not to use weapons. Beowulf fights the dragon with all his might and succeeds in killing the dragon. Unfortunately, Beowulf's time has come and dies due to the dragon's venomous bite. The tragic death of Beowulf signifies the great role of fate in the lives of the Anglo-Saxons. No matter how great the warrior, destiny prevails. " He.2020.1799164)