BEOWULF

Beowulf was a legendary hero of the Geats and then their king, protagonist of the
Anglo-Saxon epic poem. Beowulf is represented in the poem as a perfect hero: he
embodies all the virtues and the qualities of the perfect warrior with his mix of
loyalty, bravery, strength. In the first part, Beowulf travels from the land of the
Geats to the land of the Danes to free it from Grendel, a fire-breathing and man-
eating monster. The second part of the poem presents the story of Beowulf as a
king. After ruling for about 50 years in peace and prosperity, Beowulf is asked to
fight another terrible dragon. Despite his old age, Beowulf manages to defeat the
monster, but during the fight he is mortally wounded. The poem ends with the
description of Beowulf's funeral. As Beowulf had requested, his body is burnt in a
funeral pyre and is buried with the dragon's treasure in a place overlooking the sea.