The Story of Beowulf - Research Paper Example

This paper examines the story of Beowulf in the epic poem from the perspective of pride. The paper advances the thesis that as a human being, Beowulf was vulnerable to becoming proud. This pride is the result of his physical powers and his success in slaying Grendel and his mother. This pride is also the result of men like King Hrothgar honoring him and giving him many gifts. This pride is a flaw that is part of being human. Even the best of men sometimes fall into the trap of pride, and Beowulf was no exception. In the end, this pride would lead to his death. The paper examines how the vision of Hrothgar is accurate in predicting that Beowulf would become a victim of his own pride if he would not careful. He made his warning clear to  Beowulf, but that warning was not enough in the end. Yes, he had better spiritual qualities, such as his understanding of the role of fate in his life. On the other hand, he was not strong enough to stay humble and not become too proud. The paper explores the way the events in Beowulf's life made it difficult for him not to become proud. He simply had too much power and success and was too human not to be affected by all that. His humanity had to result in some flaw, and that flaw is pride. The paper demonstrates that Hrothgar sees this and that Beowulf would put himself in danger because of it (Stitt; “Beowulf”).