What Did Beowulf Sacrifice

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." In other words, to be considered a hero, one must time and time again risk and ultimately sacrifice his or her life to a greater cause. In the epic poem Beowulf, the main character of Beowulf risks his life in his battles with Grendel and Grendel's mother, and ultimately sacrifices his life to the dragon for the good of his people. Beowulf's heroic sacrifice of his life proves the critical lens. In Beowulf's battle with Grendel, he risks his life in order to pay off a debt that his father had owed to the Danes. This is a mark of true heroism, as Beowulf, a Geat, was risking his life to save people who were not even his own. Beowulf's conflict with Grendel was nearly selfless, although he did enjoy the fame and reward that followed Grendel's defeat. He risked his life for what he felt was the good the people,
At this point, the king of the Geats had died in battle, and in his place, Beowulf had ruled over the people successfully for fifty years. A thief breaks into the gold that the dragon had been protecting, and the dragon becomes furious and begins to attack the Geats. Beowulf realizes that this will be his final battle, as he is not nearly as agile and fit to fight as he once was, yet he sets off to fight with the dragon anyway. Beowulf fights courageously, knowing that this will be his last battle and willing to risk it to protect his people. Although Beowulf does eventually slay the dragon, the dragon succeeds in killing Beowulf in return. This final act of valor truly shows how Beowulf valued the safety of his people over himself. He felt that his own death was inevitable, yet still felt the obligation to protect the Geats. Beowulf is truly proven a hero during the battle with the dragon, in which he gives his own life for the safety of his