Beowulf is a poem about strength and courage. This is illustrated in
the eighth section of the story called �Beowulf and the Dragon.� A slave, a
hero and a dragon play a big role in this section. The characters are well
developed, as is the setup for the conclusion of the poem.
In the scene, �Beowulf and the Dragon,� a slave guilty of wrongdoing
has to steal to earn his freedom and be forgiven for what he has done wrong.
The slave decides to steal a beautiful cup to pay off his mistake, which
was probably murder. The slave does not realize that he is stealing from
the dragon until he actually sees the dragon. The slave immediately knows
that it is an enormous mistake to anger the dragon, but he panics and leaves
with the cup.
When the dragon awakes after three hundred years of sleep, he discovers
that his cup has been stolen. The dragon, also known as the worm, fills with
anger and rage. Even though he is so angry, he does like the idea of
battle: �Yet he took joy in the thought of war, in the work of fighting�
(Donaldson 40). The dragon cannot wait to ravage the land of the people where one man has stolen from him: �The hoard-guard waited restless until evening
came; then the barrow-keeper was in rage: he would requite that precious
drinking cup with vengeful fire� (Donaldson 40). The dragon destroys the land
and kills everyone around. The dragon even destroys Beowulf�s home.
When Beowulf finds out about his home being destroyed, he decides that
he is going to kill the dragon himself. Although Beowulf is very old at
this point, he still has the confidence to slay the dragon. Beowulf has been
king for fifty years, and he knows that all of his experiences in battle is
enough for him to defeat the dragon.
This is the first scene in where we see Beowulf as an old man.
The poem skips fifty years between the first and second parts, and this
scene picks up after the fifty-year gap. This scene also sets up Beowulf�s
last great battle, which happens with the dragon. This scene also
describes Anglo-Saxon beliefs. The scene shows how the people, and the dragon,
love to fight. It is their way of life. It also shows a little bit of the law.
A slave who commits murder can get away with it as long as he pays the
family in money or riches. This is another example of wergild at work.
The slave plays a big part in this scene, for he is the one who starts
all of the chaos. Anglo-Saxon slaves, also called �theow,� were the lowest
of the social chain (Dudley 1). Slaves often sold themselves to the rich,
and in return they were provided with food for them and their families
(Randolph 1). Slaves had no wergild, or worth, but as property, they were
valuable (Randolph 1). Slaves played an important role in Anglo-Saxon life.
In the passage, �Beowulf and the Dragon,� a lot of important actions take place. The passage sets up Beowulf�s final battle, which leads to his
death. It also shows the honor of war and the love of fighting in the
Anglo-Saxon time period.
