![Picture](/uploads/6/3/1/7/63170463/6097268.jpg?1444973596)
“O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness of the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away.” (1758-1768)
This quote helps emphasize the role of Christianity in the epic. The poet values Christian morals over the pagan beliefs shown in this story. Hrothgar tells Beowulf to focus on “eternal rewards” instead of being blinded by pride and worldly possessions. Hrothgar explains that when Beowulf gets old and can no longer fight, all of his awards won’t matter. He explains how life is fleeting and fragile. If Beowulf becomes too focused on his worldly measure he will get too caught up in it. This is apparent later in the story when Beowulf wants his treasures to be buried with him. In the beginning Beowulf fought his battles to show how tough of a person he was, with no mind for awards, but by the end of the story he became entangled by the glory and riches he had received for his actions.
“The truth is this; when the going was heavy in those high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all”
(532-535).
(532-535).
Throughout the epic Beowulf is known for his over the top boasting about who amazing he is. He is a great hero and he likes to show it off. While Beowulf is with Unferth, Unferth comments about Beowulf is not a very good swimming. However, Beowulf is very quick to correct him by illustrating "[he] was the strongest swimmer" (534). Beowulf bragging reveals that he knows how amazing he is and that he can do anything if he puts his mind to it. Not only does Beowulf's bragging reveal how he know he is a great hero is also establishes his credibility. By Beowulf explaining that he is "strongest swimmer" the other characters and the audience understand the Beowulf is a trustworthy character that they can rely on (534).
![Picture](/uploads/6/3/1/7/63170463/566017_orig.jpg)
“The monster wrenched and wrestled with him but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour” (1269-1273).
Beowulf is known for his heroic qualities that is always fighting off monsters, demons and dragons but he does not just rely on himself for every thing. When Beowulf is about for fight Grendal's Mother "he relied for help of the Lord of All" revealing that Beowulf is calling to a higher power to help him through the battle. By Beowulf looking to a higher power it implies that Beowulf does not see himself as a God that has a higher power of everyone but he thinks of himself as a hero who helps others. Also Beowulf "was mindful of his mighty strength" noticing that he was giving these gifts from God and he should use them to fight off evil powers. Beowulf does not look to himself for his heroic qualities but also recognizes God for granting him these great gifts.