What are the significance of the three battles in Beowulf?

... Studied Beowulf and other Anglo-Saxon poetry extensively. Answered Feb 13, 2017 · Author has 125 answers and 78.6k answer views. See my answers. How do the men in Beowulf cope with violence? What is the epic "Beowulf"? What are the different interpretations of it? read more

In Beowulf, the three major battles are: Hand-to-hand combat with Grendel in which Beowulf rips off Grendel's arm. This battle is mythological in nature: it shows Beowulf's superhuman strength. Beowulf's motive is revenge against the monster for his heinous crimes against Beowulf's kinsmen. read more

Lastly, in his third battle against the dragon, Beowulf's men deserted him, leaving him to fight a losing battle all by himself. Although these three battles had many things in common, they also had many differences. In the first battle, Beowulf travels to Denmark to battle with Grendel. read more

for a short summary of one possible meaning for the three battles. This page may be out of date. Save your draft before refreshing this page. read more