Beowulf

Beowulf

“Once again the king Line 2702
gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife
he carried on his belt, sharpened for battle.
He stuck it deep in the dragon’s flank.
Beowulf deadly it a deadly wound.
They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life;
that pair of kingsmen, partners in nobility,
had destroyed the foe. So every man should act,
be at hand when needed; but for now, for a king,
this would be his last of his many labors
and triumphs in the world.” Line 2711


This passage climaxes Beowulf’s fight with the dragon. Earlier in the epic the reader learned that a dragon had guarded ancient hidden treasure. One day a slave accidentally stumbled upon the secret treasure and stole a piece, causing the dragon to become angry and begin terrorizing Beowulf’s people and land. After the dragon destroyed Beowulf’s own great hall, Beowulf decides the threat of the dragon must be ex...