In Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heany, man's perception of himself influences his decisions to behave in a certain way. Beowulf is a humble warrior who attributes his prowess in battle to the divine intervention of God. He fought realistic, internal demons that began to become a challenge because each encounter was more difficult than the previous one. His perception of his abilities as a hero transforms after each successful battle, making him believe he is unstoppable. Ultimately, Beowulf's death in his final ordeal reveals that becoming too proud can be the main reason for one's downfall. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Initially, Beowulf is a humble warrior, who attributes his prowess in battle to the divine intervention of God. Beowulf is a warrior who prepared to fight Grendel to defend the land of Denmark, however he attributes his courage as a gift from God. Before doing so, some warriors and the king celebrate and talk, but Unferth warns Beowulf that Grendel will be a challenge and will be difficult to handle alone, but Beowulf insists that he can handle the task. . As he sits with everyone at the table and talks about the topic, he explains to everyone that his “sword had killed/ nine sea monsters […] and harsh trials he had never heard of.” Beowulf boasts about how he had the ability to easily kill nine sea monsters without any problems and how there is no task too difficult for him to perform. Beowulf continues to recognize that there is no task too difficult for him, so much so that he refuses to wear armor and carry weapons to fight Grendel, just to prove that he is not afraid and is just as dangerous and strong as him, which is not necessary . . His success changes his perspective, and although it puts his life in danger, he begins to think that his success is his own doing. Beowulf is certain that he will be known as one of the greatest heroes or he will die trying to be one. He wasn't doing it for people anymore. He did it only for his own personal interest. Beowulf was willing to pursue his glory at all costs. Once Beowulf defeats Grendel without armor or weapons, he had this unrealistic vision that he could do anything. He begins to engage in dangerous battles to appear better and get a higher reward every time, which eventually catches up to him. Beowulf fights realistic, internal monsters, which became a challenge because each one he moved on was more difficult to deal with. of the last one. Throughout the poem, Beowulf battles several demons. When Beowulf comes to his final battle with the dragon, he fails to defeat it and that is where he falls. The other demons were easy because he knew what he was doing and everything, but the dragon was difficult. Beowulf “would rather not/use a weapon if he knew another way/to fight the dragon and do good […] as he did against Grendel in times past.” Each of the demons that Beowulf fought symbolizes something that is considered Beowulf's internal demons. The first battle with Grendel represented envy, but Beowulf managed to overcome it. The second battle with Grendel's mother represented revenge and he was able to overcome that too. Unfortunately the last battle with the dragon represented greed and pride and Beowulf was unable to defeat him. Beowulf allowed his greed and pride to get the better of him and be the cause of the end of his life. Greed and pride have always been in Beowulf and it was only a matter of time before they showed it. For some Beowulf is considered a hero, but for others not:10.2307/4335160