Grendel gets his arm ripped off and then Grendel bled to death.
Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel unarmed to prove his strength and courage. He believes that relying on his own abilities rather than weapons will demonstrate his prowess as a warrior. Additionally, Beowulf sees it as a way to fight Grendel on more equal terms, as Grendel does not use weapons either.
Beowulf plans to fight Grendel without the use of weapons to make the battle more fair and honorable. He chooses this method to showcase his bravery, strength, and prowess in traditional hand-to-hand combat, which are highly valued traits in his warrior culture. Beowulf wants to prove his abilities without relying on weapons, relying instead on his own physical strength and skill.
save Hrothgar and the Danes from the monster
Beowulf uses his bare hands to fight Grendel, as he believes it is an honorable way to face the monster. He chooses not to use any weapons, as he wants the battle to be a true test of his strength and bravery.
The reader can infer that Beowulf is honorable from his willingness to help the Danes by fighting Grendel, a monstrous threat to their kingdom. Beowulf's bravery and selfless actions demonstrate his commitment to upholding honor and protecting others.
While Grendel's mother is hard for Beowulf to defeat, he IS able to use a sword, where as he has to battle Grendel bare handed.
While Grendel's mother is hard for Beowulf to defeat, he IS able to use a sword, where as he has to battle Grendel bare handed.
Like many heroic battles the protagonist (Beowulf) must be compared to the antagonist (Grendel) in the most even physical level to demonstrate that he wins because his cause is just not because his technology is better. The same imagery is used in most westerns (the Morality plays of the American cinema) where it is the hero that brings "a knife to gun fight" to demonstrate that his innate goodness is his real strength. In this case Beowulf is the new hero of Christianity coming to the wilds of Scandinavia, Grendel is the evil holdover of the heathen past.
Beowulf kills Grendel's mother by using her own weapon, a giant's sword, against her. This is ironic because he defeats her with the very weapon she was planning to use against him. Additionally, he avenges Grendel's death by killing his mother in the same manner that Grendel killed Hrothgar's men.
He needs to use a weapon this time.
his sword
Beowulf's plan in fighting Grendel was to use his strength and skill as a warrior to engage Grendel in hand-to-hand combat. He intended to defeat Grendel without weapons to prove his prowess and bravery.