Beowulf
...before Beowulf can begin to kill the monster. Durring his second pre-battle speech, right before diving into the boiling lake of the She-Wolf, Gendel's greiving mother, Beowulf also makes many more of the same mistakes in believing it would be easy to thwart her. However unlike his first speech, Beowulf makes absolutely no direct references to God, this saying that he is not in need of God's help in killing Gendel's mother, even when it was God himself who cursed the demon pair. "My famous sword stay in your hands" Beowulf says to Unferth, showing once again his arrogence that he would not even need a weapon to win his battle against his foe. At the same time, Beowulf is mocking the common man and Unferth's previous character attack at him. Again, just as in the two former speeches, the third speech goes in the same manor; no referecnes to God were made and Beowulf is relying soley on himself and his own strength instead leaving it in God's hands to save him. He is even so bold enough as to mention the gold, money, and fame he would recive at killing the dragon, not the virtuous moral he spoke of before. "I have never known fear, as a youth i fought in endless battles", again Beowulf shows his arrogence in battle, not taking heed to all the warnings of those before him. But in the end, Beowulf is forced to swallow his words when he and the dragon are evenly matched, causing both to perish, and Beowulf was not the slayer of the dragon, but instead his little lackey Wiglaf. Many of the characters throughout the epic poem contribute to the theme that actions speak louder than words. Durring the confrontation between Beowulf and Unferth it is brought up several times. While Unferth is going all over the claims of Beowulf he speaks mockingly, "You're Beowulf, are youthe same boastfull fool who fought a swimming match with Brecca". Beowulf responds by pettily insulting Unferth in the same exact manor. Hrothgar's words to warn Beowulf of his attitue are futile in the overall struggle when the mightly king finds himself slain by a dragon and leaving his kingdom with nodefenses against hte villians of the outside world. Even the people of Beowulf's kingdom were so caught up in his words and promises that they did not even begin to foresee what would happen upon Beowulf's death. Hrothgar too illustrates that actions speak louder tha nwords. In his old age i...