The Battle with Grendel
After the feast in the mead-hall, where Beowulf had declared his intention to fight Grendel without weapons, the Danes and Beowulf (and his men) lay down to rest in the mead-hall. Through the dark night, Grendel came, planning to attack once again, and take more Danes. He ripped off the doors of the mead-hall, called Heorot, and immediately took one soldier. He then came to where Beowulf was sleeping, and was about to grab him when Beowulf awoke and held him still. Beowulf and Grendel continued to battle, each trying to get a better grasp on the other. Beowulf's men tried to attack Grendel with weapons as the two battled, but Grendel had cast a spell which prevented a sword from piercing him. Finally, Beowulf, in all his "awesome" strength ripped Grendel's arm off, thus dealing him a fatal wound, and causing Grendel to retreat back to his hole, where he died.
Note: The battle with Grendel symbolizes the battle between good and evil--Grendel, the God-cursed enemy of the Danes, represents evil, while Beowulf, the epic of the hero, blessed by God, represents good.
The Battle with Grendel's Mother
Grendel's mom was (obviously) bitter at the death of her son, so she came to the mead-hall and took a thane that was very dear to Hrothgar, the Danish king. (Note: By taking one thane, she follows the custom at the time, that said if one person killed someone from another family, he had to pay that family or the offended family could kill one of the offending family.) Hrothgar was really upset by this, and Beowulf was quickly summoned to help avenge Hrothgar. Beowulf bolsters the king's courage and leads an expedition to the foggy mere where Grendel's mother lives. At the base of a lake in the mere, Unferth, formerly jealous of Beowulf admits his inferiority by lending Beowulf a sword that has never failed. After arming himself, Grendel dives into a lake filled with demons and monsters and swims for a day to reach its bottom. Here, he finds Grendel's mother, who grabs him, takes him to an underwater cave, where they battle. Grendel's mother is impervious to the supposedly unbeatable sword, but Beowulf finds an ancient sword, that can only be wielded by Beowulf, and uses this sword to cut of Grendel's mother's head. Beowulf then continues through the cave and discovers the corpse of Grendel; he beheads the corpse. Then he returns to the surface and rejoins his thanes.
The Battle with the Dragon
At this point in time, Beowulf is much older and has been king of the Geats for some time. He has ruled well, but a dragon now plagues his people. He knows that he will die fighting it, but he arms himself and goes to the dragon's lair anyway. With him come his thanes, most of which flee in fear, except for one, Wiglaf, who stays to aid his lord. Beowulf fights bravely against the dragon, but his sword fails him and he uses his shield frequently to defend himself. During this fight, the dragon bites Beowulf in the neck with poisoned fangs, giving Beowulf a blow that will soon kill him. Wiglaf helps Beowulf here by stabbing the dragon with his sword, but somehow it does not kill the beast. Beowulf then musters his last strength and, with a stabbing knife, kills the dragon. Then, overcome by fatigue and imminent death, he utters his last words to Wiglaf, who he makes the new leader of the Geats. Before dying, he requests to see the treasure, to ensure that his people will be well taken care of. Then, with final parting words to Wiglaf, Beowulf dies. Wiglaf returns to the Geats, who mourn greatly for their dead king. A funeral pyre is constructed, the customary good-byes are said, and the people prepare to be attacked from other nations, who will undoubtedly now see the Geats as weak after the loss of their great king.
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