Beowulf is an epic poem which recounts the adventures of a warrior who voluntarily and honorably overcomes several obstacles to save humanity. Specifically, in this passage, the unknown poet uses stylistic devices such as imagery to describe and promote the poem's recurring themes, such as heroism, materialism, and mortality. Accordingly, this article offers a close reading of lines 2752-2816 of the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In his final moments of life, Beowulf sends Wiglaf on a quest to recover the highly sought-after treasure hidden in the dragon's cave. In these opening lines of the passage, the poet uses imagery to create a mood of astonishment. At the beginning of the passage, the author offers a vivid description of the preceding scene, with the intention of creating a mood of wonder. The passage describes the sender as a “languid and war-weary lord” (Heaney, 2012: 2752), then goes on to explain the glamor of the treasure hidden in the dragon's cave as “a treasure of astonishing richness”. This creates a transition that draws the audience from one scene to the next as the plot unfolds. Through these images, the author helps his audience visualize and understand the importance of the treasure – within Anglo-Saxon culture – even without having to directly identify it. Therefore, the imagery used in these lines of the poem introduces the theme of materialism into the selected passage. This passage also plays an influential role in relation to the entire epic, as it shows Beowulf's dignified ending. As Beowulf lies on the ground, enjoying his last moments on Earth, he is described as being happy and satisfied that he was able to save the treasure for his people. This narrative ties into the overall theme of heroism throughout the poem, where Beowulf was determined to serve his people and save them, even in the midst of extraordinary challenges (Parker, 2017). Beowulf's death would have been meaningless if he had not achieved his goal of being a hero to his people. As “he also saw a standard made entirely of gold hanging above the board, a masterpiece of filigree” (Heaney, 2012: 2768), he recognized that it was worth fighting and killing the dragon. Thus, Beowulf dies a hero, remaining courageous in the fight against evil for the good of his people. This confirms his character as he is presented as a brave warrior throughout the poem. He is not discouraged by his advanced age and manages to defeat the dragon, just as he had defeated Grendel when he was younger. Beowulf keeps his promise to protect his people by remaining a loyal warrior against all odds. The mood of this extract is dark, creating a catastrophic tone, with Beowulf's imminent death. In line 2802, Beowulf states that he “can hold on no longer,” implying that his death is near. In previous scenes, the fight between Beowulf and the dragon was presented as an analogy to the struggle between good and evil. While Beowulf is seen as the good king (Heaney 2012: 2390), the dragon is the enemy representing evil. Beowulf's decision to fight with the dragon establishes him as the hero he is, although he is now advanced in age. Even though Beowulf succeeds in slaying the dragon, he has a strong sense of premonition regarding its death, and subsequent scenes that emphasize his age while recalling his previous victories reinforce this feeling. Thus, the passage further supports the theme of mortality by confirming that death haunts even the most powerful members of society. This is.