In the epic of Beowulf, it is quite clear that the character Beowulf was a courageous, brave man who was highly praised by his people and others. Beowulf would have best fit in the category of physical bravery, because he was full of strength and power because the Lord was with him “And Beowulf was ready, firm with our Lord’s High favor and his own bold courage and strength” (

Beowulf was not successful in fighting the dragon because he was severely injured and was about to face death, “But fate had decreed that the Geats’ great king would be no better for any weapon” (Beowulf - Act III, p.30). Although he was a few steps away from death, he still hadn’t lost his bravery for he was not afraid and accepted death. Also, he didn’t blame anyone for his death, didn’t blame the poor man who stole the jeweled chalice. He was acting very bravely even knowing he was going to die, which is something very hard to do. Anyone would be scared to death if they knew they were going to die soon, but the great man Beowulf was different. He expressed his acceptance of death to his people by saying, “Have the brave Geats build me a tomb, when the funeral flames have burned me, and build it here, at the water’s edge, high on this spit of land, so sailors can see this tower, and remember my name, and call it Beowulf’s tower, and boats in the darkness and mist, crossing the sea, will know it” (Beowulf - Act III, p.32). This was a compromise between Beowulf’s solid heart and his people, saying that because Beowulf himself accepted his own death, his people should accept it, too, and show their acceptance by building a memorial of Beowulf. Moreover, Beowulf wanted to remain in the heart of his people as a brave hero Beowulf, in which what the tower became to represent. Beowulf indeed was a symbol of true bravery, being brave both in the outside and inside or physically and mentally.

To conclude, the theme of bravery in British literature was introduced in many different ways, sometimes even tying in with other themes such as love, greed, and heroism. There are many different ways a writing can be interpreted and if deep analysis is involved, it’s obvious that in most of the British writings from the period of Anglo-Saxon to the Elizabethan age, the theme of bravery was present either as a theme of the whole story or just one character. Similar to British literature, the theme of bravery still plays a significant role in modern society. Many novels, movies, children’s stories, and other literary works still deal with the theme of bravery, which are also expressed in different ways and give courage and strength to people. Finally, since the theme of bravery has existed from early British literature until now, it

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