Beowulf is an epic Anglo-Saxon poem written in old alliterative English. It consists of 3182 verses. The author and the date of the poem remain a mystery, but there are some academic assumptions that can place the date around VIII- XII D.C. Due to its importance it is also called the Beowulf Manuscript. It is preserved in the Britannic Library.
The poem consists of two main parts, the first one happens in the youth of Beowulf and it narrates how he helps a German tribe the Jutes who suffered from the attacks of the monster Grendel. After Beowulf kills Grender he fights Grender’s mother and kills her as well. In the second part, Beowulf is the king of the Gouts, his original people, and he fights until death with a vicious dragon.
Having mentioned that Beowulf killed Grendel and Grendel's mother and that after that he still fought to death a mighty dragon we can conclude that Beowulf was outstandingly determined, courageous and fearless
From the excerpts from Beowulf’s “The Battle With the Dragon”, the one that most plainly casts the dragon as the tale’s antagonist is:
“Vomiting fire and smoke, the dragon/Burned down their homes.”
