The poet has no reservations about giving away his ending. He repeatedly tells us that Beowulf is about to meet his death. For example, in line 2311, he tells us, in the understatement of litotes, that the termination of the dragon raids will be "hard for their [the Geats'] ring-giving lord." The foreshadowing is even more specific immediately after Beowulf orders his new shield; the poet bluntly reveals that the king is "to reach the end of his seafaring days, / his life in this world, together with the serpent" (242–43).
We might question Beowulf's wisdom in deciding to fight the serpent alone, rejecting the assistance of his trained warriors. He could approach with a full army but supposedly bases his decision on former triumphs over Grendel and the mother. He also put up quite a fight when Hygelac died in Frisia; Beowulf escaped by defeating many of the enemy in close combat, carrying off the war gear of 30 men. The problem is that Beowulf was a young man during those glorious battles. At least 50 years have passed. Beowulf now is clearly an old man. Is he driven by vanity? False pride? Did not Hrothgar warn him of this in the sermon? Not just Beowulf's own life is at stake. If he dies, his people will be lost.
