In the Old English epic Beowulf, does Beowulf prevail primarily through skills in combat or through strength, and what virtues does he display when...

In the Old English poem Beowulf,
Beowulf displays not merely strength but also wisdom and humility (since he trusts in
God), and it is his wisdom and humility that help distinguish him from the monsters he
fights and defeats. The monsters are strong, but they cannot prevail against a man of
intelligence (such as Beowulf), who uses his God-given gift of reason to defeat
creatures who act merely according to passion and brute
strength.

A good example of this contrast between mere
passion and reasonable intelligence occurs in Beowulf’s fight with Grendel.  As Grendel
approaches the hall where Beowulf waits for him, the monster is described as greedy
(711) and as boiling with rage (723). When Grendel sees the Geats lying in the hall,
ripe for the picking, the poet remarks that “his glee was demonic”
(730).

Beowulf, by contrast is described both as “Mighty”
and as “canny” (emphasis added; 735).  In
other words, he is both strong and intelligent, both physically imposing and mentally
shrewd.  Beowulf is said to be “keenly watching” Grendel’s approach
(737; emphasis added). Once again Beowulf’s intelligence, insight, and perceptiveness
are implied.  Instead of immediately attacking Grendel, Beowulf first assesses the
situation and decides how he will act. Even after the battle has begun, Beowulf has
enough presence of mind to recall his own earlier “bedtime speech” (737), when he had
vowed to defeat Grendel in single, hand-to-hand combat, depending on God to assist him.
Beowulf is never afraid of Grendel because he realizes that he possesses the kind of
mental self-control of which Grendel is incapable.  Ultimately, of course, it is God who
decides the winner of the battle –

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. . . Beowulf was
granted

the glory of winning . . . . (817-18)
–

but in this case as in so
many others, God helps those who intelligently help
themselves.

Later, when fighting Grendel’s mother and
facing momentary set-backs, Beowulf also relies on thought as well as on mere physical
strength (1529-30). In this battle, admittedly, he seems less in control of the
situation as well as of his own passions that during the first fight, since the poet
mentions his “fury” several times (1531, 1584) and comments on his rage (1563), but in
general Beowulf, in his conflict with all the monsters, has the advantage of being able
to think clearly and use skill rather than brute force.

He
proves this again latter when, with the help of Wiglaf, he discovers a way to kill the
dragon when his first effort fails.