How Beowulf's Desire for Fame Benefitted Everyone

There is no doubt that Beowulf's greatest desire is Fame, "But Beowulf longed only for fame, leaped back into battle. He tossed his sword aside, angry; the steel-edged blade lay where he'd dropped it. If weapons were useless he'd use his hands, the strength in his fingers. So fame comes to men who mean to win it and care about nothing else! He raised his arms and seized her by the shoulder; anger doubled his strength, he threw her to the floor" (1528-1538). However, as exemplified in the preceding quote, Beowulf's desire for fame is what enabled him to defeat Grendel and his mother. It gave him strength when he was injured and the courage to keep fighting. Without this strong drive to achieve fame, Beowulf would not have been able to defeat Grendel and save the Danish people. Beowulf's quest for fame also resulted in many other favorable outcomes, "You've turned Danes and Geats into brothers, brought peace where once there was war, and sealed friendship with affection" (1855-1857). Because his search for fame helped people rather than hurt them, Beowulf was not selfish to desire it. The thought of fame simply gave him the strength to do what no other warrior could. Without his need for fame and glory, Beowulf would never have traveled to Denmark in the first place, and Grendel would still be eating innocent people.