The characterisation of the hero starts with references to the setting so that the reader can immediately understand where the protagonist comes from. Also his position in the hierarchy of the kingdom is immediately communicated: he is a thane, that is a  royal vassal of some importance, of Hygelac, the king of the Geats and Beowulf's feudal lord and uncle.

Right from the start of the extract the narrator tries to draw the reader's attention and curiosity quoting Grendel. As a result the reader is curious to find out about Grendel. It appears immediately that the strategy used by the narrator to develop Beowulf's characterization is to immediately juxtaposed to the monster. The  narrator's strategy is also that of keeping the listener's attention alert.

The extract tells about the moment when Beowulf decided to help the country that was raided by Grendel, the monster. The reader is not free to make up a his own mind about the character because his information is totally  filtered by the narrator's point of view. The narrator gives judgments, positive judgments, and introduces the hero's characterisation with references to his superlative powers as the intelligent reader can see considering: "no one else like him". The phrase "no one else" underlines the character's uniqueness. In addition, the adjective "alive" seems to suggest that only Beowulf was able to remain alive even if he had to face very difficult tests. Therefore an atmosphere of greatness is immediately created by the narrator, immediately reinforced by the use of the superlative adjective "the mightiest". It follows that right from the fourth line of the extract Beowulf sounds an almost God-like figure. Indeed the expression "on Earth" makes him see, a wonder in comparison to other people living on Earth.

The idea of a past time to create the dimension of a life when strength and courage were human qualities is conveyed by the time reference "in his day" that is set in key position, at the beginning of the line. Beowulf is also said to be "high-born", that is coming from a very important family according to the social organisation of Anglo-Saxon society.

Since nobody prevented him to go, even the elder, he had to be considered a wise man who knew what he was going to face. The narrator also expresses his positive judgment about the skills of Beowulf at sea. Beowulf had enlisted other fourteen men, a small figure that shows up the high value of the men.
    
The travel to their destination is peaceful and quickly, as if it was wanted by God. There is a magnificent sight of the ship sailing, compared to a bird. On their arrival they prepared gears and weapons in an atmosphere full of tension, effect created by many little phrases that follow one another. The extract ends with their thanks to God and let us imagine that the peaceful situation will change soon.