This essay describes the importance of characters in the Novel Beowulf. It also describes the importance of foils in the writing of a story.

In books one of the most important things of the book is the main character. However, just as important is the foil; the foil is a contrast on another main character. In Beowulf the foils serve the great purpose of bringing to light even more aspects of the main character. There are many characters who do this to the main character Beowulf. One of the main foils in the story is a warrior named Unferth. …

…and powerful leader. This is because it seen through Wiglaf's reaction and loyalty to Beowulf that Beowulf is a good leader. Through all of this it is seen that the minor characters, foils, bring out the stupendous attributes of the main character, Beowulf. Whether it is through what they say, what they do, or they reactions to something that the main character had already done, all of these lead to a greater portrayal of Beowulf.