Beowulf's greed for glory led to his downfall, which was his death. If he had not been so prideful and not fought the dragon alone, his warriors would have been able to help him fight and help him survive. He was too greedy to let anyone else take away from his glory. This type of hero has a personality trait (the flaw) that directly contributes to the hero's downfall (the tragedy). Beowulf's tragic flaw was his hubris. Aging and aware of it, and acting recklessly and similarly aware of it, Beowulf needlessly battles the dragon alone and is fatally wounded. Beowulf death was caused by a poisonous wound from the dragon. But he really died because his past and his pride blinded him to the reality that he was an aging king who could no longer perform the same feats of strength and bravery, making him a tragic hero. He was blinded by his past and buried by his pride. And his sword melted lol.
