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. Unferth is a warrior for King Hrothgar. Unferth's main purpose is to bring out the more heroic and polite parts of Beowulf. Unferth would constantly challenge Beowulf, "... Unferth, so…
