Beowulf's last loyal retainer who helps him fight the dragon?

• A. Unferth
• B. Hrothgar
• C. Beowulf
• D. Wiglaf

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is loyalty under pressure and how a retainer proves his devotion when a lord is in mortal danger. In Beowulf’s final battle with the dragon, most of the warriors flee, revealing a failure of fealty. Wiglaf is the one who stays by Beowulf’s side, answering the call to fight and even directing the others for their cowardice. He joins the struggle, helps Beowulf in the battle, and embodies the steadfast courage that the heroic code prizes. That moment casts Wiglaf as Beowulf’s last loyal retainer, someone who values duty to his lord over personal safety, and it foreshadows his future role in protecting the Geats after Beowulf’s death. Unferth is the earlier challenger, not a loyal supporter in this crisis; Hrothgar is the king whom Beowulf aids earlier in the story; Beowulf himself is the hero, not a retainer.