An Analytical Essay: The Epic Of Beowulf

An epic is a long narrative poem that tells the exploits of an epic hero. Epics are comprised of an epic hero and an epic battle between good and evil. The earliest known epic today is The Epic of Gilgamesh. This tale is about Gilgamesh’s search for eternal life. Although epics have been around for thousands of years, the epic tradition still has an enormous impact on modern writing and film. In fact, Batman, a story about Bruce Wayne trying to conquer all criminals in Gotham, can be seen as modern epic.

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Set in an era long before the customs of contemporary western civilization, Heaney’s translation of Beowulf follows the courageous hero through an epic journey that solidifies his figurative immortality. Much like the Greek’s great Odysseus or the Roman’s devout Aeneus, Beowulf serves as an impressive and almost godlike warrior for the Anglo-Saxons, providing insight into the constituents of greatness for that society. Confident in his abilities and committed to his task, Beowulf voluntarily embarks on a mission to defeat Grendel, the treacherous enemy of the Danish kingdom. Beowulf solidifies his classification as an epic hero as he satisfies his quest for glory, saves a kingdom from destruction, and reveals the values of an era.

An epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero.   The main characteristics of an epic as a literary genre is that it is a long poem that tells a story, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved, and it delivers an historical message.  The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because it fits all the characteristics of an epic as a literary genre.

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” – Ayn Rand. To fully understand the complex world and culture of the Anglo-Saxons, one must examine the only form of historical evidence available – texts. One particular great work from this time period is often underrated and overshadowed in modern society by many other ancient works such as Iliad or Oedipus Rex. The epic poem, Beowulf, was sung by multiple unknown Anglo-Saxon poets four centuries before the Norman Conquest. The theme of good versus evil was constantly reappearing throughout the storyline, the portrayal of evil and its downfall initially shaped the poem’s plot, and illustrates an alien presence; something that

Beowulf was an immense poem about a courageous warrior - by the name of Beowulf. This warrior was brave and had a lot of confidence, which led him to act foolishly. Beowulf was respected by the people of Denmark and Sweden. Throughout the poem, Beowulf proved he was a hero by protecting the Geats and Danes, but also foolish with the beasts he defeated.

     Beowulf displays the qualities of a good leader that were mentioned in the speech given by Hrothgar. The speech speaking of the vices and virtues of great political leaders contains many of the same qualities that Beowulf embodies. His boastfulness, generosity and kindness are evidence that he is a good leader and provides for his people. Although the qualities he posses may not be the best-fit qualities of a common man, they are admirable qualities of a strong leader.

Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They have a noble birth and show great bravery. They display great intelligence and resourcefulness. They have a reverence for G-d and for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they conquer evil (Vivone 9/27/99). In addition to Beowulf’s heroic qualities, he is very strong. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty [men] in his mighty handgrip” (Bloom 11). Early proof of Beowulf’s extraordinary strength is evidenced by his dismemberment of Grendel’s limb, the fight in the cave under water, and the

Word has traveled across the seas to Geatland of a great disturbance in Heorot. A threatening creature has befallen on Hrothgar, King of the Danes, and his people. In no time, a Geat by the name of Beowulf arrives at Heorot. However, why would one man, an unpopular man at that, not known of possessing any strength or talent, travel a great distance to offer his services to the Danes? Textual evidence provides that Beowulf, although he proves himself brave and strong, expresses his ego through boasting of his epic deeds, illuminating on his strength and wit. In addition to feeding his ego, it can be proved that Beowulf is out to make a legend of himself since he comes from a broken lineage, and in the time of the Danes and

A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.

Beowulf is an Epic hero, because he has a special gift of tremendous strength, has courageous qualities, receives divine intervention from God, and is able to defeat the massive demons that have been terrorizing Herot. Beowulf is actually the most stereotypical character to be the hero in the Epic, rather than a modern take where a normal character becomes an unlikely hero. Beowulf was born with the strength of thirty men in one hand, and becomes the destined one to defeat Grendel along with attaining all of the glory. The plot of the Epic is also identical to what Beowulf is foreshadowed to be, because of Beowulf having a special trait that no other man has, traveling through other worldly elements, supernatural forces, and poetical writing. A legacy is made throughout the story based on these events of bravery and glory, which is why Beowulf is an Epic hero.

An epic is a long narrative poem or story about a hero who belongs to a noble or royal family. In many epics, there is something supernatural or magical about the hero’s birth and death. The hero’s central motivation is to perform brave deeds that will protect his people. Many of these brave deeds involve quests, or long difficult journeys hunting for a rare treasure, a magical sword, or a kidnapped princess.

An epic is an extensive narrative poem celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. There are several main characteristics that make up an epic as a literary genre. First is that, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), it delivers an historical message, it is a long poem that tells a story, and the gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved. The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because it fits all the characteristics of an epic as a literary genre.

The Old English epic Beowulf is built around the archetype of the journeying hero. Beowulf exemplifies a classical hero, one who is not immune from hubris, but who channels his strong will into judicious endeavors. Thus, Beowulf dies with the honor and glory befitting a king. His story is one of distinct binaries between good and evil. On the side opposite to Beowulf's goodness is the gruesome Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and the original epic poem does nothing to introduce moral ambiguity that would engender any sympathy for the creature. The creature represents brute force and misanthropic evil, which Beowulf successfully vanquishes. Therefore, Beowulf is established as an existential warrior-hero whose acts of courage and bravery are not just beneficial for his ego but to all of humanity. Grendel is a one-dimensional monster; whereas Beowulf is slightly more complex due to his status and role in society. In 1971, John Gardner retells the medieval tale of Beowulf, from Grendel's point of view. In so doing, Gardner creates a new postmodern hero. Grendel is not the demon that Beowulf and the Danes thought he was; a literary technique that raises all sorts of issues related to stereotyping, discrimination, racism, imperialism, and cultural hegemony. Grendel also reworks the theme of heroism by injecting moral ambiguity into the original story. With Grendel, Gardner replaces a more realistic version of moral right and wrong for the simple dualistic worldview of Beowulf.

A piece of text is significant to the reader for many aspects, especially its historical value. A text such as this is Beowulf, an Old English epic. Whilst reading it, or its synopsis rather, I fell in love with it, not because of the degree of heroism showed by its protagonist or the emotions it displayed, but because it took me centuries ago, to a place unfamiliar to me, and it showed me history that one could never enjoy when reading a history book.