Beowulf: A True Hero

True heroes are brave and bold. They often sacrifice themselves in order to save many others. In a multitude of works of literature, heroes are common and often symbolize the good of humanity and the strength of self. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the character Beowulf, the defender of Geat and Herot, clearly exemplifies the traits that mark an ideal hero. Beowulf’s strength, quest for glory, and egocentric personality characterize him as a true hero.

What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.

Beowulf is an epic poem you can relate to life today. He was like any other hero very brave, loyal and a really great leader. His followers looked up to him and obeyed him. Beowulf also had a few enemies, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing anything to keep his people save from the monsters. In this poem you would see several ways that shows Beowulf being a great hero.

A hero is not born; he is self-made with heroic qualities. What qualifies for making someone a hero? According to Merriam Webster, a hero is defined as: “ a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability”. Beowulf perfectly fits that definition of a hero. In Seamus Heaney Beowulf, Beowulf has everything it takes to be known as a hero. Some of Beowulf’s vital traits as warrior includes bravery, courage, honor, incredible physical strength, and the will to serve the people for the greater good. This poem is centered around him and that is all he needs to be portrayed as the hero he is.

A hero must do many things to be allowed the title of hero. However, there are some aspects a hero should not show. If these characteristics are shown, they should not be considered a hero. One attribute a hero should not display is selfishness. In the Knight’s Tale, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Arcite and Palamon acted selfishly. They perceived a beautiful lady. They fought for the beautiful lady. They died for the beautiful lady. Nevertheless, they acted selfishly during this gripping story. For example, they fought for Emily, the beautiful lady, because neither could live without her. Nonetheless, neither ambitious young man could bother themselves to question her on whether she wished to marry either of these headstrong knights. She may not have desired to marry either of them. Therefore, they acted selfish and do not live up to one requirement of a hero. On the contrary, Beowulf, the main protagonist in the epic poem Beowulf written by an unknown source, did not act selfishly. Throughout the poem, he risked his life to fight horrendous monsters to save the good people living in the area. These actions define Beowulf as a hero. Contrarily, Sir Gawain, who starred in the book Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, embarked on a dangerous journey. The Green Knight had tasked him to find the Green Chapel. Before finding the chapel, the tired knight came across a castle tucked away in the peaceful forest. When he asked to stay for a night, his host proposed a trade. The host would

The concept of hero is never outdated in literary. Every author has their own understanding of how a hero should be like, and all heroes live and behave differently according to the society they live in. The definition of hero is much broader than a man with superpower. In Beowulf and The Great Gatsby, both of the protagonist, Beowulf and Jay Gatsby are considered heroes in the story. Although both of them embody the values of their societies, Beowulf is a more successful hero because he truly reaches the expectations that his society has for a hero and embraces the reality, which leads him to sacrifices his life for a more worthy cause.

Beowulf was very, very strong as heroes are. The evil monster was shocked at the strength of Beowulf, not expecting to encounter one with such strength. Beowulf ripped the monster’s arm off. (Line #__) . Fearful for his life, Grendel struggled to free himself from the grip of Beowulf. “Grendel’s one thought was to run from Beowulf and flee…” (314-315). Great strength, as exhibited by Beowulf and recognized by Grendel, is yet another characteristic of an ultimate hero.

“… A fiend out of hell”(Heaney 100). These words describe the monster Grendel, who is truly an evil entity. Only an epic hero with strength, courage and confidence is able to defeat this mighty foe. This hero’s name is Beowulf. He displays all of these throughout the epic.

Beowulf, is an epic poem with no known author. It was first told in a Pagan society through oral tradition in the middle ages, and as times changed, the poem was altered by the community’s views and beliefs. When Christianity began to spread in Daneland, ideas of morality, good and evil, Heaven and Hell were added to the plot. This blend of Christianity with a folk story that praises loyalty, faith, honesty, and courage in the face of extreme danger and even death stuck with the poem. To this day, Beowulf presents a model of the human being who is willing to die to deliver others from terrifying evil forces, and is a true example of a hero throughout time.

The epic Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, takes place in a society where valor and bravery is measured through noble yet violent actions. Morality in Beowulf is heavily influenced by Paganism. Pagan beliefs maintain that courageous acts with righteous motivations attain glory and valor. These acts define a person as a hero, even if they are defeated. In moral standards, a person willing to sacrifice his or herself Although Beowulf is slain by the dragon at the end of the poem, he is still considered a hero by pagan and modern standards, and is not a failure in any regard due to his willingness to sacrifice himself for others.

In the eighth century AD an epic poem called Beowulf was written by an unknown author. It follows the life of a man named Beowulf going off to Denmark to assist them in their troubles. For years Denmar had been haunted by a beast named Grendel that no one man could describe. As the poem progresses, we see Beowulf — who has the strength of 50 men in each arm — defeat not only Grendel, but Grendel’s mother and the Dragon Worm. Each of these fights shows off a different aspect of what it means to be a true hero. IN this paper I will discuss these aspects while telling the story of his life.

All heroes are recognized for how brave and strong they are being shown in the text. A hero of the story is always supported by the characters because the hero is the one who saves them from anything. The unknown author of the epic poem Beowulf creates the character of Beowulf who is a brave, strong, and heroic character, as demonstrate through the use of both indirect and direct characterization. The author’s purpose for creating this character is to make the protagonist be seen and stand out as a hero. Beowulf is announced as someone with the characteristic of heroism by being the one to rescue the people from the beast Grendel.

When the mother attacks Heorot, Beowulf runs after her and while all of the other warriors exhibit cowardice, Beowulf, being courageous, simply jumps into the depths of the other world to defeat her. This is also another characteristic of the hero, he selflessly crosses a boundary in order to protect social stability, not caring if he dies or not. This battle seems somewhat transitional as Beowulf is unable to defeat the mother with his bare hands. In fact, his sword doesn't even get the job accomplished, and Beowulf is almost killed. By some fantastic notion a giant's sword magically appears and Beowulf is able to defeat her at last. Perhaps through relying on tools to help defeat the mother, Beowulf is stepping towards being able to have

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The Old English Beowulf, which was composed sometime between the seventh and the tenth century, is considered first important literally work written in English, and is classified as a heroic poem. Heroic poetry was immensely popular then and it had strictly and distinctly specified structure, i.e. mechanics, with the glorious hero in its focus, and as the main link. The eponymous protagonist of the poem Beowulf is created as the perfect and impeccable embodiment of all the qualities that were at those times expected to be found in a hero. From the moment he is introduced in the poem, it becomes quite apparent how much Beowulf is idealized. We meet him as some sort of deus ex machina, the god-like character accompanied by flattering adjectives