Beowulf As A 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.

There have been many grand stories about great warriors, and champions; those about epic heroes however, are the truly exceptional tales. One such tale, over a thousand years old, stands out from all the rest: Beowulf, the tale of a great warrior, on his quest to achieve eternal glory, defeating great opponents. Throughout the whole story, Beowulf demonstrates most –if not all- of the qualities that an archetypal hero possesses. He embodies the highest ideals of his culture, travels to find adventure, and is not emotionally connected to his followers. Beowulf undertakes his journey to achieve something of great value to himself and society, defeats monsters, yet maintains humanity. Although Beowulf experiences

Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they

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

“… 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.

To be a hero in the Anglo-Saxon period the person must be a warrior, One that must be able to face any situation, and be very intelligent. The hero must also be courageous and willing to fight and die for their people. To become a real hero the person must go through the cycle that all heros experience during life, referred to as the “Hero’s Journey”. It is steps and stages on the hero’s life which includes, the calling to adventure , supernatural or aid by mentor, the facing of the issue or calling, and return home. To be honored for their success by their people when returned back to their home.

Hero, is a word that can be distinguished so in many ways. When people think of a “hero” they imagine the military, comic book characters, or someone who has greatly affected their life. While reading Beowulf people can realize why he was a hero to the Geats and Danes. From the beginning of the epic Beowulf shows the characteristics of generosity, loyalty, and bravery representing all the qualifications of a hero during the 6th century. “Although originally untitled, it was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits and character offer its connecting theme”, (Beowulf Encyclopedia Britannica) 1,500 years later anyone who has heard this epic still views Beowulf as a hero. This created courage over the people knowing someone

A hero could be defined in a wide variety of ways. To one person, it might be someone who has brought about a desirable change for society. To another person, it may simply be someone who went out of their way to help them when their car broke down. Within countless epic tales, a hero not only acts in selflessness, they have traits that could only be described as superhuman. In the spectacular story, Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon work of literature with no known author, there are three accounts of battles that the hero of the narrative fought with tremendous effort. Throughout it is made clear that Beowulf is extraordinary in more ways than one. Firstly, he is one of the most courageous characters in the history of literature, which is no small

Beowulf is the epic poem that tells the story of a warrior and his heroic adventures. In the story, Beowulf is hailed a hero after defeating Grendel and his mother. Despite being presented as one, Beowulf is not a hero by today’s standards. Beowulf is too conceited to be considered a hero. A modern day hero is someone who is selfless and helps others for nothing in return.

Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, are all heroes that have selflessly changed our world for the greater good. Heroes are people with immense courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, that set them apart from those around them. In the novel Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney, a man by the name of Beowulf exhibits traits of hero in the probably the oldest English poems known. Throughout this epic poem, Beowulf takes on challenge after challenge, exhibiting his great strength and prowess in combat. Being a confident, selfless, and powerful king, Beowulf shows the traits of a spectacular hero to his people and those of other nations.

Kadizah Gaulden Miss Sibbach English IV 10 December , 2014 The Pretend Hero ? Most heroes get determined by what they do for the community or just by helping someone who needs help. Beowulf became a hero in this epic poem. With a little help from his warriors, Beowulf managed to win all major battles.

Hero: person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities (Webster’s Dictionary). Typical heroic traits include nobility, bravery, strength, etc. Beowulf can be described as a hero because he is remarked throughout the epic poem, Beowulf, as a courageous, strong, and generous warrior.

In the story Beowulf there were many different characteristics that symbolized and made Beowulf a hero/ symbolized heroism. There are many different sections in the book that talked about he was the mighty one and other parts talked about how he was the “evil” one.

Crime and sickness is a big problem in the world. Everyday someone is dealing with a disease like cancer or even worse the death of a loved one. For no particular reason except for life happens. It is important that on this planet we have heroes to get through all the heart ache one faces in the world. If not help those through the traumatic and devastating events life throws at them, then to get rid of it completely. It is important to remember that not all heroes wear capes. Some might think of heroes as movie actors with capes and stage makeup facing unrealistic conflict. Multiple heroes that are on earth today are just ordinary people that walk the same streets as everyone else. In the poem Beowulf he is a hero that did some unrealistic things. Even though they did not seem to be real life situations the story helped people understand some of the characteristics of a hero. The best comparison to Beowulf is an Emergency Medical Technician.

Like Spiderman and Batman both strong, courageous, loyal and helpful. These heroes didn't ever boast their triumphs. They even hid their identity under a mask. They have pride and honor because they received recognition initiated by the people. In spite of that, they remained humble and down to earth. They hid their identity as superheroes and will just appear if people are in need of help. These are the other characteristic of a modern hero that is acceptable today. Beowulf has many things that the Anglo Saxon viewed as heroism but he missed many things that are important for a modern hero.