Beowulf certainly earns the title of an epic hero since he possesses many of the traits that most epic heroes bear. Throughout the poem, Beowulf saves his people in every battle he faces, and continually proves himself to truly be an epic hero. Beowulf proved his bravery to many when he faced Grendel and immediately after battled Grendel’s mother. The epic hero had begged the king of the Danes to battle with the monster, even admitted all of his defeats to the king. Beowulf had spent his whole life protecting citizens, even until his final battle with the dragon. His faith in god had never diminished or weakened, showing his discipline and faith of his only superior. Beowulf is overall a great epic hero, as he proves throughout the poem with …show more content…
The publisher defines specific traits such as super human abilities and humility in heroes. He elaborates on these traits with the quote, “The character will most likely excel in combat. The hero's principles will usually revolve around a strong sense of right and wrong, and will cause them to risk great potential harm or death in the pursuit of these ideals.” (Irimia). The story of Beowulf can be clearly seen in Irimia’s message. Beowulf has shown his exceled growth in combat as the poem goes on over time. He fights a strong monster, Grendel, then an even stronger and very spiteful monster, Grendel’s mother, and finally the worst monster in the story, the hateful and revengeful dragon. Beowulf battles these horrible monsters due to his overwhelmingly strong sense of right and wrong; he battles to overcome these monsters’ wrong doing. Beowulf dedicates his life to doing so, putting great risk into each battle, and finally succumbing to this risk, but not before defeating his finally enemy. In this article, Irimia only further proves and justifies why Beowulf has earned his title of epic hero in his …show more content…
Beowulf is always strong, always ready for battle, always honorable, and always a hero. He defeated his greatest enemy, Grendel, and then a few more, just to protect his people and show his bravery, and to prove to himself and everyone around him his heroic abilities. He never strays from god, as other lords in other cities had, and always is honest and faithful. He shows remarkable strength and excessive bravery through all of his battles. No matter how far or tough the challenge, Beowulf always protects his people in their desperate times of need. Irimia only further states Beowulf’s honorable traits in his nonfiction article, and Irimia’s statements would agree that Beowulf is, in fact, an epic hero. Beowulf deserves the title of epic hero, and earns it through preforming acts of bravery, honesty, his superhuman strength, traveling far and wide to defeat his enemies, and his
Author, the character Beowulf portrays several traits of an epic hero .The first trait of an epic hero Beowulf demonstrates is superhuman strength. The narrator describes Beowulf as the strongest in the world ‘’Beowulf, Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats – greater and stronger than anyone in this world’’ (line 110, pg23).This quote from the epic poem goes to show Beowulf’s superhuman strength makes him an epic hero, furthermore, without his strength he would not fall into the category of an epic hero. In the next example of how Beowulf possess traits of an epic hero is his bravery. Beowulf is not afraid to chase monsters ‘’I drove five great giants
The main characteristics of an epic hero are strength, courage and loyalty. Beowulf demonstrates his strength in his battle with Grendel. With his extraordinary strength, Beowulf is able to bend back the claws Grendel “as Beowulf leaned up on one arm” (Beowulf line 190), and he keeps hold of Grendel’s hands long enough for Grendel to eventually fight back so hard his arm rips off. Not only is he strong enough to defeat Grendel with his bare hands, but Beowulf also lifts the sword of a giant to defeat Grendel’s mother. He courageously volunteers himself into battle with “A powerful monster, living down / In the darkness” (34-35). This monster also has a mother who is stronger than him, but Beowulf does not fear. Beowulf courageously goes down to the darkness where their den lies and comes up with Grendel’s head and the handle of the sword he uses to kill Grendel’s mother. Later in life, “Beowulf [utters] his final boast: / “ I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought / in endless battles. I am old, now, / But I will fight again” (483-486). Beowulf utters his final boast before he courageously goes into his final battle which he loses to the dragon. In loyalty to the men that serve him, Beowulf makes sure that if he does not return from his battle with Grendel’s mother they will be able to return to their homeland. He
What do Achilles, King Arthur, Harry Potter, and Beowulf all have in common? They all demonstrate the qualities of epic heroes. Beowulf represents several characteristics of an epic hero and demonstrates the values of the Anglo-Saxons. He is the main character of his story, he has a main goal, he travels and fights with a group of people, and he accomplishes many valorous deeds; the values of the Anglo-Saxons are also shown through the actions of Beowulf, such as courage, loyalty, and fame. For example, when Beowulf heard a cry for help in a far off land, he answered. He fought larger than life monsters, and won. His exceptional strength proves his epic courage and heroism.
An epic hero displays bravery, courage, and strength. An epic hero also wants to achieve immortality through heroic actions. Beowulf can be categorized as a legendary epic hero. There are many things that prove Beowulf is an epic hero in the poem. He proves that he is an epic hero through his heroic actions that occur throughout the poem.
Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.
Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is the hero. He shows that he is a great man by always putting other things before his own needs. He is important and needed by his people and is known by many as a strong, courageous and a helpful person. He shows all of the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses.
Beowulf is a true epic hero because he is fearless, very strong, and well honored. Beowulf portrays all of the traits of a hero throughout the epic. He never hesitated to kill a monster, or even to give a helping hand at any time. He could always back up his boast with perfection. Beowulf is not a god, or a supernatural man, but he was the closest man to
Beowulf was a hero not only because of his physical strength, but also for his concern for other people. “The hero must move beyond human limits in order to have the capacity to combat the monstrous forces that threaten the social order;” (Sharma 264) Beowulf has been deemed by most to have superhuman strength, but his superhuman strength alone does not make Beowulf any more a hero than Grendel’s strength makes him a hero. Beowulf rises above the limits of a regular human being
Beowulf is known as an epic hero because he has many great leader qualities. Beowulf is loyal, generous, and brave. He shows these characteristics in different ways within the story.
Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.
Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is the hero. He shows that he is a great man by always putting other things before his own needs. He is important and needed by his people and is known by many as a strong, courageous and a helpful person. He shows all of the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses.
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
In Anglo Saxon times, Beowulf is considered a well known epic hero. “Epic heroes are literary characters from ancient mythology and other stories, which were written down in the form of long, narrative epic poems. The hero is the main character, or protagonist of the poem”("Epic Hero: Definition, Characteristics & Examples."). The epic hero usually battles for accomplishments to a set of tasks to complete important goals. Beowulf is described as an epic hero because of his honor, bravery, and intelligence.
Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.
There are many types of heroes--some with superpowers, some who do amazing deeds, and some who are in our everyday lives. However, one of the best examples of a hero is Beowulf from Beowulf: a New Telling. Beowulf is a brave man who is willing to accept weaknesses and turn them into strengths. He aids Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, in defeating many monsters such as Grendel and Grendel’s Mother, which kill people and bring terror. Afterwards, he heads home and is crowned king after the king dies, and thus kills the Firedrake, which was destroying land in anger. Beowulf is a hero worthy of notice. In Robert Nye’s novel Beowulf: a New Telling, sacrifice and humility are heroic traits seen throughout the novel within Beowulf’s character.