Essay about Beowulf: a Heroic-Elegiac Poem

audience. Beowulf, on the other hand, is characterized by the standards of an epic hero. He

Every epic hero acquires certain heroic characteristics. The poem, “Beowulf, is about the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf is a warrior from Geatland that comes to help Hrothgar, the king of Danes, defeat the monster Grendel who has been killing men in their kingdom. Beowulf defeats the unstoppable beast, Grendel. Then Grendel’s mother comes to try to avenge Grendel’s death, and Beowulf slaughters her in her underwater lair. After 50 peaceful years of ruling the Geats, Beowulf in his old age fights his last battle with a dragon. He defeats the dragon, with help from Wiglaf, but dies as a result. The main character, Beowulf exemplifies many characteristics that an epic hero possesses. Beowulf’s characteristics include

Beowulf has been one of the most notable epic hero's since his story was first written down around 700

“He chose the mightiest men he could find, the bravest and the best of the Geats, fourteen in all, and led them down to their boat…”(Beowulf 23) Beowulf’s internal pride suggested he use no weapons, just his hands. He believed if he had fate on his side, no weapons were necessary. Beowulf’s pride is what led him to be king of the Geats and his name and stories to continue on.

“Quickly the dragon came at him encouraged as Beowulf fell back, its breath flared, and Beowulf suffered.” (The Dragon, pg.70, 815-819) Not wanting anyone to get his gold, the dragon fights to the death against Beowulf, but someone will be victorious in the end. After the dragon’s reactions to the stolen jewel Beowulf retaliates for his people.

A way Beowulf demonstrates his heroism is the way he stays true to the Geats by honoring them. Before

          "....He meant to kill this monster himself, our mighty king, fight this battle alone               and unaided, as in the days when his strength and daring dazzled men's eyes. But               those days are over and gone and our lord must lean on younger arms. And we               must go to him, while angry flames burn at his flesh, help our glorious king! By               almighty God I'd rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord.               And who are we to carry home our shields before we've slain his enemy and ours,               to run back to our homes with Beowulf so hard pressed here? I swear that                    nothing he ever did deserved an end like this, dying miserable and alone,                    butchered by this savage beast: we swore that these swords and armor were each               for us all!..."

Despite Beowulf’s almost supernatural strength, stamina and stature, he ages just the same as any other human being. In the human life cycle, one generally begins naive and inexperienced and ages into an adult of more wisdom and knowledge. Akin to others in his time, Beowulf starts as a young fearless warrior and grows into an aged prudent king.

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

The Geats preferred Beowulf to any other King so therefore revered him and praised him for his strong leadership. His strong foundation created stability within the Kingdom and that was all the people needed in a time of chaos. This is in direct opposition to what Heremod created and what he stood for.

Beowulf is an incredible, and at times unbelievable, hero who can and will attempt to defeat anyone to keep others safe. This will eventually lead to his death as he successfully defeats the Dragon. But as ruling king at the time his subsequent death leaves his people in a worse predicament than before. Now, without a just ruler, the kingdom will possibly undergo uncertainty and chaos as no heir to the throne is

describes Beowulf's actions as a gift of God and his mercy on him and his land: "First

When King Hring took sick and died, Bodvar became ruler of the kingdom; when Heardred was killed in battle, Beowulf became king. Bodvar thought of others first; he found support for his mother before leaving his people; Beowulf likewise placed the concerns of others before his own, putting his life in jeopardy in order to satisfy a family debt to King Hrothgar for paying wergild for the hero’s father’s indiscretion as a young man.

The epic poem Beowulf contains many examples of Anglo-Saxon heros and royal figures, these figures are all strong and brave, but they are all also all very social. The poem describes many different characters who are kings or powerful men, and all the ones who are successful in ruling and protecting their kingdom carry traits such as sociability and generosity, and the ones who do not have a balanced mix of strength and kindliness do not last long. In the text, Beowulf, the greatest warrior in the world, is going to kill the demon Grendel’s mother to help the Danes. By this time, Beowulf has become very close to the Dane king Hrothgar who adopted Beowulf as a son; when the moment of the fight comes, Beowulf is not sure that he will survive the battle and asks Hrothgar “If I should fall / And suffer death while serving your cause, / Would [you] act like a father to me afterwards.

Though Beowulf became the king of Heorot, there was a fair treatment between him and his men, he was so humble.