Bravery In Beowulf

Bravery is an important quality to have when leading a country or group of people. In Beowulf, when he decides to fight Grendel without any weapons, he makes a brave decision. (Burton Raffel, 37). He could have chosen the easy route but instead he decided to play more fairly with the beast and take the harder path. Sometimes when you are a king or a leader,

Theme is the matter of a subject within a piece of writing. Throughout this essay examples of mesopotamian literature, old english poetry and ancient greek literature are brought up. The central theme throughout all these epics is bravery. I chose bravery because each one of these characters risks their lives to save others. The ability to take on life threatening battles is an extreme form of bravery.

Beowulf is a prime example of what it means to be courageous. In his fight with Grendel, he chooses “[n]o weapons, therefore, / for either this night: unarmed he shall face me / if face me he dares” (683-84). Beowulf has never encountered Grendel before. He has only heard the stories of the beast’s evil doings, so going into a fight with no protection requires great strength and bravery. Beowulf is the only man to dive into the waters to fight Grendel’s Mother. He goes into the fight believing “life doesn’t cost him a thought” (1536). The outcome of the battle does not faze Beowulf because a warrior should

Sir Winston Churchill once said “ Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision”. This relates to Beowulf because the epic poem has a lot of hidden messages. One of the biggest messages of the poem is courage, which Beowulf and Wiglaf both posses the trait of courage. This poem shows that courage is when a person sticks through it when times get tough.

In the Beowulf story, by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf’s courage is a significant quality of an epic hero, it allows him to take risks he feels are worth the world.

Anglo-Saxon period, from 5th century to 1066, became the “ancestor” of our modern literature. There is a big difference from then and now including our language and culture.

In relation to loyalty, a warrior also needs to be courageous because they are going to be going into battle which can be very dangerous. Courage goes along with loyalty because a warrior needs to keep their sense of courage and loyalty when following their leader into battle or anything. After Hrothgar’s counsellor Aeschere was killed by Grendel’s mother, Beowulf used his courage to fight and avenge King Hrothgar’s close counsellor, (1384-1397). Beowulf not only uses his courage, but he also raises Hrothgar’s courage and again brings back the fact they obey and must follow the heroic code.

One way that Beowulf exemplifies bravery is by being brave enough to stand up to Grendel, the vile, malicious monster that torments the Danish people, when nobody else had the courage to do so. Instead of cowering in his presence when Grendel threatened him, Beowulf “leaned upon one arm” (The Language Of Literature, 41). Being the only man of the thousands terrorized by Grendel that can stand up to him is quite an accomplishment considering that despite hearing of Grendel’s notoriety, Beowulf showed absolute courage from the beginning, even in the face of a potential gory death. Beowulf’s actions also imply that even though he likely is afraid, he pushes aside his fear to protect the Danes and earn his glory; Beowulf’s behavior suggests that a true hero does not have to be fearless, but has to have the ability to transform that fear into determination to defeat the enemy. Beowulf’s bravery and courage during the battle with Grendel, despite hearing of his infamy, and Beowulf’s strength to turn his fear into determination to defeat Grendel help to prove that Beowulf is an epic hero.

One of the oldest epics of the time is Beowulf which reflects on the Danish time period. The unknown author reflects on the daily lives and beliefs of the Danes. Through the author's eyes, we are able to see a small glimpse of the way these people lived. It explains to us what specific values were vital to the Danish culture. Even though it was quite different from today, numerous ideas are similar to this time period. In Beowulf, the Danish are represented by the way the author uses specific traits to relate back to the morals, values, and cultures of the time.

The Anglo-Saxon culture was known for blood and war. They were a people that celebrated heroic traditions and admired outstanding courage. They were also proud of their culture and loyal to their tribe. The tribes were known to take revenge against someone who did them wrong. This can be what kept them together, or tore them apart. Beowulf is about a person in this time and he seeks glory by taking revenge for those who can not do it themselves. Wealth, fame, and glory go hand-in-hand with the success in battles. The value of vengeance is important in Beowulf in the attack on Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Bravery and courage are an attribute of what is takes to make these attacks possible.

Imagine if all objects, concepts, or words consistently obtained a certain meaning; it would never falter, all of the great things that society has invented often are improved with change or transitions. Take a Tootsie Pop for instance, at first, it's cherry, grape, or orange flavor bursts on the tongue; it's tangy, sweet, and crunchy. Then, after a few more licks, the sugary warm taste of the tootsie lingers in the mouth. Seldom do people analyze the before and the after of an idea, object, or word, but that transformation is what makes the concept meaningful.Hero is a concept that continues to be manipulated by society in conformation to the current views and beliefs. The great tales of Beowulf, a mighty warrior and hero are illustrated in Beowulf: a new verse translation by Seamus Heaney. To conjunctively compare and contrast society’s significance with heroism, Beowulf will be analyzed along with modern day heroes regarding common heroic traits such as; sacrifice, success, and audacity. More specifically, Beowulf will be compared to female modern day heros. In Beowulf times, women didn’t receive the opportunity to become heroes as they were in constant oppression. Although Beowulf lacked a feministic view, women have currently succeeded greatly and are regarded amongst the highest of heroes. Although the concept of a hero transitions, nevertheless, three traits; sacrifice, success, and audacity are still currently performed by current day heroes, but in accordance with

From Anglo-Saxon times to Renaissance history; writing has changed in various ways, including how the spoken and written language appeared and sounded, the style of writing, and the story arcs. However, some things have just evolved and only serve to twist how we reach and react to certain topics, including but not limited to, epic heroes, the cycle of heroism, the roles of leadership, the consequences of ambition and various themes. English has been around when spoken language was invented by germanic tribes but was harsher in sound. Old English was used up to 1150 AD, Middle English was used 1150-1500, and finally Modern English was used from 1600- 1930 (http://public.oed.com). The battle of good vs. evil has existed since the beginning of English, and from Anglo-Saxon times to Shakespearean literature the way the theme is conveyed while being the same, varies.

In Beowulf’s characterization, some of the good kingly qualities seen during this time is the courage and strength he models for his people. (“Thus, Beowulf bor himself with valor; he was a formidable in battle yet behaved with honor and took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk, kept his temper and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers.” Pg. 88 line 2177) Beowulf is perceived as a godlike hero; seeming to be this unstoppable heroic

“He went then through the deadly reek, bore his helmet to aid the prince, few words he spoke: Dear Beowulf, achieve all things well, as thou saidst long ago in thy youth, that thou would not let thy repute fail while life lasted; now, resolute chieftain, mighty in deeds, thou must guard thy life with all thy strength; I will help thee.” What makes a hero? The answer differs from people but in general the concept stays the same. I believe the most important qualities in a hero are bravery, kindness, and most importantly sacrifice.

Beowulf, a hero as old as heroism itself. Often he is used as the textbook definition of a true hero. For good reason too, after all what would you call a man who rids kingdoms of monsters for a living. Beowulf also displays many of the classic heroic qualities that many are familiar with. Strength, when it comes to this Beowulf is definitely gifted. It would be difficult to deny this, after all using nothing but his bare hands he ripped Grendel's arm off. Courage, a difficult one to muster. Beowulf clearly displays this by venturing into the