Custom Essay: Beowulf As An Epic Hero

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

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, 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

Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Hero’s are around us in our everyday lives such as firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect people and their property. Other hero’s can be found in literature. These hero’s, also know as an epic hero, exhibit superhuman qualities to help fight and protect others while on their quest. Being a hero means taking on enormous responsibilities. With these responsibilities comes great praise from others which both Beowulf and everyday firefighter receive for their extraordinary work.

This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and the modern day hero. All soldiers that are fighting for my country certainly comes to mind first, when I think about a modern day hero. Both hero’s are fighting for a good cause, get rewarded for what they do, and get treated with much respect. Although a soldier might not withhold unworldly strength as one such as Beowulf, they both are putting their life at stake, which gives them both the title as being a hero.

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

Monsters, their mothers, and dragons! The epic poem Beowulf, author unknown, includes all these mystical creatures and an impervious protagonist after which the poem is named. As the main character in the poem, Beowulf exemplifies the heroic archetype physically, spiritually, and ethically.

Beowulf’s wrath is swift and justified. He plays no games with his opponents. Beowulf even shows respect to his foe and honorably faces them with no undue advantage. A classic example of the honor usually associated with heroes lies in Beowulf’s decision to use neither sword nor armor when facing the monster Grendel in Heorot. Beowulf instead opted, in the name of fair play, to fight the monster on it’s own terms. Unsurprisingly Beowulf conquered his foe in true idolic form, tearing Grendel’s arm from his torso with only the strength of his grip and the power of his arms. This is what we cheer for in such stories, this is the satisfying victory over evil by the true embodiment of good: the hero.

A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.

In the poem, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without weapons and to only use his bare hands. “Behind some broad linden shield: my hands Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (267-269).Using only your hands to battle someone not only shows the bravery of him, but shows super strength because bare hands have a small strength to them unlike swords that have an amazing amount of strength. Beowulf decides to show the other Geats how it is really done. Within the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf uses a sword to defeat her named Naegling. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their the best of all weapons, but so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broken the chain on its hilt, and then savage, now, angry and desperate, lifted it over his head and struck with all the strength head left, caught her in the neck and cut through”(530-539). Naegling is one of the most heaviest swords that needs a lot of power to hoist and obtain its strength. Beowulf used all of his might and God was able to give Beowulf the strength he needed to lift Naegling with its cover and use it against Grendel’s mother. Before even fighting in her lair, Beowulf uses his lung strength to stay underwater for hours while killing the other sea monsters. Normally, people cannot hold their breathe for so many hours underwater. Beowulf used his lungs which takes a lot of effort to hold his breathe and he was able to breathe successfully after he got out of the water once he defeated Grendel’s mother which proves that he has strength not only in his arms, but everywhere else in his

Beowulf has a significant amount of courage and successfully wins the battle with Grendel. Another characteristic Beowulf demonstrates is the act of strength. During the battle with Grendel Beowulf has no weapons but only his bare hands to use. In battle, Grendel weakend, “ he twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bon split And broke.”

When Beowulf fights Grendel, the integrity within him notifies Beowulf he must fight Grendel without the use of weapons. Grendel does not attack Herot with weapons, so Beowulf will not fight with weapons. Beowulf was portrayed as an honest man with very substantial moral

Beowulf must battle Grendel, “he slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and  ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter”(37-40). Beowulf decided that since Grendel used no weapons to kill those men, he would not use weapons when he would fight Grendel. Once Beowulf battles Grendel and then faces another superhuman enemy. His next enemy was Grendel’s mother because she has come back to avenge her son's death. Grendel’s mother who “took a single victim and fled the hall” (411) may not have been as strong as her son but still caused the same kind of pain.

An epic hero is someone who is larger than life. Many epic heros are well known because there stories have been told over and over again for centuries. Epic heroes like Odysseus, Achilles, and Perseus all demonstrate the characteristics of a very powerful person who goes against all odds in order to complete their goal. Beowulf is one of these epic heros. Written by the Beowulf Poet, the story of Beowulf portrays a man who comes to a foreign land in order to save a kingdom. Beowulf is an epic hero because he is devoted and loyal to his kingdom and King, he shows that he fights for justice when evil threatens good, and shows bravery by fighting in battles that may not end happily.

The epic poem Beowulf is a story of heroes and monsters, good and evil. The poem tells about the accomplishments and deeds of a legendary Geatish hero who first rids the Danish kingdom of Hrothgar of two demonic monsters: Grendel and Grendel's mother. Later in the story, Beowulf meets a dragon, kills it with the help of Wiglaf, but dies of wounds.