Examples Of Heroism In Beowulf

Beowulf is an epic poem you can relate to life today. He was like any other hero very brave, loyal and a really great leader. His followers looked up to him and obeyed him. Beowulf also had a few enemies, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing anything to keep his people save from the monsters. In this poem you would see several ways that shows Beowulf being a great hero.

The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an Anglo Saxon hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters many monsters and horrible beasts, but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills are outstanding and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for glory which to him meant eternal life.

When most people do something heroic it’s usually for a certain reason. Everyone has motivations by just about every single thing they do. Some people choose to do heroic things like become a firefighter for example these men and women choose to do this is by volunteering they could get killed it’s very dangerous and they still choose to be in the line of fire literally for some reason or another. When they choose to do something heroic like this they usually have some sort of one or even various different reasons for it. Beowulf is an epic hero himself he goes to the land of the Danes and basically kills a monster named Grendel for them without any reason behind why he actually went. Some people may say well Beowulf is just a hero and that’s what he’s supposed to do without and real reasoning behind it. Although if you read the epic for each monster Beowulf fights there is a motivation behind it. For each different monster there is a different motivation behind Beowulf fighting first is Grendel, next is Grendel’s mother and finally the dragon.

In the beginning of the book Beowulf is described as the greatest hero of the world. Beowulf comes to hear about the destruction Grendel has caused and travels to the land of the Danes to try and help Hrothgar defeat Grendel. He brought to sea with him 14 brave warriors and voyaged to Hrothgar’s kingdom. As they exit the boat the mounted guard asks what Beowulf and his warriors are doing, Beowulf responds in a long message about what they are doing there and who they are going to save. The mounted guard responds “I believe your words, I trust in your friendship. Go forward, weapons and armor and all, on into Denmark. I’ll guide you myself and my men will guard your ship, keep it safe here on our shores” (Raffel 15). Beowulf gives off the feeling to people that do not even know him that he is a great hero and that he can be trusted.

The world as it is depicted in Beowulf is home to many aspects of society that are at odds with behaviors acceptable in modern culture, but perhaps shares a startling number of similarities as well. As part of the Anglo-Saxon society, the concept of loyalty is imbued into the seams of the civilization, and allegiance can be found split between lords and kin. Tales concerning themselves with eternal human problems are not few and far between in Beowulf—given that it is an epic poem—and antithesis governs the flow of the narrative. In the midst of the battles raging between evil and good, heroes and villains, mourning and glory, and victory and defeat, death is omnipresent, constantly looming and prompting men to drift towards their swords. This is a society in which chances for a clean slate—a tabula rasa—are minimal, and every action is chiseled in stone, forever etched into eternity. During a time period when very little is certain, the only guarantee of being remembered, of having your name go down stamped with your identity, is through heroism and action. Boasting is a means through which one can build a reputation for himself, planting his name into his opponents’ heads and setting a foundation for success. It remains a skill to be used prudently, though, as overstating and misrepresenting one’s abilities has the great potential to yield adverse repercussions.

“Beowulf” is an epic poem that exemplifies the true meaning of being a hero by using the

If anyone tries to take away that status from him, then there are either issues in their head, or they haven’t read the book. When Beowulf walks through the city streets, the act is still more impressive and heroic than everything heroic about our modern age. Beowulf is the pinnacle of heroism and he exerts heroism from every part of his body. But if there were to be a defense for how heroic he was, I would use this point: how many of you contain the power of 30 men in each of your arms, fought off a demonic, frightening, foul beast, and then killed her son? Also, how many of you have fought off a dragon when you were in your fifties? The fact that he retained his honor and pride in his late age when he fought the dragon and ultimately died is incredible. Other heroes hope to one day be even somewhat as heroic as Beowulf once

Why is it that we fantasize about hero's? As kids we didn't only want to meet then, we wanted to be them. We didnt understand what it really meant to be brave, corurages, and what it meant to serve justice. Many famous heros that we have come to know have a to known that have good qualties are like Captain America who serves justice, and even spider-man , they both have valor and justice.The story of the great Beowulf is one that was written by an unknown sorce. It is an epic poem from the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf is considered a Anglo-Saxon hero because of how much Valor, unselfiness, and sense of justice that he shows toward his king. Which is why Beowulf is Considered a hero.

In old English poem Beowulf, story and protagonists are put in a world where deeds and main values in life revolve around heroic code. Best example of a hero is protagonist Beowulf. Throughout the work main hero undergoes a change. In the same way his virtues and deeds change by the end of a story. All that molds protagonist of this poem in true hero, plucky, selfless and in the end sagacious ruler of his country.

What is a hero? What do they stand for or what do they even need to do to be considered a hero? Over the years different people have been called hero’s even if they weren't, although there is one so called hero that can really be explained as a true hero. This man is named Beowulf.

There are several of these basic values that we expect of our superheroes: Courage, valor, honor, and selflessness, to name a few. For his courage and valor, Beowulf is described by the narrator as “The man whose name was known for courage...” (l. 340), and his actions certainly confirm this evaluation of his character; from volunteering to fight Grendel as a favor to diving to the depths of the mire to fight Grendel's mother and even going out to fight a great dragon after having “...ruled [Geatland] well for fifty winters....” As to honor, Beowulf is certainly a model warrior. For instance, even when fighting the monstrous Grendel, he renounces the use of weapons, saying "He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play..." (ll. 680-81).

Theme: Heroism is the theme in the story Beowulf because in the book,Beowulf goes to Hrothgar place to fight Grendel because he came there and killed one of their man. In the story he goes to all these different settings to fight for the Herot people and kill Grendel, Grendel's’ mother, and the dragon who all was causing harm. This story-poem revolves around 3 battles. Beowulf battle with Grendel, Beowulf battle with Grendel’s Mom, and Beowulf battle with The Dragon.

Although boasting and bravery are strong qualities, you also need to have a little bit of a warm heart to be a hero. Beowulf is selfless, a important word to signify that he would do anything to protect others. The first quote to show of Beowulf’s selflessness is, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting Flames, stand till fate decides Which of us wins.” (638-639). This means that Beowulf is standing his ground until fate takes its course, which is selfless because he is giving his life up if that is what fate decides in order to rid of the dragon. Another notable text from the book is, “A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel. Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dance doubted the Victory.” (404-408). It can clearly be inferred that the people of the land were in ‘grief’, ‘sorrow’ and were ‘suffering’ because of Grendel. But, because Beowulf defeated him that grief and sorrow has been eased. Beowulf wants fame and fortune, but to also help the people who need it.

Looking back at early forms of literature we notice the classic idea of heroism in Beowulf. As time passes by the notion of a hero changes. Consciousness in early literature such as, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, does not enter the innermost thoughts. The notion of a hero and the notion of consciousness changes within literature through time. In the novel, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen the hero is portrayed differently compared to earlier texts as well as the characters being aware of one’s environment. The author Jane Austen, carefully shapes her characters’ actions, feelings and affiliations in a specific way. In Sense and Sensibility we have a clearer picture of the consciousness of characters than what we see in Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

The epic poem Beowulf, is an Angelo Saxon tale that represents heroism and strength. This poem was written be an unknown poet between around 1000 A.D and showcases the heroic character named Beowulf who comes to save the land of Danes from the beast Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel and then faces his mother the evil monster who is killed as well and is viewed by all the people of Dane as a hero who can never be beaten. An evil Dragon comes and Beowulf is able to kill the Dragon but sacrifices his own life as he is killed by the Dragon’s poison. Beowulf is about more than heroism this epic poem shows true English narration, represents Angelo-Saxon religion, and depicts women’s roles in Anglo-Saxon society