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Heroes In Beowulf

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Philip Zimbardo, a psychology professor at Stanford University, once said, “I’m saying to be a hero means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes are always making a sacrifice. Heroes always take risks. Heroes are always deviant. Heroes always doing something that most people don’t and we want to change…” This hero concept is prominently displayed in the epic poem, Beowulf. This narrative, which was translated by Burton Raffel, is an old Viking tale of a warrior by the name of Beowulf. Originally recorded by a Christian monk, the epic poem recounts many of Beowulf’s accomplishments to prove that he truly is a hero. His character, defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother, and defeating a dragon are some of those …show more content…

The first monster, whose name is Grendel, is described by the Christian scribe as, “Conceived by a pair of those monsters born/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/By God...” (104-106). Grendel had been murdering the Danes during the night in their mead hall, called Herot. Beowulf goes to vanquish Grendel, and while fighting, Beowulf chooses to exemplify his bravery by choosing to fight without assistance; “But Hicglac’s follower remembered his final/Boast and, standing erect, stopped/The monster’s flight, fastened those claws/In his fists till they cracked…”(758-761). Edgetho’s son had fought the villain with bravery and integrity, since he’d used only his bare hands in combat with the weaponless creature; those are qualities a true hero possesses. However, the battle does not end with Grendel. Instead, Grendel’s mother goes to seek vengeance by killing another Viking warrior. Beowulf, in turn, goes to home of the monsters to battle the Mother. The great warrior delivered a speech before he dove, as written in the narrative,“He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s/Answer; the heaving water covered him/Over. For Hours he sank through the waves;/At last he saw the mud of the bottom”(1493-1496). The follower of Hicglac had ventured into the unknown to vanquish the terrorizer of the Danes, and succeeded in doing so. Battling the two monsters proves that Beowulf is a hero because of the bravery he displays, when fighting unarmed and by venturing into the unknown.

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