Is Beowulf A Successful Hero Or King

Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.

Countless people have tried to say that Beowulf represents the qualities required of an epic hero, but many people also suggest that Beowulf does not show any of these qualities. While Beowulf shows heroic characteristics in all of his acts, both pride and greed motivate his actions. The story of Beowulf contains all of the information needed to show this, but people do not notice that which they do not want to see.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf touches on the vice of pride, and is instilled in the main character, Beowulf, the great and mighty warrior. His boasting and arrogance when first dropping anchor at Heorot transitions throughout the poem, and, in contrast with his ideal kingsmanship, motivates him to accomplish and overcome the many challenges he faces as an epic hero. The contrast of his absent humility in the rise and fall of the story help promote the progression of the story, through its different purposes. Beowulf, when first landing upon Hrothgar’s kingdom, boasts, which does not go unchallenged, so that he might gain the trust of the Danes, but when knowingly facing his last battle, uses bragging to comfort and brace himself for his ultimate demise.

When Beowulf is helping Hrothgar get his vengeance, he attacks Grendel, “saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws, Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at his hands.” (Beowulf, page 36). Beowulf fights Grendel with his hands because he promised Hrothgar that he would help him obtain his vengeance. Beowulf gets his fame, wealth and glory for his victory over Grendel which was achievable through Hrothgar’s desire for vengeance against the monster. After the battle with Grendel, Hrothgar spoke to Beowulf, “Glory is now yours, Forever and ever; your courage has earned it, And your strength.” (Beowulf, page 42). Hrothgar praises Beowulf for granting his desire of vengeance on Grendel and awards him. He tells Beowulf that he has earned glory and wealth by helping him in destroying Grendel.

After the first victory, Beowulf’s “comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives” (Loughman). Beowulf becomes a role model not only for his thanes, but for the Danes of Heorot as well. Following defeat of Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar gives a sermon before the celebration honoring Beowulf begins. Hrothgar says “Beowulf, my friend, your fame has gone far and wide, you are known everywhere….forever you will be your people’s mainstay and your own warriors’ helping hand” (McArthur). King Hrothgar informs Beowulf of his significance to the Danes and how he serves as the backbone of his group of warriors.

Hrothgar’s courage and strength diminishes as he moves out of Heorot into huts sitting outside his grand hall. He no longer feels like the king he once was because he cannot protect his kingdom. Even Hrothgar’s men lose their courage and faith that Beowulf will triumph over Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s Mother, the Danes retreat in fear:

Beowulf is considered a hero in many ways because he goes through many problems and overcomes many of them. Beowulf puts his life on the line countless times to protect the lives of others and doesn’t really get a reward for it. He is what many believe any kind of warrior or great leader should strive to be. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he stood and faced all his odds head on, puts his life on the line to protect his people, and he displays selfless service for his people. Even though he boasts often he can back it up.

When Beowulf is helping Hrothgar get his vengeance, he attacks Grendel, “saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws, Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at his hands.” (Beowulf, page 36). Beowulf fights Grendel with his hands because he promised Hrothgar that he would help him obtain his vengeance. Beowulf get his fame, wealth and glory for his victory over Grendel which was achievable through Hrothgar’s desire for vengeance against the monster. After the battle with Grendel, Hrothgar spoke to Beowulf, “Glory is now yours, Forever and ever; your courage has earned it, And your strength.” (Beowulf, page 42). Hrothgar praises Beowulf for granting his desire of vengeance on Grendel and awards him. He tells Beowulf that he has earned glory and wealth by helping him in destroying Grendel.

Beowulf succeeds at not failing his people, evenly when as an elderly man, he goes ahead without a second thought to fight mythical dragon. He does what he knows he should do. This is similar to Hamlet in the last demonstration of Shakespeare's play, who is at last prepared to vindicate the demise of his dad. Like Hamlet, Beowulf is dedicated for his part of his role designated for him. He stands up to his fate, his destiny, without recoiling. Doing this, he makes himself a ideal for the Geats in a vanished brave society as well for the present day peruser as well.Beowulf succeeds at not failing his people, evenly when as an elderly man, he goes ahead without a second thought to fight mythical dragon. He does what he knows he should do. This

A powerful monster-Grendel was at Hrothgar's gates when Beowulf slayed him in a fierce battle. " Living his life-days, his Lord may face, And find defence in his Father’s embrace!" (Lines 73-4 in Section III) This quote represents Beowulf's sense of duty as well as his

While the values of the warrior become clear in Beowulf’s example throughout the poem, only in the poem’s more educational moments are the responsibilities of a king to his people discussed. The heroic code requires that a king reward the loyal service of his warriors with gifts and praise. It also holds that he must provide them with protection and a nice home. Hrothgar’s speeches, emphasize the value of creating stability in a chaotic world. He also talks a lot about the king’s role, both with his own warriors and with other

In this thrilling and heroic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf shows characteristics of a noble warrior who takes on different journeys against monsters, so as to be crowned as the undisputed warrior and bring home prestige for his fellow clan members and king. Beowulf first task on his path to gain glory is to defeat the relentless demon Grendel, who haunts Heorot for twelve long winters. If he wins this battle, he does not only gain glory and respect for himself, but also for his king and clan. He exhibits all the great qualities of a person and has a lot of esteem and admiration for his king Hygelac. One of the ways we can show Beowulf’s loyalty to Hygelac is when Beowulf explains to Hrothgar how he was going to fight Grendel “I

The king of Danes, Hrothgar, was first introduced as an accomplished and wise king. He comes to be well known as a young king when he protected Beowulf's now departed father, Ecgtheow. Hrothgar wergild peace with Ecgtheow's enemies so that the bloody feud would end. With Hrothgar doing this generous deed to help Ecgtheow and his kingdom out Beowulf devotes his assistance in the beginning of the poem. One thing that makes Hrothgar a good king is that he always seems to stay true to his word, as is told at the beginning, “the king kept well his pledge and promise to deal out gifts, rings at the banquet” (53-55). It was clear that Hrothgar was an exceptional military leader with his bravery and strength but he is aged now and cannot fight the same as he used to. The Danes are then faced with an evil and wicked monster, Grendel, who terrorizes his realm. Beowulf asks Hrothgar if he could fight this battle for him to pay back his family debt and Hrothgar agreed. Hrothgar makes a promise to reward Beowulf if he succeeds in killing the monster Grendel. He says, “For his gallant courage I’ll load him with gifts…. shall know not want of treasure or wealth

In the story Beowulf, noble warriors and kings proved their worth by dying for those they love. Beowulf, king of the Geats, and Jesus, king of the Jews both understood the importance of sacrificing their lives for their people. Traits that define a good king include always keeping your people as your top priority by promising to do whatever it takes to protect them and demonstrating that you are mortal, by being willing to fight and die alongside your people. Beowulf was a very loyal and brave king who always looked out for the good of his people, just as Jesus did for the Jews. Beowulf can be portrayed as a good king because he always put his people first, and even though the results of some situations did not turn out in the favor of the people, he had good intentions.

The classic poem Beowulf presents the concept of the perfect king/leader/ruler. This is presented in two modes: the ideal Germanic king and the ideal Christian king.