Is Beowulf a hero?
It is vital when approaching the question of whether or not Beowulf can be viewed as a hero to attempt to understand the concept of a hero'. Joseph Campbell, the American theorist, studied mythological characters and texts in great detail and developed the concept of the monomyth (or Hero's Journey) which he suggested all heroes undertook:
"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow men."
If we are to take this statement as being accurate it is fair to say that at least in so far as what actually occurs in
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Shortly before his contest with Grendel's mother we are told he is indifferent to death' a point which is exemplified when prior to the fight he sets out his wishes to Hrothgar for what should be done should he perish. He is not arrogant enough to assume victory is assured and yet he is also courageous enough to not fear the possibility of defeat.
In Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf we constantly see him referring to the great Geat as a hero. For instance the hero arose' and hero's helmet' are but two of the references made. Although it is a hugely contentious issue, if we are to assume that Heaney is attempting, if only on the point of calling Beowulf a hero within the actual translated text, to give as direct a translation as is possible then it would seem apparent that the original author was making no secret of the fact he wanted him to be seen in this way too.
There have been many criticisms of the character of Beowulf that highlight certain traits which could point away from the notion of him being a hero. One such idea is that he fought the monsters chiefly for personal reasons:
Beowulf steadily shifts from a primarily defensive role to an aggressive one, motivated to varying degrees in each of his battles by thoughts of glory, vengeance and treasure'
It is particularly the stance that Beowulf was motivated by thoughts of glory that I believe endangers the belief that he was a hero.
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.
Beowulf's defeats of Grendel and Grendel's mother establish him as a hero because he did it to save his people, rather than for his own glory. Beowulf is brought from his homeland to Heorot as an aegis for Hrothgar's people. This illustrates the point that he was willing to put himself at risk because he fought the monster with his bare hands and put himself in peril just for the sake of saving
The hero is an age-old concept that describes someone that will defend their honor to the end. In Beowulf, the author portrays the warrior Beowulf and his three battles in such a way as to clearly define what it means to be a hero. Fred Robinson and J. R. R. Tolkien addressed heroism in Beowulf regarding the warrior’s traits, as well as his battles and burial. The author of Beowulf defines the hero through Beowulf’s three battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. In this poem, each monster possesses a specific quality undesired by heroes. Beowulf battles anger/jealousy, vengeance, and greed/selfishness for the good of his Geat nation. As Beowulf fends off these anti-hero traits, he becomes capable of being a great leader of
Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.
The storyline of Beowulf illustrates the epic battle between good and evil, and demonstrates to the readers that external war is not the only conflict hero’s face. Beowulf struggles a lot with his pride. Beowulf’s biggest internal battle was experienced when he was preparing to fight the dragon. He decided to go into battle, ignoring the fact that he had aged, but his pride, and warrior code wouldn’t let him run. What makes matters worse, he decided to go into the battle alone. His hero pride overcame the actions a normal king would’ve taken. The hero ideology at the time was strictly against a warrior running from a battle, and if Beowulf had done so, he would’ve been persecuted by society, as well as his own conscience.
As Beowulf lies at rest, the question must be asked. Was he a true hero? Wanting only to help the towns people and keep them safe? Or just a mighty man wanting to be king, loathed in fame and riches? That is something that may always stay
A hero is defined as “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character,” says dictionary.com. During the whole book Beowulf is saving the Geats, aiding Hrothgar, killing creatures and saving his people. He shows his heroism through his bravery and acts of courage; but he is also being assisted through fate and God. From killing Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon he knows that he is doing great things for all of the people in his kingdoms.
The debate over whether or not Beowulf is a hero can be taken many ways. My thoughts are that Beowulf is a true hero. Beowulf always shows characteristics of being a hero, he is seen as a leader to his people and never backs down from a challenge or the opportunity to further his legacy. Beowulf was always revered as a great warrior and ruler to his people. He would travel great distances to help other people and to fight off legendary beasts like Grendel, also Beowulf would travel to unknown landsand to the deepest depths of the ocean to battle great beasts that wreaked havoc to villages and kingdoms throughout the known world at that time.Beowulf displayed a great show of bravery and loyalty to protect people when
TImes will always changed. People will grow old and new ones will be born. Since the time around medieval days, time has definitely changed. A hero is not all about getting revenge or killing the bad guy. Today in modern days, you make yourself a hero in others people eyes. It doesn't have to be in the in the worlds eyes to get recognized either. Comparing from both time periods, during Beowulf's time, the wanted to be well know. They wanted to die knowing that everyone knew them for their heroic acts. Modern day, like today, anyone can be considered a hero and they don't necessarily have to be published or put on tv just to know they did something heroic. They die knowing that they
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.
It takes a lot to be a hero, and characters are sometimes credited with that title when they do not deserve it. They only did the things they did for selfish reasons like getting the girl of their dreams or to gain glory and immortality. Beowulf and the archetypal knight are not actual heroes. Heroes are known for their bravery and courage. They are willing to do the impossible to rescue the people in need, but not all heroes have the same reason for why they do it.
Beowulf essay Why is beowulf a hero? He is a hero because he protects people from monsters and dragons. He will fight without weapons or with weapons. Some of the monsters he can’t fight with weapons. Beowulf is the strongest among men.
What is a hero? As a society we have many ideals of them and with the recent events, whether they are real, War on Terror, The persecution of our emergency responders, the upcoming political races; or are simply all the new superhero movies coming out, the definition of a hero is somewhat vague. Looking at Beowulf, however and comparing him to Captain America, a revisit of an old comic book, we can see that though times have changed, our idea of the “prefect hero”, which these stories seem to describe to us remain largely unchanged. In the opening part of Beowulf, ”a fiend of hell, began to do evil.
Imagine that you are the hero of a village. You are the person that everyone looks up to- you have all the fame and fortune you could possibly want. But, this doesn’t just come to you on a silver platter. There are risks to take, challenges to overcome, and lives to be put at stake. You must defeat creatures of all sizes and strengths to gain this honorary title. This is Beowulf’s reality as he must conquer unbelievable tasks that nobody else would dare to face. Because of this, Beowulf is recognized as a boasting person, brave, and selfless; and rightfully so.
People see him as a hero before he ever does anything heroic. Beowulf in Grendel is no hero regardless of the outcome of his actions, for they stand with all the wrong intentions behind them.