The Epic Of Beowulf As An Epic Hero

In Western culture, mere mention of the name “Camelot” is often enough to inspire images of courtly romance, grandeur, and valiant knights. In fact, the kingdom is nearly as legendary as the hero who ruled it, Arthur Pendragon. Regardless of whether he exists as a historical or mythical figure, Arthur continues to appear as a symbol of heroism in Western tradition through his roles as king and warrior. When modern culture searches for the qualities of a great fighter, it finds them in Arthur’s strength and his bravery. When it looks for the makings of a true leader, it need not look further than Arthur’s accomplishments: his founding of the Round Table Knights, his victory over the Saxons, and finally his unification of Britain. In

In Thomas Mallory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur”, King Arthur is presented as a complex character with many strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, King Arthur is seen as a great and courageous man, often referred to as the prime example of chivalry. On the other hand, King Arthur is known to get himself in trouble for less than chivalrous reasons. Although he can sometimes forget the consequences and succumb to his anger, the good outweighs the bad and he is still remembered as a great, wise warrior and king!

Ironman, Spider-man, and Batman are all extraordinary people who are deemed heroes. Everyday heroes like firefighters or police officers, and fictional heroes such as the ones listed before are illustrated as invincible and a moral example for individuals. However, neither of those characteristics apply to an epic hero. An epic hero is flawed, and because an epic hero possess this quality it is the reason why a person would relate more to him and connect with the written work rather than a superhero. An elementary example of an epic hero, is Odysseus the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey because he goes above and beyond the call of bravery and courage of any normal human being to give sanctuary to his men while trying to get home. The Odyssey divulges the journey home Odysseus must make after fighting in the Trojan War; Little does he know that his own hubris will cause this short trip from Troy to Ithaca, to prolong into a twenty year voyage. The characteristics he manifest while facing adversities, his guile, and his tenacious desire to get home to his family is what makes him an epic hero in literature.

A comparison of Homer’s Achilles and Virgil’s Aeneas brings up the question concerning what makes someone an epic hero. Although each poet lived in a dramatically different time period, with different literary integrity, Homer and Virgil each portray an epic hero using different development of the characters, but similar themes and influences. Achilles and Aeneas demonstrate that an epic hero will do whatever it takes to fulfill their duties while simultaneously displaying the difference between Greek and Roman Society. The question will be answered by first, analyzing the individual characteristics of Achilles, a merciless warrior, and Aeneas, a civilized leader, then

During the years that King Arthur ruled over England, his reign is always remembered as a time of peace, a golden age, a great era, and a glorious time. However, this all comes to a halt, when two of Arthur’s most noble knights bring an affair into the open, causing his round table and kingdom to fall and bringing Arthur to his death. Written by Sir Thomas Malory in the latter half of the 15th century, books 20 and 21 of Morte D’Arthur (Death of Arthur) describe how over time, the tragic hero, King Arthur slowly loses control over his kingdom due to his ignorance, leading to a few errors in judgement that inevitably lead him to his own demise and to the passing of the great era that was the reign of the legendary King Arthur. King Arthur is a tragic hero due to his ignorance, overly trusting manner, and the careless mistakes that he makes during his time as king.

In the tale of the virtuous King Arthur, Arthur signifies the embodiment of a character that is adroit in all aspects of his nature. This characteristic is recognized throughout the entire tale and is shown within the text. A portrayal of King Arthur’s adroitness within his judgements and understanding can be depicted from the quote, “He met arrogance with self-confidence and pride, yet treated the weak and poor with sympathy and understanding,” Through this, his intellectual ability is emphasized and we come to know of his knowledgeable attitude towards his fellow citizens. King Arthur demonstrates his exceptional acumen when he states, “If it is treasure or land he wants, I will appease his anger. If his hatred is implacable, I will fight

A Courageous Leader Character, it defines nearly every aspect of people’s lives; it creates peoples image, something wealth and fame cannot ultimately improve. Books and short stories provide examples of people with different traits and then places them into scenarios to show the results of these attributes. King Arthur and His Knights functions as one of the stories that provides many different personalities; a major trait portrayed in this story is the king’s courage. While conquering numerus foes, this leadership quality of courage assists Arthur in many challenges throughout the story but also places him into unnecessary danger. This type of story likewise provides polar opposite characters for good and bad.

Nevertheless, even if Arthur is fictional, he is still important to our culture because he is what David Day calls a “necessary hero” (Day). Arthur brings hope to every culture and civilization; especially the British, who he provided hope for in the sight of extinction from the Saxons, and according to David Day “the very real symbol of the unconquerable spirit of the British race” (Day).

King Arthur’s role within these stories is of the distant king; in fact, he bares no heroic traits within this set up unlike later stories. The Mabinogion Arthur appears surrounded by satin and cushions, eating food, lounging about in a rather unheroic and unkingly manner. This is not necessarily a negative portrayal, nor does it depict Arthur as the villain in these works, but when compared to the modern view of Arthur it can be found lacking. The Mabinogi stories place Arthur as a king, not a gallant knight, and treat him accordingly; kings can be distant, and absorbed, and greedy, and often are not on the levels of the common people who were ought to spread oral traditions. While Arthur was a warrior-king in several tales, the Mabinogi Arthur bears no trace of anything of the

King Arthur was one of Britain’s and Wale’s most influential literary figures from the early 800’s. Through the ages more caught on to these Arthurian Legends, and they began to embrace them as part of their culture. Some believe that he is only a legend, yet others believe that there is even an Arthur living among us today. While growing up, Arthur was oblivious to his heritage. From becoming a King at the age of 16, Arthur showed courage and strength in the darkest of times. This is why King Arthur, a mythological legend, was a brave warrior and man at heart whose betrayal and death influenced today’s society through literature, art, and even on screen productions.

King Arthur is a figure surrounded by an aura of myth and mystery. His name evokes visions of knights and gallantry in a bygone era of chivalry and magic. Clear the mist around the myth, however, and the character revealed is a man with flaws like any other. He is human as well as heroic. Arthur has assembled the greatest court of knights in British history, but his own condition and relation to those knights leads to the downfall of his court. Although Arthur and his court are held in highest esteem, time and again he is put into positions where the reader must question just how noble things are in Camelot.

Many know of the epic hero Arthur, but don’t know what it is that makes him so. Though there isn’t one solid story, like Beowulf, there are multiple stories that agree on the same things, such as Arthur’s allegiance to the Knights of the Round table, his companion Merlin, his relationships with his fellow knights, family, and close friends, and the legendary sword Excalibur. When all aforementioned qualities are explained and put together, it can truthfully define Arthur as an epic hero.

Sir Thomas Malory took on the legend of Arthur with the purpose of discussing it and in order to have readers gain a more complex understanding of the legendary king and other characters in the story. Heroes like Arthur, Lancelot, and Galahad are focused on achieving personal glory and are unhesitant about embarking on adventurous journeys with the purpose of being successful. These characters experience a series of tests that are intriguing and comical at the same time and eventually come to consider that their personal identities are the result of the events that they go through, taking into account that they emerge with a different understanding of the world as they progress.

In many ways, the legacy and legend of King Arthur is in alignment with that of the myriad heroes that came before him in ancient times. These heroes include the likes of Achilles, Gilgamesh, and Beowulf. However, principally due to the fact that King Arthur and his exploits are decidedly more modern than those of the aforementioned heroes, there are certain points of variance between his characterization and deeds and those of the figures that existed in ancient times. Therefore, it is accurate to say that Arthur retained many of the qualities endemic to heroes that preceded him, although he demonstrated these qualities in circumstances that were significantly different than that of the heroes of epic poems.

Arthur, through his bravery, dedication andcommitment, has earned himself legendary status. I have often asked myself whypeople still remember such heroes and adore them. Through my research, I foundthe answer to my question. Firstly, because victors of great battles are alwaysremembered and secondly, people long for inspirational leadership, leadership thatwill raise their national pride, their work ethics or more generally, would makethem feel important, appreciated and as an irreplaceable part of something biggerthan themselves. This is exactly what Arthur achieved. He made peopleunderstand that a leader is nothing without his people as well as that the peopleare nothing without their leader. Inspiring people solely through words just doesnot suffice. Courage, cooperation, determination, bravery, optimism, and honestyare the things that people will cherish and admire in a hero. Arthur stands as animage of an ideal hero and human being who, like a messianic figure, willinglyfaces danger, defeats evil, forgives injustice and helps people in their darkest hour.Consequently, he perfectly fits the warrior archetype.Warriors live by a personal code that prioritizes self-sacrificialservice. They defend the weak while exercising personal restraint.They are honest about their own limitations, magnanimous towardsdefeated foes and humble about their own contribution andachievements … Warriors