Who Is Beowulf A Good King

Beowulf accomplished what may be the most difficult of all challenges in today’s times, he was able to aid other countries in times of need and respectfully communicate with them as well. After hearing word of Grendel’s attack, Beowulf decided to sail to Denmark and help defend Hrothgar’s people. In doing so, Hrothgar praised Beowulf and vowed to him that there was to always be an alliance between the Geats and the Danes from that day, forward. Beowulf was also idolized for the great amount of riches he brought to his people. After defeating Grendel, Hrothgar indulged Beowulf in a tremendous amount of riches. Instead of keeping the generous reward for himself, he took the riches home and gave them over to his king, Higlac, in hopes that the gifts would benefit his people. Beowulf was designated the king of the Geats for 50 winters, and always went to great lengths to protect his people. When dangerous situations arose, he stepped up to the plate and defended his people, no matter what the cost. In his old age, Beowulf made the ultimate sacrifice. He battled the dragon, and eventually met face-to-face with death. As a leader, Beowulf sacrificed his life in protection of his people; his heroic sacrifice is the ultimate demonstration of how an epic hero defends their people and serves as a positive influence in their culture.

When people think of a successful king, they often associate them with the hero. However, many fail to notice that no one could own both the title king and the hero at the same time; they need to give up either one of the titles to become a truly successful hero or king. In the famous epic poem, Beowulf, despite Hrothgar rules Danes, another hero, Beowulf, shows up to solve Danes’ problem while the true Danes king sits on his throne and simply gives all honor and credit to Beowulf. To become a truly successful leader, one must know to put down his honor and fame for his people’s safety. Furthermore, a ruler who cares about his people in every aspect fits the title king, not a person who goes off on a quest to defeat the villain for his own

According to Richard Schrader, “God sent the young man[Beowulf] to prevent a recurrence and gave him glory which spread widely.” (Schrader, 493). Everything that a knight does is for the glory of his land, people and most of all for God. English Literature tries to convey that if a person acts within their duties and perform righteous acts, then he will be blessed. And even as Beowulf becomes a king, these attributes are not lost to him. He displays honor and valor as the lord of his own realm. His subjects follow him because of this and honors his image (Beowulf, 101). And as a hero, these qualities must follow him always.

Another heroic trait of Beowulf is his ability to put his people's welfare before his own. Beowulf's uncle is king of the Geats so he is sent to help kill Grendel. His actions toward Grendel show that he is willing to help others. In an epic it is usually found that the hero often determines the fate of a nation or group of people. He uses his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. Beowulf has definitely helped the Danes and his own people the Geats in their victory over evil by killing Grendel, his mom, and the dragon. Beowulf risks his own life for the Danes, asking help from no one. He realizes the dangers but fears nothing for his own life and cares only for the people. After Beowulf had served his people as King of the Geats for fifty years, he goes to battle one last time to fight a dragon that is

Every epic hero acquires certain heroic characteristics. The poem, “Beowulf, is about the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon period. Beowulf is a warrior from Geatland that comes to help Hrothgar, the king of Danes, defeat the monster Grendel who has been killing men in their kingdom. Beowulf defeats the unstoppable beast, Grendel. Then Grendel’s mother comes to try to avenge Grendel’s death, and Beowulf slaughters her in her underwater lair. After 50 peaceful years of ruling the Geats, Beowulf in his old age fights his last battle with a dragon. He defeats the dragon, with help from Wiglaf, but dies as a result. The main character, Beowulf exemplifies many characteristics that an epic hero possesses. Beowulf’s characteristics include

Starting as a warrior and later becoming the king, Beowulf left behind a legacy. Beowulf portrays many traits of a hero. According to the Beowulf History Channel documentary, implies that he was a “superhuman” (History Doc.). Beowulf was known as “the strongest of the Geats” (Beowulf 195). According to the epic Beowulf, Beowulf was “stronger than anyone anywhere”(194). He was like no other anywhere else. Beowulf was not scared of battle, and felt like the best way to die was in battle.Beowulf was fearless. He voluntarily put himself in danger in order to protect his people and friends. Beowulf sailed across the sea to Denmark “in friendship” to

Beowulf demonstrates characteristics of a king because he is fearless. He isn’t just strong and dreamy like the average king we see on television, he is extremely courageous. For example, Beowulf traveled the sea to ask Hrothgar permission to battle Grendel. After his victory with Grendel, Grendel’s mother seeks revenge for her son so she targets one of Hrothgar’s closest friends. Hrothgar asks Beowulf to kill Grendel’s mother. Beowulf

     Beowulf’s high self-regard acts as a promise to his people. It is a promise saying that he will provide for them and he can keep his country in order and away from harm. Because

Beowulf first task on his path to gain glory is to defeat the merciless monster 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 have heard moreover that

Beowulf’s responsibility differs from a warrior to a king. As a young fighter he has responsibility to his Geatish king as well as to Hrothgar. His king, Hyglac, relies on Beowulf to represent him and

Generally when we think of kings, we think of the noble king who helps save the kingdom or princess. There are many times in the course of history where there have been examples of good kings, but there have been examples of bad kings as well. So what characteristics make a good king? Bravery, courage, wisdom and strength are some of the many qualities that make for an excellent king.

Throughout Beowulf’s life, Beowulf protects his kinships and nurtures his kinsman. Defeating Grendel without the use of swords and shields greatly increased Beowulf’s fame and reputation as a warrior, far and wide across the world. Hrothgar was fairly impressed by Beowulf’s strength, matured mind, and strong speech. Beowulf’s potential to be a king is first revealed in the poem when Hrothgar as a king advices Beowulf, “If it should come to pass / that Hrethel’s descendant dies beneath a spear, / if deadly battle or the sword blade or disease / fells the prince who guards your people/ and you are still alive, then I firmly believe / the seafaring Geats won’t find a man /worthier of acclaim as their king and defender / than you, if only you would undertake the lordship of your homeland”.

Beowulf demonstrates his loyalty toward his troops and his superiors time and time again throughout the poem. The first time this virtue is demonstrated in the story is when Beowulf shows eagerness to help Hrothgar and the Danes defeat Grendel. Aside from his desire to get rich and famous, Beowulf feels indebted to Hrothgar because he assisted Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow, a long time ago (470). He feels as though he owes Hrothgar his service after what Hrothgar did for his father during a feud. Beowulf also shows loyalty to his king and his homeland by returning home to Geatland after his victory in Denmark. He eventually becomes king of the Geats after Hygelac dies (2370). In this way, he fulfills his loyalty to the king and to his people.

Throughout the entirety of Beowulf, Beowulf goes from being a young, nimble warrior to being a hardened and respected King of his own kingdom. When Beowulf was younger in the first part of Beowulf he was sort of cocky in a way. He knew that he would always defeat whatever he was to be up against without any hesitation. He knew this because he would pray to God for guidance before every fight. At this point in Beowulf’s life, he was not noble in the sense of character. It was not until Beowulf grew older until he realized the hardships of living during the Anglo-Saxon era. Beowulf recognizes these hardships in the wake of the time jump of fifty years: “A lot was to happen in later days in the fury of battle. Hygelac fell and the shelter of Heardred’s shield proved useless against the fierce aggression of the Shylfings: ruthless swordsmen, seasoned campaigners, they came against him and his conquering nation, and with cruel force cut him down so that afterwards the wide kingdom reverted to Beowulf. He ruled it well for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land--,” (Beowulf, 77). During these fifty winters Beowulf sees the fall of a kingdom, and he rises in order to become the king of the very same kingdom that fell. Even now, Beowulf must defeat a dragon that has awoken near his kingdom. Going into the battle, Beowulf knows that he will not come out alive. Beowulf sacrifices himself in order to

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that tells a story of a Geat hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, and agrees to help his people defeat the monstrous Grendel. After successfully ridding the land of the beast, Beowulf eventually becomes the king of the Geats for quite some time until his own demise at the hands of another beast. The story was influenced by both pagan and Christian mythologies as it was written during a