Beowulf represents everything an epic hero is brought up to be because he has gone through all the steps of a hero’s journey. He hears about the Grendel in his homeland, Geatland, and travels to Heorot to help the helpless prince Hrothgar get rid of this fiend that has been terrorizing his people and leaving Hrothgar distraught. Beowulf states, “No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares. (Heaney 47)” This quote links to the supernatural strength that Beowulf possesses and supernatural enemy which is Grendel. He faces the Grendel and comes out victorious winning glory for his king Hygelac and gives Hrothgar Grendel’s arm as a trophy and is rewarded treasures. This explains why he represents an …show more content…
He journeys to her lair to slay her while he fights her he finds an ogre sword which he kills her with and Grendel. He makes it back to Heorot, and he crosses over the threshold. He presents Grendel’s head as another trophy to Hrothgar earning more glory for Hygelac. This also further into why he represents an epic hero because he hears about the enemy makes a journey to Grendel’s mother and wins bringing back trophies and to cross the threshold once again. Beowulf goes back home and after a while he becomes great king to his people, but he must now go on another journey which is to face the dragon plaguing his land such as when Beowulf says, “This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. (Heaney 171).” Beowulf faces the dragon by himself for most of the encounter until Wiglaf decides to help his king. They slay the beast but Beowulf is badly injured and will die, but he tells Wiglaf to tell his story before he dies which concludes the hero’s journey for Beowulf because he is granted eternal life by telling his story which we are still reading
Beowulf has long blonde hair, with traits of bravery, honor and faith. Beowulf isn’t like any modern hero with magical powers. He has supernatural strength that come with a lot of confidence. He has the mentality he can take on any evil monsters. His loyalty is described in the story when he volunteers to Hrothgar that he will kill Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf is described as a hero who kills monsters with his supernatural strength . “ a thane, they declared with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand”(Beowulf chapter 1 lines 380-381).
Beowulf son of the famous soldier Edegtho, comes to the rescue of Hrothgar. Hrothgar king of the Danes, which his land is being attacked by a treacherous monster named Grendel. Beowulf is described as a vigorous, fearless man of the Anglo Saxon times. Beowulf comes from a past generation of tenacious warriors. Like Beowulf’s dad, a famous soldier known far, and leader of many men. The Danes now see why Beowulf is such a fearless warrior. In Beowulf, the hero decides to fight without a weapon for three reasons he wants to be glorious, he is fearless, wanted to help the people of noble place and he wants to honor his people. Beowulf faces many conflicts fighting these dangerous monsters, but manages to defeat Grendel and his mother.
He also notices Grendel’s body and cuts the head off to present it to the king. As the other warriors on the top of the surface wait for him to resurface they see blood and believes he has been defeated. Some of the other warriors leave and return home but the others want to see first hand what happened to Beowulf. Beowulf swims back to the surface and the remaining warriors are overjoyed he has defeated Grendel’s mother. An example he was brave during this battle is “And then the battle’s only survivor Swam up and away from those silent corpses; The water was calm and clean, the whole Huge lake peaceful once the demons who’d lived in it Were
Beowulf is an epic poem being cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Herot has been under attack by a monster named Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. Beowulf is clearly a hero because of his brave deeds, he is a strong and responsible leader, and his courage. Beowulf is a hero because of his brave deeds. Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf does many deeds which are considered to be brave during the Anglo-Saxon period.“Grendel is no braver, no stronger/Than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not,Easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth.../ Beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him With my hands empty-unless his heart /Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting /Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom /Extend His hand where He wills, reward /Whom he chooses!”. In his first battle, Beowulf fights Grendel. He fights without any armor. Also, Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. He then
Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is the hero. He shows that he is a great man by always putting other things before his own needs. He is important and needed by his people and is known by many as a strong, courageous and a helpful person. He shows all of the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses.
Beowulf as an Epic Hero Beowulf is looked upon as a hero who saved everyone from a vicious demon named Grendel who killed everyone and anyone he wanted. He would do this by slurping them up and crunching on their bones. Back when the story was written, the monks were the only one's who could write. Because of this they hand-wrote the book and put some Christian references in it to spread the word out on the Christian religion. If the book did not have Christian references Beowulf would not be considered an Epic Hero, and even with the Christian references he still would not be an Epic Hero.
Another obvious heroic characteristic that Beowulf portrays is the defeat of monsters and other malevolence. He does this throughout the story, not only using brute force, but also cunning tactics, such as the time when he attacks Grendel’s extremely sensitive ears. Beowulf also disposes of Grendel’s Mother, using a gigantic sword in her lair to decapitate her, and ends the reign of terror on the Danes. Years later, after Beowulf is crowned King, his land is assailed by the Dragon. This epic battle proves just how valiant Beowulf actually is, going after the beast single-handedly, instead of endangering any of his men. It is a long, hard-fought battle, in which Beowulf contests with all his might. Beowulf ultimately kills the Dragon –rips out its heart-, but not without a price; the battle costs the King his life.
Beowulf is a mighty hero. He has impacted people’s lives for the better. Beowulf hasfought for his country and for what he thinks is right. He crosses paths with the enemy to disableall the conflicts that they have with each other and the country that they live in. It resolves in adefeat between Beowulf and Grendel and it ends the misery and mixed conflicts between eachother with what they had.
Once Grendel’s Mother is defeated as well, Beowulf is crowned the honored King of the Geats. He reigned for fifty years before he faced another foe, a dragon who hoarded gold and riches. Beowulf was killed in his desperate battle with the dragon and after the dragon was put to rest, Beowulf was buried with the gold that he so bravely fought for. Beowulf is an epic hero through his incredible strength, loyalty, and bravery.
“The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other men’s lives,” said Perculus (PR). You’re born, you live a little, and then you die. There is no simpler way to sum up life. Often times this is done through oral tales, paintings, and various other ways. For those whose lives were truly something great, something memorable, their stories are transcripted into writings. Whether these are simple biographies or symbolic fictional works, stories are often based on someone greater than the writer. These “epic heros” are protagonists that fulfill their potential of greatness through using their bravery, strength and
Beowulf has shown many characteristics of a hero. Where as Grendel has shown characteristics of being an outcast. The role of the hero in Beowulf was portrayed by Beowulf himself. Beowulf was the leader and took on three quests for his people. Most heroes would need some form of preparation before they complete quests, but Beowulf did not need any preparation. Beowulf had callings while he was the leader of the Geats. These callings were the three quests that Beowulf needed to complete for the greater good of Hrothgar’s people. Defeating Grendel, defeating Grendel’s mother, and attempting to slay the dragon that had burned the houses and land of the Geats’ were callings Beowulf had to face.
Not everyone has the same definition of a hero - while some may see one person as a hero, others may not. In "Heroism", Ralph Waldo Emerson writes of qualities that he believes makes someone heroic. When comparing these qualities to Beowulf, it becomes evident that Emerson would see Beowulf as a hero.
His final battle is with a dragon the is destroying towns and stealing treasure. So Beowulf goes to kill the dragon and starts to get defeated until Wiglaf helps defeat the dragon. Sadly, during the battle Beowulf is wounded and dies but makes Wiglaf the new king with his last
Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon but finds himself outmatched. His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, creep back into the woods. One of his men, however, Wiglaf, who finds great distress in seeing Beowulf's plight, comes to Beowulf's aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded.
To begin with, One of Beowulf’s characteristics for being an epic hero would be his strength. Beowulf first killed Grendel, which no one else could defeat because Grendel was too powerful. Then, Beowulf killed Grendel’s Mother who was defeated by Beowulf’s bare hands because his sword wasn’t powerful enough to kill her. Last, Beowulf defeated the Dragon by taking his heart from his body which is something no one else could have done. Beowulf’s dedication and strength set forth to him being able to defeat the dragon. "I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death, like Grendel, Gripped in my hands and torn limb from limb." (42). This quote means that when Grendel couldn’t be defeated by any weapons, Beowulf made it simple and said that he was going