Introduction
Superman, George Washington, Captain America, Martin Luther King; most people would agree that at the sound of these names one pictures a hero. But what classifies someone as a hero?
Should be be able to leap tall building in a single bound or give a speech that changes a nation? There are many qualities that can be considered heroic, and Beowulf from the novel Beowulf definitely can be considered a hero. Despite his sometimes conceited behavior, Beowulf’s heroic qualities remain the same as those thought of as heroes today; he is courageous in the face of danger and selflessly risks his life for others and, therefore, shows the most important quality of a hero: honor. II. Courage can be seen in the brave men and women who
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Unferth was used to being the one people talked about and admired, but after the defeat of Grendel, people were talking about Beowulf. Beowulf reminds him that he shouldn’t put down people who have actually shown courage instead of just talking about it. Courage isn’t something everyone has.
A hero doesn’t only show courage in the face of danger, they also must be selfless. III. Heroes selflessly risks their own lives to help others, and Beowulf lives up to this expectation of a hero.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission honors selfless acts. “The extraordinary exploits include pulling someone from a burning building, standing between someone and an attacking animal, rescuing a drowning swimmer, thwarting an assault on a citizen and other facing-death-to-save-a-life acts.” (Weeks)
Would Beowulf receive such an honor? He selflessly helps strangers by defeating the Grendel, gives away the treasure given to him, and finally defeats the dragon that ultimately takes his life. These would definitely be considered selfless acts worth of the Carnegie award.
“A man is defined by his actions (or lack thereof).”
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They step in the way of danger to protect others. Beowulf does this when he travels to the Danish to save them from the Grendel because he knows he can. No matter how courageous and selfless a hero is, a no one can be considered a hero without honor. IV. All heroes strive for honor.
“For Beowulf, the only prize worth winning is to do something worthy of remembrance. In the poem, good deeds are shown to have everlasting merit – they leave an indelible mark on the world, permanently impacting and shaping it, destined to live on in the memories of those to follow (Ratelle).” A hero that is not perceived as distinguished among other men, is not true hero. A hero that does not have glory that is remembered for all time, is not a true hero. By conquering Grendel and his mother, Beowulf earned the honor of the Danish.
“A warrior would sooner die than live a life a shame (Raffel)”.
Although Beowulf was old when he faced the dragon, he knew he couldn’t back down. Backing down would be worse than dying and would cost him the honor he had earned. Backing down would mean that he would be remembered as a coward instead of a
True heroes are brave and bold. They often sacrifice themselves in order to save many others. In a multitude of works of literature, heroes are common and often symbolize the good of humanity and the strength of self. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the character Beowulf, the defender of Geat and Herot, clearly exemplifies the traits that mark an ideal hero. Beowulf’s strength, quest for glory, and egocentric personality characterize him as a true hero.
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.
Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.
Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.
This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and the modern day hero. All soldiers that are fighting for my country certainly comes to mind first, when I think about a modern day hero. Both hero’s are fighting for a good cause, get rewarded for what they do, and get treated with much respect. Although a soldier might not withhold unworldly strength as one such as Beowulf, they both are putting their life at stake, which gives them both the title as being a hero.
A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.
Beowulf is a man who desires to help the kingdoms around him with monsters they face. He has fought with sea monsters, ending their reign in the seas with ease, and he has taken on the task of ending Grendel’s rule over Herot, the mead-hall that belongs to an ally kingdom. He has taken on these challenges for the sake of helping the kingdom, however, at the end of chapter twenty-one it is said that, “Only Beowulf would risk his life in that lake; Unferth was afraid, gave up that chance to work wonders and win glory and a hero’s fame,” (Burton 64), hinting that he has also done it for the glory and treasure he will get in payment for his deeds. In chapter
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
Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.
Beowulf showed his honor as he traveled from his homeland to battle the vicious monster Grendel, who was terrorizing the Danes. Grendel “Raided and ravaged” the mead hall, showing no honor by killing intoxicated men in their sleep. Beowulf knows that there is a chance that he may die in his great battle against Grendel when he says, “If death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac…”, yet he is still willing to attempt to defeat Grendel. A hero in the Anglo-Saxon time is always very confident, as well he should be. It would serve no purpose to face battle with doubt of ones ability to do so, and with fear of all that awaits him. Beowulf’s morality came also in the form of loyalty to people and his word. Promises by Beowulf were kept . Acceptance of death, and care for the welfare of his people were Beowulf’s greatest virtues. His
Heroes, from Beowulf to Superman our cultures have always created heroes. We may always have political, social, economic and religious differences, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common, heroes. They help define who we are and what we want to be. They give us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction. They show us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Heroes give us the inspiration we need to overcome problems in our own lives and that is why we create them. Beowulf perfectly embodies the idea of a hero. He defeats the evil Grendel and his mother, slays the dragon and saves his people. He is
Beowulf wanted to revenge the deaths of all his men and all those whom lost their lives to the dragon. Beowulf speaks for the last time by saying, “I risked my life many times when I was young and now I am older and king I will fight for glory of winning” (93). Now here he is being boastful and full of himself as if he knows he will win the fight against the dragon. As a honorable and brave man he chooses to fight the dragon with no weapons just as he done with Grendal. Revenge is not of a hero.
Unferth claims that he is a foolish man, who does unnecessarily dangerous things in the name of greatness when really he is only seeking glory selfishly. However, pride during the time this story was told in mead halls, was a good character trait. As, if to only prove Unferth’s point, however, Beowulf answers in way that exposes another major flaw that causes him to become nothing more than a thick heading warrior by today’s standards. As he speaks, he upholds what a hero is his time should be, but by modern concerns he acts childishly.
In the real world there are brave men and women such as soldiers and firefighters, sacrificing their all for others everyday. Beowulf is portrayed as the alrighty, fighting off the monster Grendel. While he earns respect as a hero, we are left to wonder if there is a side we do not know about. In the story, Unferth questions Beowulf’s heroism.
When we first meet Beowulf in, it is obvious that he carries himself with pride and esteem. He offers his assistance to King Hrothgar and promises that he will be the hero to defeat the monster, Grendel. Within these first few hundred lines, it is already evident that one of the most valued vocations is that of a hero. However, being a hero is much more complex than battling monsters. A hero must also boast of his talents and be prepared for a challenge at any moment, as well as protect his tribe.