ipl-logo

The Epic Poem, Beowulf: An Honorable Hero

303 Words2 Pages

The Honorable Hero
The epic poem Beowulf describes a famous heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon period. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly unstoppable person with all the inhuman traits required of a hero. He uses his courage and …show more content…

There is a tone of suspense and terror when Grendel attacks Herot Hall and kills Hrothgar’s men, and a gloomy tone when the men view the aftermath the next day. Hrothgar and his people are weary of the constant attacks and show a cautious tone of relief when Beowulf announces he has come to battle Grendel. During the battles with Grendel and Grendel’s mother the tone becomes tense and exciting. After the battles the tone is joyful, Hrothgar and his people are relieved and happy that Grendel’s reign of terror is over. When Beowulf dies from his fatal wound the tone becomes dark and mournful, but at Beowulf’s funeral there is a praiseful tone over the people as they honor their fallen king and mourn his passing. Though Beowulf is an Epic poem, it contains similar characteristics to an elegy. This poem uses descriptive words and phrases to create emotions in the reader towards the main characters. One of the most striking features of Beowulf is the extraordinary richness of the vocabulary, many words appears only in

Show More
Related

  • Beowulf Essay: The Hero's Journey

    1227 Words  | 5 Pages

    The epic poem Beowulf is famous for many reasons. Among the top reasons is that it is a perfect example of the Hero’s Journey, a story structure that is common in many other well-known stories across the globe. It follows a series of plot points to create an interesting and suspenseful journey that the readers take. The poem follows these plot points almost exactly. Another reason it is famous is because the hero of the story, Beowulf, exemplifies all the characteristics of an ideal hero and king.

    Read More

  • Profundity In Beowulf

    516 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been epic stories about saints and fearless pioneers who bring down shrewdness and convey peace to the general population in which they reside, Beowulf follows this traditional concept. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most essential work of Old English writing. The epic recounts the account of a saint, a sovereign named Beowulf, who frees the Danes of the beast Grendel and recounts his brave demonstrations battling Grendel 's mom. All through the epic, the Anglo-Saxon story teller utilizes numerous components to construct profundity to the characters. Only a couple of the essential character components in Beowulf are Wealth and Honor, Biblical, and Man versus Wild topics.

    Read More

  • Beowulf As A Modern Hero Essay

    551 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf: The Modern Hero Benjamin Disaraeli once said, “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” This rings true for heroes from all periods of time, especially for those form the historical time of the epic hero Beowulf. This invincible Anglo­Saxon’s definition of heroism is often dismissed due to his arrogance, yet it is still quite relevant. Despite the conventional thoughts of many, Beowulf remains a relevant example of a hero in modern society due to his unquenchable thirst to be the savior to those weaker than he and his uninhibited arrogance and obscene vanity.

    Read More

  • Beowulf: The Characteristics Of An Epic Hero

    592 Words  | 3 Pages

    An epic hero is an individual who must evoke a sense of heroism through legendary and inspiring deeds (Merriam-Webster). These heroes of tragedy have the ability to determine their own fortune due to the amount of admired characteristics they possess. However, the ideals of an epic hero are constantly fluctuating due to the ever changing ideals of society. Although the characteristics of an epic hero are under constant modification, Beowulf is still an effective modern-day hero due to his acts of courage, compassion, and dedication in relation to his people. Courage can be defined as any individual possessing moral or mental strength in the face of physical pain or indescribable hardship (Personalitytutor).

    Read More

  • Beowulf Good Vs Evil Essay

    806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

    Read More

  • Beowulf: The Ideal Epic Hero

    717 Words  | 3 Pages

    A hero is someone who uses his or her physical and mental strengths to battle seemingly insurmountable obstacles. These heroes will overcome the odds to reign victorious. The larger- than-life characters, whether real or fictional, that we learn about become our role models. We aspire to be them; we fantasize that one day we too may become heroes. These heroes live out lives that we can only dream of, yet they give us a sense of hope for the world.

    Read More

  • Epic Of Beowulf Essay: A Hero's Journey

    627 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Hero's Journey thru Life Throughout life there will be many challenges that will present themselves some of them will be caused by someone else but others will be caused by yourself. Some people will call these people Foes or Anti-Heros. They can range from a monster called Grendel to just a teacher at your high school or just earning the high school diploma. The “Hero” will need to overcome the foe in whatever way they chose. For a high school student there are many foes that one might need to overcome, one of them is graduating high school.

    Read More

  • Beowulf As A Hero Essay

    565 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many believe Beowulf to be a fearless and heroic character, though in reality, many of his traits and motives prove just the opposite. From defending the King’s citizens to slaying countless evil creatures, Beowulf may appear to be an extraordinary man of unimaginable feats. Upon further investigation, however, it may become obvious that Beowulf’s heroism proved itself unable to stand the test of time. Beowulf was written to be the perfect protagonist, but displays various flaws throughout the narrative that contradicts his heroic intentions. The character of Beowulf is portrayed to be a fearless warrior- one who has slain an infinity of monsters and demons.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Is A Hero Essay

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    From all this, we know that the perception of a hero from Beowulf’s time differs from our perception today. As we feel that the intentions define a hero while in Beowulf’s time the reputation and accomplishments are what makes a

    Read More

  • Humility In Beowulf

    1272 Words  | 6 Pages

    Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf is an old epic poem in which the protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats come to the aid of Hrothgar, king of Danes, whose great hall, Heorot is plagued by the monster name Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel’s mom with a giant sword and later becomes the king of Geats. Then after a period of fifty years, he defeats the dragon but is mortally wounded in the battle and dies. After his death, his attendants burn his body him in the huge funeral pyre and then bury him. Hero is the person who is admired and idealized for his courage, outstanding achievements, noble qualities, and is good in the opinion of others.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Beowulf: A Hero's Journey

    1080 Words  | 5 Pages

    Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it.

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf Is An Epic Hero

    570 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alexander Hamilton once said, “There is a certain Enthusiasm in liberty that makes Human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” Beowulf is an epic poem in which the main character Beowulf did acts of service, but he fought for those who couldn’t fight. The overall theme of good versus evil in Beowulf had Beowulf dealing with challenges that no ordinary man would be able to handle unless they were a true epic hero. Throughout the poem Beowulf proves to be an epic hero by his strength, bravery, and sacrifice.

    Read More

  • The Hero's Journey In Beowulf '

    338 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf is the main hero in the poem, and he travels to the land of the Danes to help King Hrothgar get rid of the monster Grendel. After having slain Grendel, there is still a huge crisis present. Grendel’s mother comes to the Hall of Heorot to avenge the death of her kinsmen by killing Aeschere. Aeschere is one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors, and his loss bear’s heavy on Hrothgar’s heart. In the culture displayed in Beowulf, the bonds of friendship and kinsmanship are very important to the characters.

    Read More

  • Alliteration In Beowulf

    618 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is an epic poem that consists of many figures of speech, imagery, and most importantly- a virtuous message. Though this poem does not consist of any rhyming or rhyme schemes, it still identifies as a poem because of several different noticeable factors. Some factors that contribute to a poem include: alliteration, imagery, metaphor, personification, repetition, theme, and many more. Some of these elements are recognized in the poem, Beowulf. First, one of the main aspects of the poem is the imagery, which is prevalent in the first part of the epic.

    Read More

  • Beowulf: The Perfect Hero

    1372 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Perfect Hero In every heroic tale, there lies a theme of balance in values. Every hero is said to possess a fatal flaw; whether they overcome this flaw or let it define who they are is up to them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is not particularly hard for the reader to point out their perceived flaws of our hero: arrogance, pride, egotism. Yet, Beowulf stands tall in the poem as the perfect hero, adored and praised by all.

    Read More

More about The Epic Poem, Beowulf: An Honorable Hero

Open Document