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Beowulf: A Tragic Hero

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One of the hero’s is Beowulf. As a hero Beowulf has numerous reasons for being considered as such. He is strong, brave, and an excellent leader. By massacring monsters of all kinds of the monsters of the sea to the slime monster Grendel Beowulf shows his heroic qualities. Another hero is Achilles; he was devastated by the loss of his friend Patroclus. By traveling to any length Achilles shows his heroic ability by avenging his fallen friend.
One trait that Achilles and Beowulf have in common is physical strength. Both show this by defeating the theoretical monster they face. By stabbing Hector through the neck Achilles shows his physical strength. By showing his physical strength and courage Beowulf wallops Grendel in hand to hand combat by
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The poets within Beowulf sing about tales of heroes and their heroic deeds. The sing about these deeds, even if some of them have failed. They sing their songs to King Hrothgar, his subjects, Beowulf, and his men. The poets sang to share these stories, back then stories were always passed down orally through

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624 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf, being the confident hero he is, thinks that this battle is going to be easy. He ended up being right because Beowulf defeated Grendel handedly. After this defeat, Hrothgar dies making Beowulf king of the land. Beowulf has to

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Beowulf and Achilles are both heroes with similar traits, such as both cunning in battle and they are both looking to seek revenge on a certain nemesis. Beowulf shows his dominance in battle by killing the dreadful monster, Grendel by ripping its arm off. He also then eliminates Grendel’s mother; while Achilles kills his arch nemesis, Hector, by stabbing him directly in the neck. Beowulf wants revenge on Grendel for killing the innocent Danes of his kingdom, while Achilles shows his trait for revenge by killing Hector, the man who killed Achilles’s cousin. An example of this trait is stated by Achilles “Now my soul would have he stand and fight, whether I kill you or am killed.

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Darian Aker Mr. Tate English IV 27 September, 2017 Beowulf Essay In this epic, the main character, Beowulf, faces many horrendous monsters. However, as the reader, and the interpreter, I am asked to explain how Beowulf portrays the qualities of an archetypal epic hero. After reading of his battles, his character displays great acts of courage, intelligence, and strength, while warriors revel as Beowulf defeats the creatures. Following his battles, Grendel and Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar and his men celebrate and thank him for his acts of bravery with many cherished gifts.

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While Beowulf can be seen as a hero and his selfless choice of departing after the dragon, he unnecessarily let his people exposed to danger from the other tribes. The visual image seems to interpret that Beowulf left as a misguided hero displaying inevitable fate. Despite Beowulf displaying his good and bad values that has caused him to rise and fall, the unknown poet and those who have helped shape the poem conveyed it to have meaning in their natural modern world that even to this day has connection to ours.

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The first trait of a hero we will look at is leadership. All three heroes showed leadership in some way in each of their respective tales. Beowulf showed leadership throughout his story by taking charge against the monster Grendel. Grendel had been terrorizing a distant land, by eating people, for twelve years. The people of the land called upon Beowulf to help.

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Beowulf actions, and mindset shows that he is an epic hero. (11.749-756), this quote shows his supernatural strength and bravery. “When the going was heavy in the high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of them all.” This quote shows that swimming for hours isn’t something just any male or female could do, it takes a lot of body strength and fatigue. (11.529-534), in these lines, “ I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore..

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He carefully strategized his plan to defeat Grendel. He waited for Grendel to come to Heorot, then surprise attacked him. Grendel put up a fight, but Beowulf was stronger and more intelligent. Beowulf ripped the arm off of the beast, sending him away to die. Not only did Beowulf have to defeat Grendel, but Grendel’s mother came back for revenge, so Beowulf set out to the darkness where Grendel and his mother lived.

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One of the biggest hero qualities Beowulf was his courage. Having the strength of 30 men, he battled against all types of foes and claimed victory. When he told the people that he will battle

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Beowulf, on the other hand, tore off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. Without struggling much and within moments Beowulf had overpowered Grendel sent him crying in pain. Beowulf portrays his strength through his fight with Grendel’s mother. Beowulf sees a sword hanging that was exceedingly heavy which giants hammered on the wall. It was “so massive that no

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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).

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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.

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This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).

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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.

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A hero's journey is a pattern of narrative identities that appears in many dramas, storytellings, myths, and psychological development. The journey consist of twelve different steps and in the story Beowulf we read about the magnificent and rough journey that Beowulf and this men accomplish. Many people question if Beowulf is considered a hero and if what he did was good. The journey that he embarked on, leads me to believe that Beowulf is a hero and always will be. The first step in the hero's journey is called the “call to adventure” this is when something is disturbed from external pressure of from inner conflict.

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