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Characteristics of an epic hero in beowulf
Modern day heroes like beowulf
Characteristics of a hero
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Characteristics of an epic hero in beowulf
Modern day heroes like beowulf
Characteristics of a hero
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Beowulf is an anglo saxon story about an epic hero it's a story with a kingdom being terrorized by a scary monster and the story about the monster spreads to other kingdoms and then this hero heard about it and lend his hand to help them out and bring back the peace to that kingdom. Beowulf in this story is good and grendel the monster is evil and his mom is too they terrorize the hall in which they host their celebrations and at night the monster would come and slay and murder each and every person that was in that hall that night. Grendel is pure evil because he has no conscience , no quench for his thirst of blood and killing he simply does not care about the actions he commits. For that he is the epitome of all evil he does not care for
This made Grendel an outcast to the society of God worshipers. Unlike the Germanic tribes that roamed the earth above him, Grendel lived with the sole purpose of “opposing the Lord’s Will, and again and again defeated.” Meanwhile, as he was born human, the heroic character Beowulf was considered to be a descendant of the Lord. He was also a firm follower of God, always believing in His mysterious ways. Beowulf’s devotion and fate to the Lord above was especially evident when he believed that God was the one who showed him the sword made by the Giants, which he used to defeat Grendel’s mother.
Beowulf: A Well-Designed Hero with Exceptional Qualities How do Beowulf’s events correlate to Beowulf as a character? Beowulf exhibits characteristics of a hero in many ways. Some include his bravery, courage, skill, and quest. For example, Beowulf defeated Grendel by tearing his opponent’s arm off under gruesome circumstance (791-823).
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.
John Campbells’ claim is that some sort of action or event has to happen for a hero to take action. Does the epic poem “Beowulf” follow the claim that Campbell lays out. Each hero must go through 13 steps to be truly considered a “hero”. Since Beowulf is one of the longest lasting epics in history, so old in fact there isn't a definitive author, people wonder if Beowulf was just some two bit adventurer or a true hero. The epic poem “Beowulf” does not contradict the claims made by Joseph Campbell regarding the hero’s call to adventure.
In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.
According to old British literature, Beowulf is one the earliest and longest epic poems. An epic hero is defined as a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture. Epic heroes are people that are known to have superior strength, have strong love for their people, are fearless of death, and are extremely honorable. In the poem, the hero Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all of the extraordinary traits required of an epic hero. Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero who is an ideal figure because of his characteristics of his time.
To be considered an epic hero, one must not only exhibit acts of courage but also perform acts of being superhuman. Beowulf, known for his great feats of strength, is considered to be one of the greatest epic heros of all time. He posses all the qualifications necessary for him to be categorized as being an epic hero. What does it take to be an Epic hero? It's a name given to few.
On a dark and stormy night, Batman saves the jewelry shop by defeating the Joker and retrieving the jewels. Like most modern day heros, Batman is there to serve justice and help the people in the city. During the Anglo-Saxon period, the hero Beowulf was created to help people. Although he was an Anglo-Saxon hero, he shares characteristics like Batman and many other modern day superheroes. When people picture a superhero, they think of a person who is always there for his people, superpowers, colorful outfits, ect.
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).
Christopher Reeves once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Although Beowulf was human, he was not an ordinary individual, hero, or king, for he was a man who displayed superhuman qualities in his efforts to protect the Danish and Geatish people. Beowulf, who was established Geatish warrior that spent his life in battle, showed these extraordinary characteristics that made him an epic hero, one who possesses superhuman, almost god-like qualities. Being constantly on a quest, risking his life for glory and the greater good of society, and being superiorly intelligent, courageous and strong are the three most important reasons why Beowulf deserves such a notable
Even if we take into the time period in which it was written, Beowulf is not the shining hero he
Beowulf is a perfect example of what a real hero is because he does not hesitate to save a person's life even if it risk his life. He knows the reason for why they are in the situation and does not turn back from it whatsoever. An example of how Beowulf shows this is by the way he stood by Breca’s side for seven long nights at sea during the race. The reason why he did not leave his side was because Beowulf did not want Breca to be eaten by the sea monsters. It was
In the story Beowulf they make Beowulf out to be the hero. I believe that he is the hero because of his way that he presents himself when he gets to as his crewmen walked off the boat and they looked bad in clothes Beowulf looked very nice and very manly other than his crewmen looked bad and also he was a hero because he was the only one to come to and help the town. Defeating the monsters which was mother dragon and the last reason that he was considered a hero because after all the monsters he killed he decided to give all of the gold and supplies that he won from the battle with the monsters to all the people in herot and also he was reconized as a hero because he let God decide his Faith during the battle with the monsters.
Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.