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Beowulf: Characteristics Of A Traditional Hero

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"His father 's warriors were wound round his heart/ with golden rings, bound to their prince/ by his father 's treasure. So young men build/ the future, wisely open-handed in peace, / Protected in war; so warriors earn/ their fame, and wealth is shaped with a sword." Page 24, Beowulf. This story is about the adventure of the hero from Geatland named Beowulf, a man who has come to prove his worth in battle and pride has decided to come to Denmark to defeat Grendel, the monster that has been terrorizing and devouring the Danes in Hrothgar’s great mead-hall, Heorot. He then goes on to defeat and kill to more monsters while staying with the Danes. Despite that Beowulf is different from others perception of a traditional hero, he still shows many of the characteristics of a Traditional hero. He is still strong, brave, and has helped people just a traditional hero would. The way Beowulf shows his strength throughout the whole story is amazing. He starts out with going to what is now called Denmark to defeat and kill the monster called Grendel. When Grendel does show up, Beowulf is not in armor, like Grendel, and allows the monster to devour one of his men. This was taken to believe that he was trying to see how Grendel fought to get an idea on how he could over power the monster before anyone else got hurt …show more content…

With those three qualities you can very much fit Beowulf into a hero mold. Of course every hero has to have other qualities, as Beowulf does, like Loyalty, Courage, Smarts, and Patience’s all that can clearly be seen in some way or manor in the epic story Beowulf. So, while Beowulf is different from other, more sought after, traditional heroes such as say Superman or Captain America, he is still a hero in the eyes of others and has many of the characteristic that would be seen in a traditional

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Beowulf shares the same traits with as many other heroes I know about. For example, Beowulf 's willpower can be compared with Henry Cavill 's Superman (Man of Steel). In Beowulf: "The Battle with the Dragon", Beowulf battled the dragon and he noticed that his weapons started to fail him and that he was weakened by his age. In spite of that, Beowulf 's willpower enabled him to continue fighting the dreadful beast. Eventually, after his ally Wiglaf provided Beowulf with some assistance, he was able to break through and deliver the killing blow to the dragon.

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This reveals the theme of loyalty. This theme is prominent during the main battle since Beowulf is shown to be, “Surrounded closely by his powerful thanes” (98). This ties into the theme of loyalty to one’s kin because although the weapons do no damage, Beowulf’s brethren stay by his side to help. This is also used to emphasize the Anglo-Saxon

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The definition of a true hero is very subjective as people have their own opinions on what makes someone a hero. Some people might consider someone who does the right thing a hero, for some it may be people who fight for their country. The characteristics of a hero might vary, but in the epic “Beowulf,” Beowulf is sought out to be the hero because of three main traits; his noble cause, code of honor, and his strength and courage. Each of these traits makes up the hero he is portrayed to be. One of the first qualities described in the epic is the act of a noble cause.

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Beowulf: Epic Hero or Proud Fool? So what exactly is a hero? A hero to most is a person idealized for their courage and their outstanding achievements and qualities. Some may even consider Beowulf a hero due his never backing down and risking his own life for the safety of his people.

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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.

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His personal character had nothing to do with what made him a hero. In the story, Beowulf defeated a monster that had been plaguing Herot Hall which made him a local hero. When he also defeated that monsters mother, his fame grew. As Beowulf grew older, he became Kind of the Geats, and was considered a great ruler. The kingdom had money and nobody was willing to attack from the fear they had of Beowulf.

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A character name Beowulf can be characterized as an Anglo-Saxon hero more so than an epic hero because of his actions. Some criteria of the Anglo-Saxon hero is bravery and generosity. Beowulf shows bravery throughout the book Beowulf. Bravery is a very difficult thing to have because it can be very dangerous, or you could be risking your own life for the good of the people. However, the hero himself did

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Beowulf manifests the features of a literary epic by reflecting the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture from which it came from, and containing great, descriptive language and plots that include great battles and conflicts. The warrior culture is evident from the explanation of the story in Journeys where Beowulf, along with his group of warriors, sails to Denmark, ready to defeat Grendel to the very end of the excerpt where defeating Grendel brings Beowulf honor, pride, and glory. “He was happy with his / nightwork / and the courage he had shown” (826-828). Great battle and conflict, as well as descriptive detail, can be seen in this line from Beowulf and Grendel’s battle, “Every bone in his body [Grendel’s] / quailed and recoiled, but he could not

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Beowulf was invincible in his strength. He battles terrifying monster and risks his life. He showcases his heroic stoicism through his super-human physical strength. Grendel was a horrendous monster that was the incarnation of maleficence. Beowulf’s men had tried to use their weapons to fight, but Grendel “ blunted every mortal man 's blade” (Line 485).

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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

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Every culture, every time period, will find a flaw in every hero: Beowulf is no exception. To an Anglo-Saxon of the time period, Beowulf is the perfect hero, without a doubt. He is a shining example for his people to live by. A life lead by ambition and driven by the desire to protect, Beowulf?s story is one to be acknowledged.

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As has been noted, many of Beowulf 's characteristics are also shared by traditional epic heroes. He 's brave and never "cowers", defeats previously unbeatable monsters, comes from nobility, and has incredible superhuman strength. Beowulf can be compared to any other epic hero, and the similarities found between them will be never ending. However, there are other characteristics that the king of the Geats possesses which make him be very different from most epic heroes. First, there is the issue with Beowulf 's lack of a moral compass.

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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.

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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.

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One thing that Beowulf does to make himself a hero is he uses his weaknesses as an advantage. Beowulf is not the largest man and does not have great eyesight, but he uses cunning to defeat even the most difficult enemy. Furthermore, Beowulf specifically applies to the theme of how even heroes are not perfect. Nye illustrates that a hero can use his weaknesses as advantages. Beowulf is a hero, but that does not mean he is perfect: “In his person, Beowulf was below average size… Beowulf's eyes were not strong, and part

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