Madisyn Ortolano
Mr. Richards
English IV
January 31, 2023
Beowulf Paper
Beowulf is an epic hero in many ways. He fights monsters and dragons, but he believes in a fair fight, he is a demi-god, he has to fight alone, he has a magical weapon, and he is introduced in the middle of turmoil. Beowulf possesses all the characteristics and more which makes him an epic hero. Now let's dive into reason one.
This characteristic provides help to decipher if the hero is epic based on a timeline. The hero is introduced in the midst of turmoil, at a point well into the story: antecedent action will be recounted in flashbacks. This means that you don’t get to know the character until some time after everything begins to unravel. For example in the poem Beowulf , Beowulf isn’t introduced until twelve years after the killings began. The story states “In his far-off home Beowulf, … Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror” (lines 109-112). This means that because Beowulf lives far away from Hrothgar it took awhile for the news to reach him. The quote relates to the characteristic because it shows how it took time for Beowulf to know
…show more content…
The hero establishes his nobility through single combat, honor coming from being vanquished by a superior foe. This characteristic is introduced two times. One example would be when he fought the dragon. The story states “I feel no shame, with shield and sword / And armor, against this monster” (lines 673-674). Beowulf leveled the playing field by using a shield, sword, and armor, without which he would have no chance. Another example would be “that the monster’s scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I. My lord Higlac / Might think less of me if I let my sword / Go where my feet are afraid to” (lines 167-171). Being an epic hero can be awesome, but also very