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Beowulf In Joseph Campbell's The Power Of Myth

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Beowulf has all of the characteristics of a hero. According to Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth, there are eight characteristics of a hero. Beowulf easily fulfills all eight and undoubtedly should be considered a hero. He puts his life on the line for an entire kingdom and has heroic and superhuman qualities. Beowulf recognized for his strengths and power of protecting his people. Beowulf came across three insurmountable tasks and conquered all three. Beowulf embodies and demonstrates the characteristics of a hero emphasizing leadership, bravery, and strength. According to Joseph Campbell a hero must give his or her life to something greater than themselves and must perform a courageous act either physically or spiritually. In Beowulf, …show more content…

Beowulf’s courageous act during this clash with Grendel arose when Beowulf, “flooded his (Grendel) mind with fear but nothing could take his talons and himself from his (Beowulf) tight grip” (327). This shows Beowulf’s courage of facing the proclaimed “Shepard of Evil” (325) head-on. In The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell states a hero must move out of conventional safety of their own life to undertake a journey and must have an achievement. Beowulf fulfills that trait with ease considering he was born to be extraordinary. In Beowulf, he swims out to open sea with a friend stating, “I swam in the blackness of the night, hunting monsters of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned” (251). Swimming out to sea to hunt monsters is undeniably considered moving out of conventional safety to undertake a journey. Beowulf’s achievement comes from, “I drove five great monsters into chains, chased all of the race from earth” (250). This is an accomplishment because Beowulf has taken away their capability to sabotage the earth, possibly saving many human lives. Beowulf proves through his entire life that he has all of the characteristics of a hero. Each trait according to Joseph Campbell is fulfilled by Beowulf. Overall, a hero is a person with distinguished qualities who goes against adversity to commit good deeds despite what could happen to them. A hero is a person who provides out of honor, bravery, and duty, not for

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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.

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Traits of a Hero What truly is a hero? How is a hero defined? A standard dictionary would define a hero as, “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. ” We will examine and compare three “heroes” from a range of classic tales and novels. These include Beowulf from the epic poem Beowulf, Duke Theseus from The Knight’s Tale, and Sir Gawain from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

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“A Hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, quoted by Christopher Reeve. Beowulf however, tends to be an epic hero based on the definition of one. Beowulf was definitely a hero, not because of his super strength, smartness, or even his sword. But because when everyone backed down he was the one to step up & sacrifice his life to save others. “ Beowulf fights in various battles which shows his hero characteristics such as supernatural, bravery, and leadership.

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The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.

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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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Beowulf The Anglo-Saxon Hero A typical hero is someone who is known to be very powerful and have unusual traits that no human being can withstand. They use their powers as an advantage to fight any crime and to protect humans from the bad. However, a hero can be characterized in two different ways; an epic hero or an Anglo-Saxon hero.

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An epic hero being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. Beowulf was a hero to his people because he fended-off Grendel and stopped him from killing any more of Hrothgar's men.

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In today’s society, anybody can be considered a hero. A hero is a selfless person who is admired for their courageous achievements. A mother, celebrity, or even a mailman can be a hero to someone. In Beowulf, the epic poem translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is recognized as a hero who craves too much glory. In today’s world, Beowulf is viewed as an irrelevant hero since he displays poor qualities of arrogance and selfishness.

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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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Yes, Beowulf is brave, but not because he wants to do the right thing, he wants gold and glory. Beowulf is known as a great hero and on the surface he is. He seems to be brave and just but underneath that, Beowulf is extremely arrogant and egotistical. Beowulf does not just do things for they are the right thing to do, he does them seeing that great deeds will bring him honor and boost his reputation. He fights Grendel for bragging rights like the swimming contest Unferth brought up and he refuses to use a sword when fighting Grendel because it will just add to his bravery.

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Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”

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