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Examples Of Heroism In Beowulf

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The Heroic Deeds of Beowulf In the epic poem, Beowulf, the hero’s decision to travel across the ocean to defeat the nefarious Grendel can be attributed to his compassion, faith, and humility. Beowulf’s journey, along with his bravery and courage are indicative of the heroic attributes written in The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Campbell describes a hero as going on a journey that consists of a departure, a fulfillment, and an end. This is an attribute Beowulf exemplifies in his departure to cross the dangerous ocean in order to defeat a monster terrorizing a foreign land. The voyage is perilous, yet Beowulf’s compassion for the Danes overshadows any fears he might have over his personal safety. Additionally, Campbell states that a hero must perform a courageous spiritual act. In his humility, Beowulf tells Hrothgar that any victory he can achieve will come from G-D, and by doing so, robs himself of his own personal glory. Such an act requires immense spiritual strength and courage. Finally, …show more content…

The journey is menacing, yet Beowulf risks his own life in order to protect the Danes. The moment Beowulf hears of the the havoc that Grendel is reaping in Herot, he immediately orders a ship be prepared to leave in order to help the Danes. The Author writes, “And quickly commanded a boat fitting out, proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king, would sail across the sea to see Hrothgar, now that help was needed” (Lines 113-116). The moment Beowulf hears of the Danes dilemma, he instantly orders a boat be prepared for his journey, not sparing a thought for his own safety. Once the Danes need help, he is ready to risk his life to defend them. Beowulf is not concerned with his personal safety, but rather the security of the Danes, who are being terrorized by Grendel. His immense compassion, in addition to his humility and faith, drive him to cross the ocean to protect the

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Beowulf heard, "there was panic after dark, people indured raids in the night, riven by terror". (192-93) This is when he receives his call to adventure. After receiving it, he couldn't allow himself to refuse the call when he knew that his help was desperately needed to defeat Grendel. He gathered his men and sailed from his home to the land of the danes.

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Beowulf’s quest is something he takes on his own. He travels to Denmark to fight the monster, Grendel. His main priority was to protect Heorot. Beowulf used no weapons, risking his life, to protect a country not of his own. Because Beowulf is a hero, he did this with ease and no complaints.

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For the first time ever, Beowulf needs assistance in battle. He is King, which means that his responsibility toward his people has become much greater. He must ensure that they are protected from all forces of evil. It is evident that his motivation in battle has changed. When he was younger, he just wanted to pursue glory.

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As a payment to the king of the Danes, he decides to fight the dragon, just as he fought Grendel. Then he was a warrior and now he is a king responsible for his people. Beowulf’s decision is courageous but inappropriate for a king. His foolish but courageous decision causes him to die in the end. Before he fought the mighty dragon, he said “I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought in endless battles.

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Each hero, solidifying Campbell’s theory further, also meets a wise older warrior. Beowulf arrives in Denmark and meets Hrothgar. Hrothgar later gives advice to Beowulf “Push away your pride! Your strength, your power, are yours for how many more years?” (1761-62).

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(2732-2739) Another quality of Beowulf is that he never gives a promise of victory towards the monsters in the three battles he faces, just that he will do his best. Some think that heroes should be strong. At the beginning of Beowulf, Hrothgar tells that he has “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381). The first battle Beowulf faces, when we come into his life is the fight with Grendel that has been terrorizing Heorot. Sometimes heroes need not to always rely on their weapons and armor.

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This clearly shows how Beowulf’s heroic qualities of bravery and courage affect the story by making the reader feel

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Beowulf leapt into danger to achieve his goals. that risk is what kept him alive even when he was on his back and face almost certain

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As a hero Beowulf must travel to a distant land that is unfamiliar with. Imagine Bilbo Baggins leaving his home and traveling to the Lonely Mountain. Even though Bilbo left his home to steal something as part of a contract, he is still putting himself in a land unknown to himself along with many dangers that pose a threat to him now that he is outside of the Shire. Now, Beowulf was not a Hobbit and had much more of a god complex than

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The author often alludes to God 's glory and might and how God is ultimately where Beowulf draws his power from. Here heroism is shifting towards humility and grace towards

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He did travel across the sea to kill a demon and then the demon’s mother for what seemed to be good will. Beowulf even states he is helping Hrothgar since he had helped Beowulf’s father in the past and Beowulf is returning the favor. Yet, Beowulf is still acting on his pride. He wants to defeat Grendel being that no one has been able to in the past and killing the monster for the Danes would surely bring him more honor and treasures. Beowulf never says that is why he is helping Hrothgar, but the context in which Beowulf says why he is there would suggest he cares more about glory than loyalty like he originally said.

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Beowulf chose to fight for King Hrothgar and his people, even though he had no ties to them, and their was no reward promised. Beowulf, the Geat, hero of the poem, hears of Hrothgar’s sorrow, and/resolves to go to his assistance/….Hrothgar discoursed, helm of the Scyldings:/”To defend our folk and to furnish assistance,/Thou soughtest us hither, good friend Beowulf/(7-8 pg.22%, 2-4 pg.30%) Beowulf offered his assistance to King Hrothgar because he wanted to save him and his people from the monster Grendel. He was not required or even asked to fight but sought them out in order to help them.

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It takes bravery and courage to face such events in life, but it can be done. Note every battle is won, Beowulf also lost battles, but in the end he is the hero of Herot and the poem "From Beowulf". Therefore, Beowulf shows that his bravery and courage is the main theme of the poem, and one shall not give up even though they have lost a battle in many. All in all, the text becomes valuable in that the moral of the poem and theme is that courage and bravery play a major role in life, as in poems or stories, and that the poem,"From Beowulf", is a great example by using Beowulf and his courage to overcome his problems, and the conflict in the

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Bernard Evslin’s Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths and Burton Raffel’s Beowulf provide the reader with heroes who are morally questionable. In a typical myth, the hero of the story often makes many ambiguous choices that seem admirable on the surface, but develop in an unsettling manner. The hero is generally guided to an adventure and along the way commits many sins of goodness. Oftentimes, these heroes will never be able to overcome their obstacles; and therefore become fundamentally flawed. They are often looked up to as role models, but in essence these “heros” are representations of evil.

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A hero’s purpose is to sacrifice his life while trying to aid others. Beowulf sees this as an opportunity to make himself be known; he believes those who have fought should be remembered through time. Throughout Beowulf’s heroic journey, he fought for a loyal cause, he followed the code of honor, and showed courageous bravery. From time to time, Beowulf always showed that he cared for everyone other than himself. When Beowulf hears that the king needed aid to help defeat grendel, he never second guessed his decision.

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