The poets within Beowulf sing about tales of heroes and their heroic deeds. The sing about these deeds, even if some of them have failed. They sing their songs to King Hrothgar, his subjects, Beowulf, and his men. The poets sang to share these stories, back then stories were always passed down orally through
Beowulf, the epic tale of a Danish society plagued by evil beasts, reveals many thought-provoking and admirable character traits of the main character and hero, Beowulf. Firstly, he shows chivalry through his interactions and actions towards the king of Heorot, showing him the respect and honor he deserved. Secondly, he demonstrates bravery in all battles above and beyond the standard of the times and the standard of his fellow fighters. He owes his bravery in part to his seemingly immeasurable strength, having more power in each fist than that of thirty men. Lastly, he demonstrates a trait that applies to people for his time and ours, pride.
Not all heroes wear capes. Well, in novels and movies, they tend to. From the start, heros have always been someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In poems such as Beowulf, which date back to the 10th century, implement the hero’s model in its purest form. The main character, Beowulf, is the stereotypical hero that comes from a far away land to defeat the monstrous antagonist Grendel, and defend the impotent villagers.
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.
The way we treat ourselves is extraordinary compared to the utilization of figures past. We, humans, are a populous society of affable tributes that are of importance. That we look up to the people that give us safety, as well that show respect and pride. These people are the idols that portray heroism; the general populous agrees that a hero is selfless. One such example is in an epic poem Beowulf.
In the epic, Beowulf, the writer constantly added in Christian values and references, “punished forever for the crimes of Abel’s death.” In the society that Beowulf grew up in, strength and fame occurred in everyday life, with the practice of story telling. A warriors life goal was to protect their king, and make it into a bards tale to gain immortality. One of the Anglo-Saxon values, loyalty, shows its self when Beowulf fights a dragon. His men run away, but one stays to help finish killing the dragon.
The epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney used character archetypes to explore the values embodied in Anglo-Saxon culture. The first battle in the poem occurs between Beowulf and Grendel who best embody the Anglo-Saxon value of courage. Beowulf is the perfect representation of this value due to his insistence on fighting Grendel without weapons; “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me” (Heaney 683-84). Thus when Beowulf proclaims that he is not using weapons he displays both honor and courage since it takes guts to fight a monster without an advantage. The Anglo-Saxons respected this quality and made their epic hero a perfect fit for this trait.
Heroism is bravery, honor, courage, and daring. People who are believed to be a heroe usually serve as someone who defeated or made an impact on someone or something. Throughout the epic, Beowulf shows heroism by going to willingly defeat Grendel. This was Beowulf's choice to go, "there was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on eart, highborn and powerful" (196-198).
Bravery, defined as, courageous acts of one’s character. The main person in this epic poem to demonstrate the act of bravery would be, Beowulf himself. Beowulf’s battle with Grendel shows true courage. Beowulf then “took off the helmet and handed the patterned sword”. (672-673)He was completely unarmed as described in the lines previous.
Beowulf is the main hero in the poem, and he travels to the land of the Danes to help King Hrothgar get rid of the monster Grendel. After having slain Grendel, there is still a huge crisis present. Grendel’s mother comes to the Hall of Heorot to avenge the death of her kinsmen by killing Aeschere. Aeschere is one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors, and his loss bear’s heavy on Hrothgar’s heart. In the culture displayed in Beowulf, the bonds of friendship and kinsmanship are very important to the characters.
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.
Though it is fiction, readers can comprehend Anglo-Saxon thoughts and their concepts of heroism, life and death. Anglo-Saxon culture valued strength, honor, courage, loyalty, and fearlessness. Beowulf was a hero because he was strong, loyal, brave, honorable, and fearless. He wanted to be remembered beyond the years of his life. These values in heroes has not disappeared like its culture.
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.”
Heroism in Epic Poems Heroism was very common in epic poems. It was found in almost every epic poem written. Beowulf is an example of an epic poem about heroism. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is also about heroism.
Saxon England, courage and loyalty were valued (Janet, 101). A man with valor and loyalty was expected to be rewarded by their king (Janet, 103). Furthermore, above anything, everyone battled for fame because fame is the only thing that lasts. In Beowulf, Beowulf is a renowned Geatish warrior and hero (Beowulf, 153-156). His
