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Is Beowulf A Hero

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Is Beowulf A Hero?In the epic poem Beowulf, the titular character is called upon by King Hrothgar to dispose of a beast, Grendel, that is plaguing the festival hall. Hrothgar is king of the Danes, while Beowulf is a warrior of the Geats. He slays the beast, and when Grendel’s mother is angered, he righteously slays her also. At the end of the poem, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats, and he gives his life to kill a dragon, which saves his people and enriches his kingdom. The actions Beowulf takes throughout the story prove he is a hero. By willingly helping the king with an issue he could not conquer, dealing with the consequences of his actions in the form of Grendel’s mother, and sacrificing himself for the good of his kingdom, …show more content…

Beowulf is a man of virtue and morals, which is shown from the very beginning of the poem when he courageously accepts the quest of defeating Grendel. There is no real compensation for the task, only food and celebration. Beowulf’s heroics are talked about by the knights at the table during the dinner before the clash with Grendel: “Art thou that Beowulf, Breca’s rival, who emulous swam on the open sea, when for pride the pair of you proved the floods, and wantonly dared in waters deep to risk your lives?” Beowulf’s bravery and heroics have been heard of across the land, and he is a well-respected man. His story of saving Breca from the sea monsters is just one example of Beowulf’s previous deeds.Beowulf heroically defeats Grendel. Of force in fight no feebler I count me, in grim war-deeds, than …show more content…

Beowulf, instead of leaving after completing his task, decides to stay and help the Danish kingdom that is in need once more. Beowulf displays spectacular strength when he swims to the mother’s underwater lair and defeats her with the help of a magic sword. Beowulf is courageous and responsible, which are both qualities of heroes, ancient and modern.The conclusion of the poem details Beowulf’s journey to the king of his people, his years of ruling, and his eventual tragic end with a dragon. For years Beowulf ruled honorably, with no real issues, until one man walked by the cave of a dragon and stole his golden goblet: “Some man, however, came by chance that cave within to the heathen hoard. In hand he took a golden goblet, nor gave he it back, stole with it away, while the watcher slept, by thievish wiles: for the warden’s wrath prince and people must pay betimes!” The dragon, obviously upset, began to terrorize villages of Beowulf’s kingdom. Countless were murdered, and Beowulf, with help of another warrior of the kingdom, decided to put an end to the dragon. In the end, Beowulf sacrificed himself to save the kingdom, stole the riches from the dragon, and made that special warrior the new king

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   Heroism is shown throughout the poem. Beowulf was heroic in the fight with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. “Behind some broad linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster…” (lines 172-174). In those lines, Beowulf is saying he will fight Grendel alone and without any weapons. “Then Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong…” (line 633).

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There have been many stories about many different heroes and their different power. In this story the hero's name is Beowulf. The great warrior was called about to come to Geatland and help its people because of a hideous monster that’s killing them all. Through this brilliant story Beowulf shows many attributes to being a real hero. He’s extremely courageous and fearless.

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Beowulf goes to fight the monster and “Beowulf arrays himself in armor, not at all worrying about his life.” Overall, if you think about it, Beowulf truly is a hero. This is because he even puts forth maximum effort to fight. He truly believes in justice and peace for the village.

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In today's modern society, we see more and more heroes in our everyday lives. Some people may think of a hero as someone that touched their life in a positive manner while others think a hero as someone that saved lives like Christian F Schilt, a soldier who managed to evacuate wounded marines while under fire. Beowulf and Schilt are perfect example of heroes since their loyalty, honor, and courage are undoubtedly heroic who saved the day for the betterment of society. Beowulf's valiant duties and overall courageous are due to his wanting to better his peers and society that he lives in. Throughout the epic, Beowulf fights demonic monsters like Grendel who takes lives with no remorse.

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Now, he uses Grendel’s magic sword doused in his blood and is ultimately victorious. This victory is, in essence, Beowulf’s entry into adulthood. He now faces complex choices and decisions. The war wounds and the fact that Beowulf is a mere mortal have awakened a deep sense of righteousness in the

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Do you consider Beowulf a hero? I consider him as a hero. Beowulf was always ready for a fight or to try to find a solution to the problem. He always made sure the town was okay and made it safe. Beowulf never lost a battle or never got disrespected.

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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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    Beowulf was courageous.   He fought many enemies and did not back down.   He felt encouraged to find Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon and kill them all.

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It however is not shown in the same way. Since Beowulf is seen as someone coming to save the town he is obviously seen as a stereotypical hero. He tries to save the not as capable like every other story hero, they kill the dragon to save the town, or fight the villain to get what is theirs. He looks to be doing the right thing. The heroism however is false because of his intentions.

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According to Google a hero is defined as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. Beowulf was portrayed as a true hero throughout the poem by fighting in many battles and protecting other people. After Beowulf's death

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Fifty years has passed since Beowulf defeated Grendel’s mother and a lot has changed. He is now the ruler of his own empire. His time as king is peaceful until a dragon emerges from its hole that he has been hiding in. The dragon creates havoc and burns down everything including Beowulf’s mead hall. For Beowulf, this is unacceptable and he gathers a few warriors to help kill the dragon.

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When battling Grendel’s mother, Beowulf’s weapon and armor began to fail him after “she ripped and … clawed at him”, leaving him defenseless to the “water-witch” (71). Any sane person would have retreated to fight another day, but Beowulf’s wish for fame and glory motivated him to find an alternative way to continue fighting. Also, even though others left him for dead, his power to overcome the impossible left everyone in awe, granting him even more respect than he already had. Did Beowulf expect the new fame? Most likely, since it was his main motivation.

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“It was a hard-fought, a desperate affair that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal” (76). Beowulf was a great hero and didn 't give up when things got tough. He would give his life to protect his people. “The treasure had been won, bought and paid for by Beowulf 's

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739 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf is motivated by glory, duty, and sacrifice to take on Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. He shows an inspiring amount of courage to fight all three deleterious monsters in his life. Even though glory is important to Beowulf, it isn't the most important aspect. The fact that Beowulf was able to conquer all three monsters is fortuitous. Beowulf knew he was expected to save the day for many of his followers, which at the end meant that sacrificing his life was

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Beowulf is confident enough in his abilities that he believes he can fight off Grendel with no weapons or armor. I believe Beowulf, in the time of this writing was truly seen as a hero. But in this day, I do not believe he is seen as a hero. Heroes today are seen as those who do things not for themselves and for the recognition, but to protect others. They do not brag about the abilities they have, they do not boast about their strength.

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