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Qualities Of A Hero In Beowulf And Sir Gawain

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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. The first trait of a hero we will look at is leadership. All three heroes showed leadership in some way in each of their respective tales. Beowulf showed leadership throughout his story by taking charge against the monster Grendel. Grendel had been terrorizing a distant land, by eating people, for twelve years. The people of the land called upon Beowulf to help. He ventured to the land willingly but was very prideful at first. After slaying Grendel, Beowulf reigned as king and still showed great leadership even into his old age. He finally was killed on his final quest to slay a dragon. Duke Theseus demonstrated leadership in a much different way. As the story went, his …show more content…

Beowulf demonstrated this trait as well all throughout his tale. After killing Grendel, before Beowulf was king, Beowulf’s work was done. He had finished what he set out to do. The land he saved wasn’t even his home land, so he didn’t really have any obligation to stay. When Grendel’s mom showed up to avenge her son, Beowulf could have traveled home and left the people of the land to deal with the beast. Instead, he remained loyal and hunted down Grendel’s mother. He killed her. Duke Theseus showed loyalty after the battle was over. The man that had won his sister-in-law was killed in an unfortunate event. Before that man died, he asked that his opponent marry the woman. King Theseus respected the man’s wish and made sure it was carried out. Sir Gawain showed loyalty by facing the Green Knight for his friends and family no matter the

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What makes a person a hero? What defines a person as an outcast? The novel Beowulf is filled with both action packed heros and vengeful outcast. The definition of a hero is a person admired for bravery, great achievements, or good qualities (citation).

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Beowulf shares the same traits with as many other heroes I know about. For example, Beowulf 's willpower can be compared with Henry Cavill 's Superman (Man of Steel). In Beowulf: "The Battle with the Dragon", Beowulf battled the dragon and he noticed that his weapons started to fail him and that he was weakened by his age. In spite of that, Beowulf 's willpower enabled him to continue fighting the dreadful beast. Eventually, after his ally Wiglaf provided Beowulf with some assistance, he was able to break through and deliver the killing blow to the dragon.

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In modern day, a hero is typically a person who is revered and appreciated for making or attempting to make a difference in the world. Qualities a hero may have are: integrity, leadership, strength, confidence, courage, and humility. These qualities have allowed and equipped men and women to fight for freedom, human rights, equality, and education. Although Malcolm X and Beowulf existed centuries apart and faced different adversities, they both share the heroic traits of courage and leadership. The epic hero Beowulf and the modern day hero Malcolm X both share the heroic characteristic of courage.

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Beowulf was a great leader who was loved and respected by his people. He built them a mead hall showing his affection towards them and showing he is grateful to be their leader. These type of acts help show he is a leader of great compassion and honor. Gilgamesh is also a great leader of his country, but was not good to his people. He was smart and powerful and lead his country into prosperity.

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The story tells of many characters who faced the same circumstances as Beowulf, yet failed to respond in a similar and valiant effort, like Beowulf. For example, when facing the dragon nearly all of his hand picked soldiers coward in fear. Beowulf then showed humility by turning down his first offer to be king. When Hrothgar died, he offered Beowulf the throne; however, he refused, which allowed the rightful heir, Hrothgar’s son to be placed into power. This decision exemplifies the value he placed on ethics and honor.

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Later he met the Green Knight and plans for his death by decapitation. The Green Knight knows of the Green scarf and what his wife asked of him. The knight barley scraps Gawain and then he confronts him about the scarf. Sir Gawain learns that the husband was actually the Green Knight, and he was taught the importance of integrity and

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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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In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.

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An epic hero is an individual who must evoke a sense of heroism through legendary and inspiring deeds (Merriam-Webster). These heroes of tragedy have the ability to determine their own fortune due to the amount of admired characteristics they possess. However, the ideals of an epic hero are constantly fluctuating due to the ever changing ideals of society. Although the characteristics of an epic hero are under constant modification, Beowulf is still an effective modern-day hero due to his acts of courage, compassion, and dedication in relation to his people. Courage can be defined as any individual possessing moral or mental strength in the face of physical pain or indescribable hardship (Personalitytutor).

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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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A hero does not fight for fame and glory but for the greater good. A hero is someone who goes through adversity to help others in desperate times. A hero fights evil, and defends people. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he is a strong, brave warrior who defended his people and slayed evil monsters. Beowulf proves himself to be a strong, brave warrior by killing Grendel the monster.

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Not only have we seen brute strength, honorable courage, and admirable loyalty shine through beowulf, Beowulf also possess a great trait not many others have; his will to fight to the death, or self sacrifice. Not once throughout the story did Beowulf ever turn down a battle. Not once did he fear or flee his enemy. Not once did he ever give up even if death had him by the throat causing his mind to flood nothing but fearful thoughts and feelings throughout his body. Every battle Beowulf fought, he fought as if it was his last and that is what truly makes him the great warrior he is.

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I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me." (52) To Beowulf, even as an older and supposedly wiser man, his main reason for fighting monsters continues to be to gain more fame. Other heroes, like Gilgamesh and Odysseus, usually do heroic deeds to help their kingdoms and men. For example, Gilgamesh kills the heavenly bull to avoid a famine from wrecking his kingdom, while Odysseus works to save his men throughout the story multiple times. Loyalty towards himself before anyone or anything else, is one of the qualities that separates Beowulf from other traditional heroes.

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Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.

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What is a hero? The definition of hero is; “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Many people have different definitions of a hero, some people see them as that one person who you never see, who hides in the shadows and you would never think of them as a hero. However, he/she could be someone who is always out there looking to protect someone. Most people put heroes in categories such as; rich, famous, caring, and selfless and most of all, brave.

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