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The Epic Of Beowulf

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Fighter of dragons and other magical creatures alike, the story of Beowulf is often, at times, considered to not be an epic by some people. However, there are those who believe that the story is in fact an epic. A story including Prelude and forty-one chapters, the story does follow all of the characteristics of an epic. Beowulf focuses mainly on the exploits of a hero, takes place in a vast setting, and contains superhuman feats including strength and military prowess.

Most epics have focused on the exploits of a hero or, a demi-god. Beowulf, being the hero of this story showed how much this was true. To exploit means “a bold or daring feat” according to the Oxford Dictionaries. Like many protagonists in any story, they are the hero. …show more content…

Every time Beowulf happens to fight with someone it’s with one of the three antagonists of the story; Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the Dragon. When facing Grendel in the mead hall, he shows his strength when they start to wrestle around the hall, Beowulf has a hold of Grendel and makes him want to get away from Beowulf. Beowulf then ripped Grendel’s arm off and hung it high in the hall, while Grendel ran off slowly dying, so everyone would see it in the morning. We also see some more of Beowulf’s strength when he goes to battle Grendel’s mother in her lair. This battle involves losing his sword which he thought would kill the mother, and tossing her to the floor with little to no energy when “anger doubled his strength,” stated in lines 510 and 511 on page 54. When Beowulf finally notices the sword on the wall he, is able to grab it and cut her throat clean through. Through all the years that the story of Beowulf has been told or read, people discuss whether it is an epic or just another story. Some like to argue that it does not follow all the characteristics of an epic and others believe it follows them and even adds more. Beowulf by far follows the characteristics of an epic with the uses of exploiting a hero, taking place in a vast setting, and focuses on the strength and military prowess that can be

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