A brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Commonly epic heroes have superior strength, have strong love for their people, are fearless of death, and are very ethical people. The epic poem Beowulf describes a heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is almost invincible person with all the unseeming traits required of an epic hero. Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero who is a representative of his time because of his superhuman strength, his strong love for the people, his fearless of death, and his will to travel great distances for people he doesn’t know.
He is the ruler of his own kingdom now. One day a thief tries to steal gold from within a cave. Little does he know that a fierce dragon guards this gold filled treasure trove. Once again, and for the last time, Beowulf is charged with a quest. Beowulf shows no fear in saying “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles” (607-608) as well as stating, “I will fight again, and seek fame still” (609-610).
Epically Epic Heroes In the oldest written Epic Poem, Beowulf, the main character is an epic hero. Beowulf, who came from great distances to defeat a supernatural being, shows many signs of what exactly a hero embodies. Today’s modern society has an epic hero, JJ Watt, who plays for the Houston Texans football team. Both him and Beowulf show signs for what is an epic hero for today’s society.
Quickly, he cut the beast in half, slit it apart.” (Chapter 35 & 37) As we can see, this evidence demonstrates the way Beowulf was not willing to give up, he was willing to do whatever it took to take the dragon down and protect the people at all costs. Although Beowulf does not have the same strength and abilities as he used to, he will forever protect the safety of others before himself ultimately leading to his death, in which Beowulf died as a hero and he did it for the prosperity of the people and so that they would not have to live in a constant terror of being slaughtered. Furthermore, this paragraph helps explain how Beowulf will always be a true leader no matter his age, this is because he fought a dragon knowing he did not have the same potential as he did before, which showed how much he cared for the safety of the people eventually leading to his death. In conclusion, I believe that Beowulf will forever be a
As the story progress, Beowulf became king of the Geats for 50 years when suddenly a dragon emerged from slumber began to burn down villages. However, Beowulf didn’t pay the slightest attention, but instead ignored what was happening. Finally, when the dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne room Beowulf decided that he needs to deal with the dragon. In Beowulf 's eyes, the lives of his citizens couldn’t even compare to his throne room. When Beowulf prepared to fight the dragon he said, “Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (lines 2512-2514).
Beowulf Beowulf is about a man, that is brave, loyal and will risk his life to protect and save other’s lives before lives before his. That is why Beowulf is a heroic figure in my eyes. Anyone willing to put others lives before theirs deserves to be praised as a God like figure. Beowulf symbolizes Bravery, Strength and a true hero. The dragon symbolizes death.
To be considered an epic hero, one must not only exhibit acts of courage but also perform acts of being superhuman. Beowulf, known for his great feats of strength, is considered to be one of the greatest epic heros of all time. He posses all the qualifications necessary for him to be categorized as being an epic hero. What does it take to be an Epic hero? It's a name given to few.
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).
Beowulf makes known that “no man but [himself] could hope to defeat this monster, [and] no one could try.” Beowulf wants to have this fight all to himself, so he can take all of the glory. He is too selfish to conclude that only he could defeat the monster alone. Beowulf cannot be thought of as a hero because “Beowulf only longed for fame.” Beowulf does not perform heroic deeds just to save the citizens, but to receive more admiration from the citizens.
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.
A wise man named Samuel Butler once said ,``The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance. Does having too much pride trap or serve us? Some believe that having a healthy self-worth means taking pride in the achievements we make. But if value is linked to our self-image or accomplishments then it is built on a tenuous foundation. Pride is a characteristic proven to prevent us from acknowledging our vulnerabilities as a human.
Dillon Williamson Ms. J. Weaver English 4 20 October 2017 Beowulf All epic heroes overcome powerful forces that arise from their particular ways of life. Grendel was like the people who invaded the Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf came to help people in need from monsters. The Anglo-Saxons protected and fought for their people, like in the story Beowulf protected his people, Beowulf in the story said “lord of all life has never watched me wash my sword in blood born of my own family.”
He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer.
In the story Beowulf they make Beowulf out to be the hero. I believe that he is the hero because of his way that he presents himself when he gets to as his crewmen walked off the boat and they looked bad in clothes Beowulf looked very nice and very manly other than his crewmen looked bad and also he was a hero because he was the only one to come to and help the town. Defeating the monsters which was mother dragon and the last reason that he was considered a hero because after all the monsters he killed he decided to give all of the gold and supplies that he won from the battle with the monsters to all the people in herot and also he was reconized as a hero because he let God decide his Faith during the battle with the monsters.
"He gave Herdred all his support, offering an open heart where Higlac's young son could see wisdom he still lacked himself: warmth and goodwill were what Beowulf brought his new king. " This shows Beowulf's loyalty to Higlac his late King, and to his family. Beowulf would not be dishonorable by taking what wasn't rightfully his; he would rather stand by Higlac's son and teach him all he knows. Beowulf is the hero to his King's son and country, by staying loyal and having honor.
