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Humility In Beowulf

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Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf is an old epic poem in which the protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats come to the aid of Hrothgar, king of Danes, whose great hall, Heorot is plagued by the monster name Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel’s mom with a giant sword and later becomes the king of Geats. Then after a period of fifty years, he defeats the dragon but is mortally wounded in the battle and dies. After his death, his attendants burn his body him in the huge funeral pyre and then bury him. Hero is the person who is admired and idealized for his courage, outstanding achievements, noble qualities, and is good in the opinion of others. Anglo-Saxon people find great honor in warfare and warfare is their primary motivation …show more content…

People during the Anglo-Saxon period tried to boast of their powers while trying to have a sense of wisdom and lack of humility like Beowulf and we see that lack of humility before his fight with Grendel when he states “When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield to mow him down, easily as I might” (677-680). Beowulf boast of his own abilities saying that he don’t need any weapons and he can fight with bare hands which shows lack of humility in him for Grendel. Anglo-Saxon belief that the memory of heroism is only available to an adventurer through his death, but a loss of humility can weaken a hero like we saw with Beowulf during his fight with Grendel’s mom when he must steal a blade from her wall because his own sword is useless. “Then he saw a blade that blooded well, a sword in her armoury, an ancient heirloom from the days of the giants, an ideal weapon, one that any warrior would envy” (1557-1560). Beowulf lack of humility for Grendel’s mom cost him this time and he has to use someone else’s sword to kill his enemy instead of his own, with who he killed huge sea creatures and Grendel. Humility nearly antagonize what courage is, but they both are equally important and go hand in hand in any super heroes life whether it’s today or during Anglo-Saxon period. Humility is an honorable trait that can be acquired only through age and

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This trait shows courage because it shows that beowulf is very powerful just by his strength alone without no weapons. To sum it up beowulf won over his fame by showing that he will never fear anyone and believing only on

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Emerson has stated the basics for heroism, and Beowulf follows them effortlessly. One of the characteristics Emerson states is having self-trust and confidence. Beowulf shows his confidence when he says, “The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then,/Foeman with Foeman.” Grendel does not use weapons and kills with his bare hands, and Beowulf is stating that he’s confident enough to fight the same way. Another quality trait Emerson talks about would be bravery; Beowulf shows bravery when he tells Hrothgar that he has defeated many beasts before, and will do so again with Grendel.

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The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.

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Thesis: The role of the Anglo-Saxon Hero in Beowulf represents and defines the values of strength, intelligence, selfness, and courage. Beowulf himself models the culture of the Anglo-Saxon hero, as he is willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for their glory and people I. Strength and physical appearance A. Strength is clearly an important characteristic of heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture and heroic code. 1. The beginning of the story Beowulf is described as having the strength of "thirty men" in just one of his arms. 2.

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Beowulf from Beowulf has very few things about him that are not chivalrous. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero and the Anglo-Saxon ideal of being strong, fearless, bold and loyal. One example of Beowulf being a chivalrous warrior is his bravery and courage. The evil demon Grendel has been terrorizing Herot for the past 12 years, so Beowulf wants to try and defeat him. When he arrives in Denmark Wulfgar greets him by saying “My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me to tell you that he knows of your noble birth and that having come bravely and are welcome.”

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A hero encompasses traits such as humility, bravery, valor, loyalty, and skill. These characteristics have been valued from the time of Beowulf’s culture to the present. One heroic attribute that is especially valued in culture today is humility. This characteristic of humility is frequently associated with the hero Harry Potter because Harry does not care about his title of “the chosen one” (Rowling 436). Even though Beowulf has humble qualities, Harry Potter represents his culture through humility more so than Beowulf because Potter does not care about his title.

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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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Beowulf reveals an act of arrogance throughout the epic poem Beowulf; therefore, it makes him an irrelevant hero. Beowulf claimed “that he needs no weapons and fears none” when fighting the monster. Stating that he can defeat a monster with his bare hands makes Beowulf very boastful. This quality of boastfulness expresses Beowulf’s thoughts on heroism. He only did heroic deeds for his desire.

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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.”

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