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Theme Of Hubris In Beowulf

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What are the qualities of a great leader? Confidence is typically one of the most common answers to this question, but when can confidence hurt instead of help? Hubris is defined as “extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character in a position of power that ultimately brings about his downfall.” It is a popular literary device used for characters who use their power to justify their own overestimation of their abilities to the point that they lose touch with reality. A character who exhibits hubris will go through any means possible to not lose their power in society. In the epic poem Beowulf, as well as in the play Macbeth, the protagonists gain the status of king through murder which makes them appear to be invincible because they are so …show more content…

However, in his time, this was an acceptable, and even notable means to becoming a hero. Once he became king he, like Macbeth, felt he was invincible which is why he decided he had to be the one to fight the Drake. Even early on in his heroic career when he goes to fight Grendel’s mother his hubris blinded him to the truth. Prior to their battle, “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death” (27). Because Beowulf was able to succeed in doing what no one before him could, defeating Grendel and his mother, his pride grew immensely throughout his life. The hubris came to its peak when it came time to fight back against the drake that had been terrorizing his …show more content…

Leaders in position of power like the King’s have to discover and maintain a fine balance between confidence and overconfidence. That fine line quite literally can be the difference between life or death. The issue of overconfidence in positions of power is directly reflected in the current politics in the United States. While it may not be life or death for the people in power, it does toe the line of keeping or losing their power. As well as, their decisions can very well be life or death for the people they are supposed to be protecting and ruling over. A leader must be able to have confidence without letting it prevent him from seeing the realities of ruling. Only then can they have a long, prosperous, and successful career in

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The authors use of the hero tradition is contradicted when we get a glimpse of Beowulf’s arrogance. During the final battle as Beowulf said his goodbyes to his followers, he humbly reassured them, “fate decides which of [them] wins,” showing now sound of arrogance (666-667). Beowulf is living up to the “hero” expectation in the citizens’ eyes; he is being selfless for this kingdom. However this role is not applicable for him just yet. His humility, that the other characterized for him, is overlooked as he states, “this dragon’s treasure, his gold and everything hidden in that tower will be mine,” showing his true intentions.

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Throughout the history of mankind there have been many books and stories written which preview a hero doing dangerous, epic deeds for the good of others. The same is true in the story of Beowulf, titled Beowulf. Beowulf was written by the Anglo Saxons by an unknown author. In the book Beowulf, Beowulf follows the role of the archetypal hero and fulfills it by going on epic quests to help, and save kingdoms. This is shown whenever Beowulf sets out to fight Grendel, an awful beast who is terrorizing Hrothgar’s kingdom.

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Beowulf: The Benevolent Hero “Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall, welcome my death!” That is the battle cry of the archetype of all heroes, Beowulf. Beowulf was a young man, a Geat, who was given the gift of superhuman strength to battle ferocious, evil monsters both on land and in the ocean. He hears of the horrible monster known as Grendel, who terrified the Danes through his trips to Herot, the mead-hall of the Danish king, Hrothgar, to kill more and more of Hrothgar’s men. Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel, but did he do it out of the motive to help Hrothgar and his people, or did he do it to gain more fame and popularity?

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Beowulf has lasted since around between five hundred to a thousand Current Era. Beowulf story has lived on through people telling the story and it being written. Beowulf was a strong, intelligent, kind, caring, brave, and noble man. The story has lived on because of the accomplishments of Beowulf. The story would not be told today if Beowulf had not killed those horrible creatures.

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Beowulf proves to be an archetypal hero in the book called Beowulf through a tremendous display of bravery, courage, leadership, and pride. The booke say that Beowulf “quickly commanded a boat fitted out, now when help was needed” (lns. 113-116). This is proclaiming that he would go to the famous king after hearing how Grendel had massacred the Danes. Beowulf seems as if he is eagerly waiting for a challenge when he stumble upon the news from Denmark.

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He strangled Grendel with his bare hands. He fought Grendel’s mother by himself with no hesitation and fought the dragon to the death but in doing so Beowulf gave his life for those he vowed to protect. Beowulf’s life story is a true epic hero that will be spoken for

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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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Wherever human beings are accumulated together in large numbers, they need leadership. Even a school needs a principle to mentor and escalate the school’s rank. Armies need generals to lead them to a courageous victory. Civilians need governments, captains of industry and intellectual leaders of thought as well. However, There are characteristics common to most great leaders that can be picked out.

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Beowulf declares that he “drove five great giants into chains, [and] chased all of that race from the Earth.” He is immensely overbearing at that point because he is too proud of his achievements. Being excessively prideful does not exactly label Beowulf as a hero. Beowulf assumes all of the courageous acts he fulfills will make him

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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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Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.

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In the story Beowulf, there are numerous moments of heroic actions. Although there are manycharacters that are looked upon as evil, Beowulf is not one of those. Beowulf demonstrates many heroic traits throughout the story such as strong-willingness and self-determination, strength and admiration, and honest, and for these reasons, I believe he should be classified as a hero. The majority of the time, heroes are very strong-willed and can push their selves to do what is best. Oftentimes they do not need someone to tell them they need to do something and they do notusually need someone to follow behind them to make sure they are making the good decision.

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