Beowulf Epic Hero Essay

He had defeated the monstrous Grendel which would typically be not so easy to do, but it was for him. Grendel was out to destroy the Danes. Beowulf had put together a well thought-out plan and waited for him to step into Heorot before he attacked him. He was also going in without any weapons in order to make the fight fair since Grendel would not have any. As Grendel first stepped into the Heorot he had tore a man to shreds.

Beowulf the static character Beowulf mesmerizes anyone he encounters with his ability to accomplish impossible tasks. From fighting monsters underneath the deep blue sea to competing with gods in impossible competitions, he never ceases to amaze people all around the world. Because of his inability to lose or fail in battle, his arrogant personality remains stagnant throughout the story. For example, early on in Beowulf 's life, Grendel becomes known across the land for his tremendously evil strength and might. He needed to be stopped because of the damage he caused to the people of Hrothgar yet no one could stand up to his immense strength.

To prove, there are many situations that Beowulf displays this characteristic throughout the poem. For example, when he hears of the Danes being terrorized by Grendel, he immediately decides to help them. Although, he is risking his own life to help an entire other kingdom. Obviously, this demonstrates that Beowulf is selfless. In addition, he travels to kill Grendel's mother alone.

The poem, Beowulf, illustrates an epic hero who defeats many beasts and overcomes intricate obstacles. The battle’s that he experiences are different from each other, although they also have very similar aspects. In addition, they respectively symbolize an important lesson to Beowulf and the reader. By comparing and contrasting each fight, one will be able to have a better understanding of the overall theme of the poem and have a deeper appreciation for the gallant warrior.

““ Wait here for me for two days and two nights. If I do not come back to you before the times has passed, then I shall be dead and lost forever and do not risk your lives coming to look for me””(Nye 64-65). Without any hesitation Beowulf establish himself to go into the black mysterious fen alone to fight Her(Grendel’s mom). He worries and concerns about his soldiers’ lives, and he decides to stand out to risk his death instead of the others coming with him. ““I will go against the Firedrake,” he said...

Beowulf truly springs into action in these chapters, performing such feats as have never been accomplished in the twelve years Hrothgar’s hall has been erected. Beowulf defeats Grendel in one night in an epic battle where Beowulf’s fast-becoming legendary grip tears off his arm. King Hrothgar is gracious with his savior, providing him feasts and glory such as any warrior would envy. This then could be considered essentially the quintessential aspiration/penultimate goal of a warrior’s life-to perform a feat that guarantees future recognition. Beowulf has been gifted with strength and it provides a perfect spotlight that none can compete with.

Beowulf and Grendel have quite a few differences and similarities, but deep down they both have a good heart. Beowulf is an exceptional example of strength, courage or honor, and loyalty, which are the three pillars of the hero’s code. Through his strength he was able to accomplish many achievements during his life time, one of which included defeating Grendel. When facing Grendel for the first time, after no one else had succeeded in defeating him, Beowulf was extremely courageous and

Beowulf is strong, honorable, rules justly, noble by birth, courageous, and exhibits supernatural forces. Beowulf is strong and is known to possess a power greater than any normal force. He shows his super strength when he defeats the sea serpents, rips off Grendel’s head, and

In the epic poem “Beowulf” the character Beowulf is the foundation for all of our modern heroes, but was he really a great hero? A hero is classified as a person who is admired for their bravery, achievements, or nobility. Although Beowulf displays all these qualities, there are several reasons he is not a hero, mainly him being egotistical and arrogant. This is why Beowulf is not a heroic person. Beowulf is often caught bragging about himself and his great accomplishments.

The Webster's definition of a hero is “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities”, this also happens to be one of the qualifications of being an epic hero. There are many things that can be used to compare and contrast Beowulf as an epic hero and a modern day hero, but you’ll find that the human idea of a hero was primarily the same in 700 CE as it is now although the job descriptions of hero’s have changed. In today’s time a person is usually considered a hero if they help the public good, like a police officer, soldier, firefighter and so on. In Beowulf’s time a person was considered a hero if they were a great warrior. When looking at the characteristics of what makes Beowulf an epic hero and the characteristics

Beowulf illustrates the heroic code that holds very highly the values of not only fortitude, valor, and devotion, but also hospitality and generosity in its leaders. You can see this code demonstrated when Beowulf decides to fight Grendel unarmed as Grendel

Beowulf, the distinct hero in this epic poem, was adorned by many, was a strong and very loyal character, and could do what a normal man could not. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons but so massive no ordinary man could life its carved and decorated length…” “...And struck with all the strength he had left, caught her neck and cut it through, broke bones and all.” (Raffel, 37). Beowulf was almost conquered by Grendel’s mother, but his intuition, strength, and skill all played a role in his success over her.

Throughout time a few things haven’t changed in storytelling, heroes being one of them. Every great story has a hero of some sort, the thing that has changed is how our beloved heroes are looked at and how the act. There is the Epic Hero, who focuses on glory, the Romantic Hero, whose drive is love, the Tragic Hero, who ends up dying for a cause, and the Postmodern Hero, who is a hero but doesn’t understand why. In the poem Beowulf written by The Beowulf Poet, the hero is classified as an Epic Hero.

The character Beowulf has all of the characteristics that an epic hero should have. In the Epic Hero PowerPoint, Belinda Jones says: “He has 12 main characteristics: they must look like a hero, they must be noble, famous, strong, courageous, humble, prideful, thick-skinned, self-sacrificing, faithful, focused, be a leader, and have a tragic flaw” (Jones 3). An epic hero must have all 12 characteristics or they are not an epic hero. If someone has all 12 characteristics that an epic hero is supposed to have, they can start their hero’s journey. One example that suggests that Beowulf has courage and supernatural strength would be when he stabs the dragon, landing a fatal wound.

In particular, Beowulf’s action of traveling to the land of the Danes to save them from Grendel and his mother is a noble act. However, the motive of this decision is fueled by the hero’s desire for greed, fame, and power. After returning from his quest, Beowulf informs his king, Hygelac, “‘Thus the king acted with due custom. I was paid and recompensed completely, given full measure and the freedom to choose from Hrothgar's treasures by Hrothgar himself’” (Heaney 2144-2149).