Beowulf has all of the characteristics of a hero. According to Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth, there are eight characteristics of a hero. Beowulf easily fulfills all eight and undoubtedly should be considered a hero. He puts his life on the line for an entire kingdom and has heroic and superhuman qualities. Beowulf recognized for his strengths and power of protecting his people. Beowulf came across three insurmountable tasks and conquered all three. Beowulf embodies and demonstrates the characteristics of a hero emphasizing leadership, bravery, and strength. According to Joseph Campbell a hero must give his or her life to something greater than themselves and must perform a courageous act either physically or spiritually. In Beowulf, …show more content…
Beowulf’s courageous act during this clash with Grendel arose when Beowulf, “flooded his (Grendel) mind with fear but nothing could take his talons and himself from his (Beowulf) tight grip” (327). This shows Beowulf’s courage of facing the proclaimed “Shepard of Evil” (325) head-on. In The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell states a hero must move out of conventional safety of their own life to undertake a journey and must have an achievement. Beowulf fulfills that trait with ease considering he was born to be extraordinary. In Beowulf, he swims out to open sea with a friend stating, “I swam in the blackness of the night, hunting monsters of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned” (251). Swimming out to sea to hunt monsters is undeniably considered moving out of conventional safety to undertake a journey. Beowulf’s achievement comes from, “I drove five great monsters into chains, chased all of the race from earth” (250). This is an accomplishment because Beowulf has taken away their capability to sabotage the earth, possibly saving many human lives. Beowulf proves through his entire life that he has all of the characteristics of a hero. Each trait according to Joseph Campbell is fulfilled by Beowulf. Overall, a hero is a person with distinguished qualities who goes against adversity to commit good deeds despite what could happen to them. A hero is a person who provides out of honor, bravery, and duty, not for
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.” (1-3) These lines show that courage is seen as a type of greatness. If Beowulf would have not been blessed with the courage that he has, the kingdom would not have viewed him the same way as a hero. It takes a lot of courage to be brave enough to stand up to a demon that has been terrorizing a kingdom for twelve years. Luckily, Beowulf had this courage and defeated Grendel which made him a
Beowulf showed bravery when he had heard that king Hrothgar was in trouble and went to help the king immediately. Beowulf came to help the king on his own free will. He knew that he was going to be fighting a monster. So that made him brave because everyone else was scared of the monster Grendel. Grendel had taken over Herot for 12 long years, so this was bewoulf time to show his bravery and defeat him.
There have been epic stories about saints and fearless pioneers who bring down shrewdness and convey peace to the general population in which they reside, Beowulf follows this traditional concept. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most essential work of Old English writing. The epic recounts the account of a saint, a sovereign named Beowulf, who frees the Danes of the beast Grendel and recounts his brave demonstrations battling Grendel 's mom. All through the epic, the Anglo-Saxon story teller utilizes numerous components to construct profundity to the characters. Only a couple of the essential character components in Beowulf are Wealth and Honor, Biblical, and Man versus Wild topics.
Qualities of a Hero: Beowulf Vs. Achilles A hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In the story Beowulf, a brave, strong-willed man battles an atrocious monster named Grendel. Grendel is born evil, and it physically pains him to experience any type of joy or happiness.
Traits of a Hero What truly is a hero? How is a hero defined? A standard dictionary would define a hero as, “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. ” We will examine and compare three “heroes” from a range of classic tales and novels. These include Beowulf from the epic poem Beowulf, Duke Theseus from The Knight’s Tale, and Sir Gawain from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
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.
Beowulf The Anglo-Saxon Hero A typical hero is someone who is known to be very powerful and have unusual traits that no human being can withstand. They use their powers as an advantage to fight any crime and to protect humans from the bad. However, a hero can be characterized in two different ways; an epic hero or an Anglo-Saxon hero.
Beowulf Beowulf is a story of a hero who seems to defy false hope. A hero is a person of distinguished courage who has admirable qualities/abilities, which are exemplified through their acts. Beowulf illustrates the idea that humans can exceed the norm and combat with human evil and fears. There are three virtues that Beowulf personified: loyalty, courage and faith. Loyalty was one of the most important qualities a man could have in Beowulf's time period.
Most heroes are commonly described as handsome and strong, almost as if they look like a God; and because of that, some are even treated as if they are royalty. Unfortunately, some heroes abuse their fame and are overtaken with self-pride or hubris. Even though both protagonists in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf vary in personality, both characters are defined as heroes based on their heroic deeds. In the story Beowulf, the hero is described as a leader who risks his life for the good of his people and kingdom, someone who shows bravery, strength, and exemplifies a great amount of generosity and love for his people.
Yes, Beowulf is brave, but not because he wants to do the right thing, he wants gold and glory. Beowulf is known as a great hero and on the surface he is. He seems to be brave and just but underneath that, Beowulf is extremely arrogant and egotistical. Beowulf does not just do things for they are the right thing to do, he does them seeing that great deeds will bring him honor and boost his reputation. He fights Grendel for bragging rights like the swimming contest Unferth brought up and he refuses to use a sword when fighting Grendel because it will just add to his bravery.
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.”
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.
" When he went up against Grendel and Grendel's Mother (Prentice Hall , sland 55 ) . Beowulf is a courageous individual since he battled through a progression of trials and was successful over them
The definition of a true hero is very subjective as people have their own opinions on what makes someone a hero. Some people might consider someone who does the right thing a hero, for some it may be people who fight for their country. The characteristics of a hero might vary, but in the epic “Beowulf,” Beowulf is sought out to be the hero because of three main traits; his noble cause, code of honor, and his strength and courage. Each of these traits makes up the hero he is portrayed to be. One of the first qualities described in the epic is the act of a noble cause.
Christopher Reeves once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Although Beowulf was human, he was not an ordinary individual, hero, or king, for he was a man who displayed superhuman qualities in his efforts to protect the Danish and Geatish people. Beowulf, who was established Geatish warrior that spent his life in battle, showed these extraordinary characteristics that made him an epic hero, one who possesses superhuman, almost god-like qualities. Being constantly on a quest, risking his life for glory and the greater good of society, and being superiorly intelligent, courageous and strong are the three most important reasons why Beowulf deserves such a notable