“In Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, to be a hero was to be a warrior. A hero had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous” (Dogra 79). Furthermore, he had to be an honorable warrior who did not cower at the thought of an impossible battle. Rather, he trudged forward, prepared to the rattle cages of the strongest, evilest, and most damnable villains known to men. He personifies strength, loyalty, and bravery. A hero is no mere man. He exceeds mortal capacity and indulges in extraordinary. Thus, Beowulf is a hero because he represents the characteristics-strength, loyalty, and bravery- of an honorable warrior. Beowulf is the quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero because his strength is unparalleled (Dogra 80). This is evident through the fact he tears Grendel limb to limb even though Grendel is described as an incredibly strong monster. Although, some believe Beowulf’s inhuman strength nullifies his hero status seeing as how it makes him …show more content…
He exemplifies this loyalty through his battle with Grendel considering he defeats Grendel as a method to repay his father’s debt to Hrothgar. Furthermore, even 50 years later when the Dragon was terrorizing his own land, Beowulf continued to fight to protect his people. These actions of self-sacrifice for the common good further prove that Beowulf is a hero or honorable warrior because they relate directly to the portrayal of Christ in the “Dream of the Rood,” a character many distinguishable scholars have claimed provide a powerful description of a hero and savior due to his self-sacrifice (Dogra 80). On the contrary, some might say that Beowulf is not a hero because he is selfish. Those who say this would rely on the excerpt of Beowulf where he watches Grendel tear apart his men to learn Grendel’s fighting patterns. In retrospect, this seems selfish and egotistical, but placing the safety of one person above the community often leads to larger sacrifice in the
Beowulf qualifies as a hero in his own way he has his own strengths and does not exactly follow campell’s way of the hero. Beowulf is a warrior that has defeated many beasts and men alike with his bare hands alone. He has never been defeated by any beast , Beowulf is the ultimate hero , although he does not exactly follow cambell’s way of the hero, he still manages to maintain some of the same characteristics. Beowulf crossed the first threshold by hearing about grendal and then sets off on his journey to go defeat the beast.
However, in What is a Hero? by P. Apolinario, we learn that heroes are humans, cultural, display strengths and weaknesses, save others, and help society survive and thrive. When Beowulf first enters Danes, he is acknowledged with “You’re Beowulf, are you – the same boastful fool who fought a swimming match” (239-241). Beowulf is the average person that may be considered a hero. He is noticed for his ordinary trials, no extraordinary achievement. When “each warrior tried to escape [Grendel]” (54-54), Beowulf remained willing to do the job.
When people are in trouble he finds out where they are and he goes to help them out no matter what the problem is he will fight till the end when if he is hurt and can barely fight. Batman and Beowulf are hero’s in society because they will both risk their lives to save innocent people that need help no matter where you are they will always know if good or bad is around due to their superhuman strength. In conclusion I
Beowulf showed the characteristic of loyalty. To be loyal you have to be reliable and you have to be very trustful. Beowulf shows loyalty when he says,“ I sought out Hrothgar, first,came to him in his hall;/When Healfdane's famous son heard/That I’d come to challenge Grendel,he gave me/A seat of honor alongside his son”(Beowulf 322-24). This shows loyalty to Hrothgar because he came to him to tell him he will fight Grendel and kill him, and he wanted to do it alone because he did not want anyone getting hurt. He did it for the safety of his people, and he stayed true to his word and killed Grendel.
Again, Beowulf, even in his old age, stands up with his men to fight and protect his kingdom from a great dragon. Although he dies in this battle, Beowulf’s courage and heroic actions are celebrated by his people. A hero is someone willing to stand for others with courage, and one who does not allow fear to prevent them from helping others. Heroes are the ones that will put their lives on the line for family, friends, or strangers even if they are afraid.
In the Anglo-Saxon culture a hero was a warrior. Beowulf depicts the adventures of a remarkably brave, larger-than-life hero who demonstrates almost superhuman abilities in battling monstrous opponents. Through Beowulf’s strength, bravery, and, loyalty he exemplifies the archetype of a perfect hero. The heroes of Anglo-Saxon period were best defined as honorable warriors.
The actions Beowulf takes throughout the story prove he is a hero. By willingly helping the king with an issue he could not conquer, dealing with the consequences of his actions in the form of Grendel’s mother, and sacrificing himself for the good of his kingdom,
Even if we take into the time period in which it was written, Beowulf is not the shining hero he
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.”
Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.
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.
Beowulf is motivated by glory, duty, and sacrifice to take on Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. He shows an inspiring amount of courage to fight all three deleterious monsters in his life. Even though glory is important to Beowulf, it isn't the most important aspect. The fact that Beowulf was able to conquer all three monsters is fortuitous. Beowulf knew he was expected to save the day for many of his followers, which at the end meant that sacrificing his life was
Emily Festavan Mrs. Morris English Advanced 12- 6th period 4 December 2017 Beowulf is Not a Hero Beowulf is characterized as a hero but he uses these qualities wrong making him not a hero. An epic hero is supposed to have seven traits such as: noble birth, strength and courage, warrior, adventure, heroism, humility, and faces supernatural. Beowulf possess these traits but his actions do not show him as a hero. What Beowulf says and does speaks louder than him just being characterized as a hero. Beowulf is not a hero because he is conceited, seeks pride and self-glorification, and thinks he is more superior than others.
Beowulf is telling us that he doesn’t value the lives of his citizen, but instead values glory and is willing to fight for it. In the end, Beowulf slays the dragon but paid his life as the price. In conclusion, Beowulf would be considered a great warrior, but not a hero. Although Beowulf accomplished many heroic deeds he never did any of them for the right reasons. Therefore, Beowulf is not a hero, but only a warrior who values renown and rewards.
I believe the idea of heroism from the time of Beowulf to now have changed drastically. In the time of Beowulf and the writing of Beowulf, a hero was seen as someone who had attributions such as bravery, honor, value, and arrogance. As we see many of these ideas in Beowulf himself, especially arrogance. You often hear throughout the reading that Beowulf always speaks highly of himself. He claims that he is the only one that has the ability to defeat Grendel.