Beowulf: The Archetypal Hero

Beowulf, the epic tale of a Danish society plagued by evil beasts, reveals many thought-provoking and admirable character traits of the main character and hero, Beowulf. Firstly, he shows chivalry through his interactions and actions towards the king of Heorot, showing him the respect and honor he deserved. Secondly, he demonstrates bravery in all battles above and beyond the standard of the times and the standard of his fellow fighters. He owes his bravery in part to his seemingly immeasurable strength, having more power in each fist than that of thirty men. Lastly, he demonstrates a trait that applies to people for his time and ours, pride.

Beloved Beowulf…” Pg81, King Hrothgar to Beowulf These two quotes are essential to the story of Beowulf, as it describes Beowulf’s sincere character, his valor and loyalty to those he meets. The quotes above carry themselves throughout the story, as our protagonist proves again and again that his good nature, and incorruptible character is faithful to the end. Beowulf retained that personality, while still remaining a noble warrior in the battlefield, slaying hundreds upon hundreds of those who threaten his homeland. And when the dragon awoke from his slumber among riches, and terrorized people of Beowulf’s land with torrents of dragon fire, Beowulf took it upon himself to end the dragon where it stood, instead of having further

Each of these major parts have smaller steps within them that are parts of a task the hero takes on. Now Beowulf is of course the hero of the story. He goes out and volunteers to fight Grendel for the Danes who had been dealing with him for twelve years nonstop. Beowulf also goes and defeats Grendel’s mother when she awakens from her den and tries to avenge her son.

For being a king, Loving, Beowulf is a great warrior, his very confident to fight to the monster, but his weaknesses when he see the beautiful girl under the sea, the girl pretend for being a innocent, in an evil side, Beowulf begged, and in loved her, and also when she came to the island, under the king hrothgar, his concern for the people live there. And when he is already a king, she love for the queen, and the other girl, so that when the dragon, came over the village, Beowulf do their best, to secure the queen, his wife, and the village in safe,. Brave and Good warrior, we recover much of what happens during his gap and therefore are able to see how Beowulf comforts himself as both as a warrior and a king, when the final episode, by encountering the dragon, we seen as the responsibilities of a king, who must act for the good of the people, and not just his own glory, he serve and give his life to put away his wife and queen to the dangers. Differ from those of the heroic warrior, his attitudes and characters as a warrior still…

He was very loyal to his dad’s old friend, and people that crossed his path. Beowulf takes pride in his killings and battles. He does not let one thing bring him down; he comes back unashamed and 10 times harder. Beowulf is a hero because of his strong mind, perseverance and the will power he always carried. Beowulf is described as a monster eating warrior.

After Beowulf wins the battle he passes on the treasure realizing his death is near. His legacy lives on after he asks for a tower so people can tell his story and remember

After Beowulf is defeated, the narrator includes the major theme that greed can kill even the noblest of men; a lesson exemplified by the hero’s life and death. Beowulf’s avarice motivated him to the point of recklessness and his own

The poem beowulf is known for a strong creature that protects Herot from Grendel also challenged to a dragon to show his techniques. In the poem beowulf there is many different themes one theme that beowulf uses is courage. Beowulf shows that he does not fear anything and can overcome

Beowulf has a tendency to show off how essential and valuable he is to those around him by boasting in his past triumphs such as when he says, “They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes” (Beowulf 419-422). Beowulf gives accounts of his heroic exploits to the

In Beowulf, the themes of liberation and sacrifice can be seen in Beowulf’s heroic narrative. Believed to be sent by God to rescue the people of Heorot, Beowulf not only serves as their warrior, but their protector from every evil that threatens their land. Beowulf sacrifices his own life to save the people, accepting his own death at the hands of the dragon. The themes of sacrifice and liberation are major themes in Beowulf, as seen through Beowulf’s willingness to defeat Grendel at Heorot and willingness to die fighting the dragon. Beowulf is first introduced as a liberator when he defeats Grendel and restores Danish power at Heorot.

In the beginning, Beowulf was introduced as a young and powerful warrior whose heroism is defined by his great strength.

Beowulf had done the unthinkable—he had killed a demon that no warrior of Denmark could have done. This opened several new doors for Beowulf, including one that promised of honor, glory, and riches. Beowulf had achieved his goal of fame, a goal which had created a poem of a hero that birthed and shaped a story to be told even years later. Furthermore, Beowulf’s fame was set in stone by Hrothgar, the king who owed Beowulf his everything, including his thanks. After giving Beowulf the speech to further glorify his prominence, Hrothgar declares, “Glory is now yours/

The story of Beowulf isn’t just any ordinary story, but a story that has been told for centuries. A story of a hero who’s legacy has been told for so long. Beowulf’s life shows the characteristics of a true epic hero. He showed bravery, he used his strength against his enemies and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people.

“And so it turned out. Each of us swam holding a sword, A naked, hard-proofed blade for protection Against the whale-beasts”(Heaney 540). In this excerpt Beowulf describes his one on one competition with a good friend to see who was the better swimmer. In this competition, even though Beowulf technically lost the competition, he swam for five days with a sword and armor, and in these five days fought off sea monsters. This shows that Beowulf has the epic hero’s trait of supernatural strength, and along with his virtuous, humble personality.

Beowulf was also unfortunate to have to meet some of the greatest outcasts during his time. The motives that make Beowulf the hero he developed into in the poem would be his burning passion to live up to his peers highest expectations, and to look past the difficulty of any task to take on the challenges thrown his way. Beowulf’s first challenge is the battle against Grendel. Then, he defends his honor by taking on a fight with Grendel’s mother.