What Is Beowulf A Hero

What do you consider a hero? Many people have different ways of seeing someone as a hero, such as what they do or what they look like. Does Beowulf really qualify as a mythic hero according to Joseph campbell’s “ The Hero with a Thousand Faces”? Yes, Beowulf does qualify as a mythic hero for many reasons.

The story of Beowulf is all about the strength, fearless and a weakness of a man. Beowulf is a brave man he fights for his kingdom with honor. But he forgot on how to be a man to himself. Beowulf tends to fights and kills the monster which is Grendel.

Joshua Cline Jeana Link World Literature 4th Period 3 February 2023 Beowulf, the Tale of an Imperfect Hero “Experience is the teacher of all things,” -Julius Caesar. The protagonist in this Anglo-Saxon heroic poem, Beowulf, lives this quote. King Hrothgar contracts Beowulf to fight different monsters such as: Grendel, Grendel’s Mom, and a Dragon across his lifetime. Every battle that he wins, he learns to be a better fighter. Although, in doing so, he fuels his ego and confidence in only needing himself..

Beowulf is a classic tale of a hero who undergoes certain trials and tribulations and proves his bravery. However when one glances under the surface, it is clear that the story is about so much more. Over the course of the poem Beowulf has to learn to balance two opposing sides of his personality-his monstrous, angry, berserker-like side with more restrained and civilized character. In Germanic culture in general, a dichotomy lies between the reverence of famous berserkers, who when enraged become the most fearsome of warriors, and the values of self-restraint placed on people, specifically in the feasting setting. Beowulf is all about the navigation of that tight line of cultural tension between the two options.

John Campbells’ claim is that some sort of action or event has to happen for a hero to take action. Does the epic poem “Beowulf” follow the claim that Campbell lays out. Each hero must go through 13 steps to be truly considered a “hero”. Since Beowulf is one of the longest lasting epics in history, so old in fact there isn't a definitive author, people wonder if Beowulf was just some two bit adventurer or a true hero. The epic poem “Beowulf” does not contradict the claims made by Joseph Campbell regarding the hero’s call to adventure.

A hero goes above and beyond to help others as well as themselves. Heroes complete the tasks given to them without excuses. A hero only tries to outdo no one but themselves. A person possessing heroic traits does not always get acknowledged. Heroic tasks cannot always be fought close to home.

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.

Society may get to decide a hero’s place in society, but Society doesn’t get to decide who is a hero or is not. In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf was very popular in society as a legend. Yet in my life, my Mom is legendary to me and is just as big of a hero. In Beowulf, heroes were worshipped for fighting monsters, being brave, loyal, and having superhuman strength.

Beowulf is a historical poem that was made in the 8th century. Beowulf has taught many people in the world that we should always fight and succeed when it comes to our obstacles. Beowulf is a story that is mostly fighting the people that Beowulf fights for is his king and allies after all he is a strong warrior.he fights lot in the story and someone he fight is grendel a evil monster he fights and dies as a loyal soldier. Beowulf is a wonderful book that poems admiration and loyalty in every way possible. Beowulf was a strong warrior to show how he was i have this quote directly said by beowulf himself”If death does take me send the hammered mail to Higlac and return the inheritance i had from hrethel l and he from wayland fate will unwind

Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

In the story Beowulf they make Beowulf out to be the hero. I believe that he is the hero because of his way that he presents himself when he gets to as his crewmen walked off the boat and they looked bad in clothes Beowulf looked very nice and very manly other than his crewmen looked bad and also he was a hero because he was the only one to come to and help the town. Defeating the monsters which was mother dragon and the last reason that he was considered a hero because after all the monsters he killed he decided to give all of the gold and supplies that he won from the battle with the monsters to all the people in herot and also he was reconized as a hero because he let God decide his Faith during the battle with the monsters.

His strength and willpower assisted him on the journey to make a name for himself even when he is dead.

A hero does not fight for fame and glory but for the greater good. A hero is someone who goes through adversity to help others in desperate times. A hero fights evil, and defends people. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he is a strong, brave warrior who defended his people and slayed evil monsters. Beowulf proves himself to be a strong, brave warrior by killing Grendel the monster.

In any case, Beowulf is a genuine epic in its expansiveness of interests and sensitivities, despite the fact that it is focused on the vocation of one man slaughtering three beasts. The activity and the characters of this evidently basic story have the quality to exemplify the experience and beliefs. The beasts take an interest in wickedness and confusion as no human, even Heremod, could, however the detestable that starts simply inside the human heart isn't disregarded. Changing both the tall tale creatures and the shameful power legislative issues of the foundation is the target acknowledgment of human battle for comprehension and request. This is the sign of human experience seen through the lenses of the epic system.

The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.