Beowulf: A Modern Hero Analysis

Heroes are usually those who have great power and use this power to help or protect others usually putting themselves in danger. Beowulf exhibits this by travelling to Hrothgar’s Danish land, on the basis of fate, to put himself in danger and fight Grendel. A modern day “hero” that demonstrates these qualities would include a fictional character such as Superman. Superman battles many evils over the course of his fictional career in order to ensure the wellbeing of others. In all different time periods and in all societies, a hero represents hope and the good that contrasts the evils of our world.

Beowulf’s ---- to travel to Hrothgar’s kingdom indicate the qualities of a hero. He puts himself in a dangerous position by offering to challenge

Every movie or comic in which Superman is essential to the progression of the story, he is shown sacrificing himself up to others primarily with his own life. In the 2013 film “Man of Steel”, an evil force threatens to endanger the lives of those living on earth. Superman is the only one capable of defeating this great evil. He does so but at the great risk of his own life. Superman was also constructed to be a literal symbol of hope. For instance, the symbol on his chest is commonly misunderstood to be an “S”, but is actually the Kryptonian symbol for hope. In many of the scenarios where Superman is forced to face against an opponent, he is in fact the only one capable of defeating that evil. Again, in the film “Man of Steel” Superman is forced to defeat an opponent who has overcome every other obstacle. He is the planet's only hope. Finally, many of the villains found in the comics are deformed and barbaric, symbolizing the ugliest aspects of evil. For example, a villain named Doomsday is a massive but ugly beast. This creature has gray, scaly skin while Superman has the appearance of regular human.

A hero is someone that symbolizes hope and the goodness of the world. Beowulf and Superman are similar in that they both exhibit the qualities of a hero. The qualities preserving the lives of others, overcoming a great force that no one else is able to overcome, and contrasting that great evil