A hero's journey is a pattern of narrative identities that appears in many dramas, storytellings, myths, and psychological development. The journey consist of twelve different steps and in the story Beowulf we read about the magnificent and rough journey that Beowulf and this men accomplish. Many people question if Beowulf is considered a hero and if what he did was good. The journey that he embarked on, leads me to believe that Beowulf is a hero and always will be.
As per Joseph Campbell's "Saint with a Thousand Faces", the intrepid warrior Beowulf was viewed as a legend. Beowulf , was a little story expounded on a man who was a contender/Warrior , who yielded his life for the general population in Scandinavia to shield them from the assault's of the awful beast Grendel and his mom . Beowulf is viewed as an incredible saint in the book composed by Joseph Campbell " The Hero With A Thousands Faces . "Beowulf demonstrates physical quality in the story by crushing Grendel. In line 219 of Grendel's mom, it tells how Beowulf murdered her. "… slice it through, broke bones what not." His quality is likewise told in line 213 of how he "lifted the sword that was massive to the point that no common man could lift." Beowulf's assurance, or his will to win, was all through the story, even up until his demise. A quote that portrays this is, "… he cut the mammoth down the middle, opening it separated. It fell… "(line 185).
Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it. There are three mini-hero journeys Beowulf’s main journey.
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. Pride plagued his times, due to warriors’ great deeds, but it haunts modern times as well. The liberator of Heorot and the champion of the tale, Beowulf, demonstrates three admirable and relevant character traits, chivalry, bravery and pride.
What is a hero? A hero is someone who has the ability to rise above challenges and is brave enough to sacrifice himself for others. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, by definition, Winston Smith can be considered the novels hero. This is because of his strength and bravery to go against the party. While reader can admire Winston, they can over exceed his actions. This is because of the way he reacts to the things he does. Although he may not live up to the expectations of a great hero. Winston’s bravery to ask about the brotherhood, his strength to defy the party while being tortured, his courage to begin a relationship with Julia, and the items bought and written in can classify as heroic.
The Anglo-Saxon idea of what a hero is includes characteristics such as robustness, courage, and honorability. Over time, these characteristics--along with others--have developed into the archetypal hero as seen in myths and stories across the globe. In the epic poem Beowulf, written by an unknown author, the two characters Beowulf and Unferth display several of these qualities; however, they do not exhibit all of them or they demonstrate them in a less conventional way. The main character of the poem is Beowulf, an already established hero when the reader is introduced to him. He goes on a journey to aid a neighboring kingdom in a fight against a horrible monster. Unferth is a thane to the king of this kingdom. Although he is not a prominent character, his envious, cowardly nature is fully revealed in the few
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. A character name Beowulf can be characterized as an Anglo-Saxon hero more so than an epic hero because of his actions.
Was Beowulf a hero? A hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage. Not just anyone can be a hero it takes a great amount of bravery and great outstanding achievements. In the Anglo-Saxon a hero was to be a warrior. They had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous and be able to face any odds.
What defines an epic hero? Beowulf is anything but a normal human being, he poses extremely large amount of strength and great leadership techniques. When Beowulf set his mind on a task in battle he never gave in to evil. It all began as a quest to defeat Grendel. Beowulf also possesses superhuman strength and is the smartest of any warrior. While performing these great deeds he proves himself a great and valuable warrior. A real warrior would risk his life before allowing someone else risk there's. These are all reasons Beowulf would be considered a great and valiant warrior.
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.
In the poem Beowulf, we see the Anglo-Saxon hero. It is an epic of a hero who embodies the honor of the Anglo-Saxon culture and tradition. The poem in itself is an elegant script of Anglo-Saxon times. Composed in 8th or 9th century the epic was passed down from generation to generation orally and has no known author. 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.
In conclusion, Beowulf was a hero, even though he died, he was willing to sacrifice his life for his comrades. He showed his strength with every decision he made. He detached Grendel’s arm from his body, slayed Grendel’s mother with a sword and died fighting the dragon. He is brave because he didn’t back out of any of these battles, and he had the courage even though he was a little unsteady of the demons he helped the people of Denmark. He died saving everyone in Denmark from the horrific demons who lurked about. Three evil monsters
In 700 A.D., the explication of a hero is differential to a modern day hero. In the poem, “Beowulf” found in Prentice Hall Literature , the Anglo-Saxon
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” (Reeve). In the book Beowulf and the article “The Rise of the Anti-Hero” heros are looked at being unflawed and flawed people. The character Beowulf engages on a journey to Denmark. His journey of sailing across the seas, fighting Grendel and his mother and fighting a dragon recognizes Beowulf as being this great hero. As our culture changes so does the way we look at heros. Heros are being looked at differently, some people believe that heroes have to be upright in addition to steady fast. However the “anti-hero” is not the traditional hero that you think. Although cultural heroes ultimately serve the purpose of solidifying the values of a particular culture, the ever-changing, dynamic nature of heroism identifies itself as heros being looked at as being different from others and standing out to make a difference in the culture.
Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”. Beowulf is a hero who helped Hrothgar and Hrothgar’s towns people by defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Harry Potter is a hero when he protects his friends and Hogwarts. Beowulf and Harry Potter have similarities and differences so their values teach the reader about society.