Beowulf Hero Characteristics

What truly is a hero? How is a hero defined? A standard dictionary would define a hero as, “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” We will examine and compare three “heroes” from a range of classic tales and novels. These include Beowulf from the epic poem Beowulf, Duke Theseus from The Knight’s Tale, and Sir Gawain from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

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.

Throughout the history of mankind there have been many books and stories written which preview a hero doing dangerous, epic deeds for the good of others. The same is true in the story of Beowulf, titled Beowulf. Beowulf was written by the Anglo Saxons by an unknown author. In the book Beowulf, Beowulf follows the role of the archetypal hero and fulfills it by going on epic quests to help, and save kingdoms. This is shown whenever Beowulf sets out to fight Grendel, an awful beast who is terrorizing Hrothgar’s kingdom. This is also shown whenever Beowulf ventures out to slay Grendel’s mother. And ultimately whenever Beowulf goes to fight the dragon in his final showdown. All of these pertain to Beowulf fulfilling the role of the hero in Beowulf.

Bilbo was brave, but not aggressively so. He was loyal, but that did not mean he never had doubts. Bilbo Baggins, of Bag End was an honorable Hobbit. He was also the greatest hero of them all, although he may not seem like it.

The epic poem, Beowulf is about a hero who comes to the aid of King Hrothgar. Hrothgar’s Mead Hall was being destroyed by a demon that lurked the boundaries of the small town. Beowulf hears the news and comes to try to defeat the demon. He performs this admirable deed because he wanted to achieve immortality by being a hero. He fought the monsters with his bare hands. He had the true characteristics of a hero, strength, bravery, and courage. Nobody would dare do the things Beowulf attempted in his lifetime. I envisage during all his battles he possesses all the traits of an epic hero. So, Beowulf, travels from Geatland to save Herot from the demons that lurk about.

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.

Being a hero to our society isn’t as easy as it looks in the movies. Good heroes are more than throwing on a cape and having the ability to fly. Good heroes come in many shapes and sizes. In today’s society we label people heroes for many reasons. Beowulf is beyond a doubt a beneficial hero. He was loyal, brave, and basically superhuman. He could save his people and protect his society.

Hero to me is someone who goes out his way protecting the people, out of will. Hero who is

On October third, exactly at 1:49 PM, I finished an essay that explained my definition of a hero. In the essay, I stated that a hero should have three main character traits: selflessness, responsibility, and kindness. Out of Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus from Black Ships of Troy, Hector would best fit my definition of a hero. To begin, Hector could be known as selfless. Selflessness has a connection to the word bravery. Selflessness is putting others needs before one's self, which is extremely similar to the definition of bravery. Hector is selfless because he literally died to save his kingdom. Next, Hector was clearly a responsible warrior. He stood up for his kingdom, and became a very important war leader of the Trojans. As a Prince of

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.

I’ve learned in this unit, three universal characteristics of a hero. One characteristic is some type of special powers not necessarily things like super strength or Flying but hospitality and friendliness or the will to help others could be considered special powers or something even greater to save the day. Also, hero's lineage is often noble or linked to the gods meaning their family history is a heroic one. Lastly Hero's tending to be adventurous and strong they and often times are born this way.

There are many traits possessed by those called heroes. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, in the past, present, and future every hero desires these character: traits intelligence, bravery, and honesty. “Montag picked a single small volume from the floor. Where do we begin? He opened the book halfway and peered at it. We begin by beginning, I guess." Montag from Fahrenheit 451 is a good example of someone who carries those traits. A hero is the best kind of person that someone can be.

When people think of a hero they would instantly think of someone who is strong, bright, attractive, and brave. According to earlier analysis, various different qualities and potentials than these become obvious. Bravery, trustworthiness, courageousness, unselfishness, and the drive to try and put effort in something are just a few of the several overlooked and unnoticed qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes according to the situation and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily considered heroes of present time and the same goes around. A person also doesn’t have to kill anyone, overpower a foreign land, or risk his life to be a hero. A person who influences and leaves an impact to anyone else by rescuing or helping save another person’s live is a hero. Martin Luther King Jr. transformed and improved the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to a small group of people. Malcolm X’s impact is felt is that he is one of the first voices to speak of America’s “crisis of representation”. One of the greatest heroes, Mahatma Gandhi, managed a

¨True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat¨- Napoleon. Clearly, Napoleon is explaining that a hero will conquer any negative things in life that challenge them. For example, modern day superheroes always overcome their problems in life. Modern day superheroes such as Batman, Superman, and Spiderman fight the villains and grow superior to the negative aspects in their lives. Similarly, heroes in poems and books gain their heroic name by defeating the ills of life. For instance, in the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, the hero defeats evil creatures and saves his people. In his battles, Beowulf displays the heroic characteristics such as bravery, confidence, and selflessness.

There is a hero in almost every story. A hero doesn’t always necessarily involve physical strength, it can be defined many other ways. A hero is someone who is idealized for their noble qualities, courage and outstanding achievements. In Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, the hero in the story is Victor Frankenstein. Victor sacrifices his family, his life, and other peoples lives for his pursuit of creating life, and attempting to cure diseases. Although Victor fits a few traits of being a hero, he is more of a tragic hero with a fatal flaw. Therefore, Victor’s quest for creating life leads to his downfall.