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. Beowulf says “The noblest and wisest counselors of my people advised me to come to you, lord Hrothgar because they knew of my great strength.”(page 13, paragraph 4) Beowulf says he destroyed the race of giants, killed sea monsters and he endured hardships to avenge …show more content…
He did travel across the sea to kill a demon and then the demon’s mother for what seemed to be good will. Beowulf even states he is helping Hrothgar since he had helped Beowulf’s father in the past and Beowulf is returning the favor. Yet, Beowulf is still acting on his pride. He wants to defeat Grendel being that no one has been able to in the past and killing the monster for the Danes would surely bring him more honor and treasures. Beowulf never says that is why he is helping Hrothgar, but the context in which Beowulf says why he is there would suggest he cares more about glory than loyalty like he originally said. Yes, Beowulf is brave, but not because he wants to do the right thing, he wants gold and glory. Beowulf is known as a great hero and on the surface he is. He seems to be brave and just but underneath that, Beowulf is extremely arrogant and egotistical. Beowulf does not just do things for they are the right thing to do, he does them seeing that great deeds will bring him honor and boost his reputation. He fights Grendel for bragging rights like the swimming contest Unferth brought up and he refuses to use a sword when fighting Grendel because it will just add to his bravery. Even if we take into the time period in which it was written, Beowulf is not the shining hero he
Beowulf was not the only one who showed bravery. Wiglaf did as well and he ultimately saved and helped Beowulf slay the dragons while all the other danes left him and ran away like cowards. . All the outcast sought vengeance and ended up being destroyed by the infamous
Courage is one of many characteristics of Beowulf’s complex personality. Throughout the epic poem, Beowulf demonstrates courage by not fearing his enemies even if he knew pain or death awaited him. In his last battle,
The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.
In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf is considered a hero. He dressed noble, talked a good game and he had followers. He became a hero by helping the city of Herot by killing the monster that was terrorizing the city. Afterwards, his mother wanted to seek revenge so he battled her and also murdered her. Soon after getting rid of the monsters, he battled a dragon and he wasn’t successful.
I believed that Beowulf isn’t consistently admirable and heroic and that he becomes a flawed character. He follows the criteria of a tragic hero. The criteria of a tragic hero is that a tragic hero must have a tragic flaw, a hamartia, that causes the hero’s demise. A tragic hero must have a hubris, over excessive pride from themselves. A tragic hero must have a moment in time to discover an important element in the story.
Although Beowulf contains aspects of courage and bravery, it also contains leadership by leading a group of Geat warriors to kill Grendel, slaying Grendel's mother, and vowing to defeat the dragon. Beowulf showed a great deal of leadership when he led the group of Geats to Danes to defeat Grendel. The fact that Grendel had killed 30 mean at a time didn't even scare Beowulf away. When Grendel had came to the mead hall and tried to kill Beowulf he grabbed a hold of Grendel and ripped his arm off showing that he was not afraid (Loughman).
He has true honor and respectfully distributes treasure and gifts to those whom he believes rightfully deserves them. Beowulf’s loyalty to the Danes helps shed light on his true character. He expresses that he believes he may die in battle between Grendel, but that does not dissuade him from fighting the beast. Another example is when Hygelac dies, Beowulf is asked to take the throne. In doing so, that would mean the the son of Hygelac would be stripped of his own inheritance, which is dishonorable in Beowulf’s eyes, and thus he declines the offer.
Beowulf declares that he “drove five great giants into chains, [and] chased all of that race from the Earth.” He is immensely overbearing at that point because he is too proud of his achievements. Being excessively prideful does not exactly label Beowulf as a hero. Beowulf assumes all of the courageous acts he fulfills will make him
The poem clearly depicts Beowulf as a man of superhuman strength. He displayed this power by killing Breca in which his “sword had killed nine sea monsters”(). His Strength is also demonstrated when he kills Grendel. He faced a difficult challenge, but accomplishes the task quickly and efficiently. "When it comes to fighting I count
Beowulf is telling us that he doesn’t value the lives of his citizen, but instead values glory and is willing to fight for it. In the end, Beowulf slays the dragon but paid his life as the price. In conclusion, Beowulf would be considered a great warrior, but not a hero. Although Beowulf accomplished many heroic deeds he never did any of them for the right reasons. Therefore, Beowulf is not a hero, but only a warrior who values renown and rewards.
He heard the sounds of those attacks and rushed over to Herot. Beowulf obviously cares for people and wants to keep them safe. One would realize his courage after hearing him say, “I am Hygelac’s kinsman and warrior. I have undertaken many glorious deeds.” One could possibly think no because he becomes king afterwards.
This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).
Beowulf is an epic hero because of his strength. His strength isn’t the same as an ordinary man, “He twisted in pain and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped muscle and on split and broke” (lines 337-340). No ordinary man would be
Beowulf was courageous. He fought many enemies and did not back down. He felt encouraged to find Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon and kill them all.
He eventually became a devoted king to the Geats. Beowulf is a hero because he is courageous, brave, and a great warrior. Beowulf’s courageousness is unmatched when being compared to other warriors and people. He feels as if he must show courage, especially during battle.