Beowulf Modern Day Hero Essay

Strength, honor, and resilience are all words that captures the essence of Beowulf. During the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf is a hero who strikes fear in his enemies and relief in his allies. Beowulf is widely-regarded as the most honorable and ruthless hero in all of the world; he defends villages of people from blood-hungry predators, defeats sea monsters, and defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother in the epic poem Beowulf. However, Beowulf can be an egomaniac at times. For instance, before Beowulf’s epic fight and defeat of the monster Grendel, Beowulf strips nude and fights the monster nude to boast and show off.

Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.

The epic poem, Beowulf, was written by an anonymous author, but followed the same heroic character or person who is loyal, just like the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons were very dependant on their lord and they would show him their loyalty in various ways. There are several ways that define a hero, such as Beowulf, in this epic poem. A hero is not only loyal, but also unselfish, courageous, and shows his faithfulness.

In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.

Beowulf is only thinking about himself. Performing these acts alone just to get the fame forms the quality of selfishness in Beowulf. Beowulf is putting all of his strength to be credited as a hero, but he displays acts of selfishness which marks him as an insignificant

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.

When killing the enemy he was smart, brave, and noble. Beowulf knew the perfect tactic to bring out Grendel. Beowulf then eventually kills Grendel by tearing off his arm. For this everyone loves him and gives him great treasure especially the king. Although Beowulf liked the gifts he never asked for them.

When Beowulf approaches Hrothgar and offers to kill Grendel, he is already a very very skillful warrior who has (accomplished or gained with effort) many feats, and he is a hero to the people.

Now there is a way we view everyone when we first are introduced to them or when we first meet them. Those views change however by the course of the person's actions and we have seen Beowulf's actions change my view to say that he is a selfless hero. The way he didn't ask for any treasure, his actions and decisions during his fifty years of rule, and his final battle with the dragon. These scenes in the book were the biggest acts of being a true selfless

Every past and modern culture over the course of history, has its hero’s. A hero is a person or figure that others look up to and use as forms of protection. Many cherish the hero’s, they make up who we are today. The Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, and the postmodern hero/hero’s, the soldiers, both show the traits of bravery, selflessness, and loyalty. To have the trait of bravery you have to have lots of confidence in yourself and have courage.

A character name Beowulf can be characterized as an Anglo-Saxon hero more so than an epic hero because of his actions. Some criteria of the Anglo-Saxon hero is bravery and generosity. Beowulf shows bravery throughout the book Beowulf. Bravery is a very difficult thing to have because it can be very dangerous, or you could be risking your own life for the good of the people. However, the hero himself did

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.

1. How does Beowulf character compare with other heroes you know about? When compared against modern heroes, Beowulf comes off as a more of a rugged dirty character. When looking at heroes such as Captain America or Luke Skywalker, both of these characters are never pictured as dirty. Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, is always pictured as clean and his suit never dirty, same thing with Luke Skywalker.

The heroic protagonist Beowulf, from the epic poem “Beowulf,” can be viewed as a righteous, altruistic hero rather than an egotistic person. One occurrence of his selflessness can be found within the conversation between Beowulf and Hrothgar. Beowulf explains that if he defeats Grendal, then he prefers that the victory news will not be spread throughout the land. Beowulf proclaims,”I beg one favor—refuse me not,/ Since I come thus faring from far-off lands—/ That I may alone with my loyal earls,/ With this hardy company, cleanse Hart-Hall”(333-336).

Meghana Sunder Mr. Wachtor English 12 31 August 2015 Beowulf Character Analysis 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.