Beowulf: The Characteristics Of An Epic Hero

He then goes on to rule for fifty years, and it seems as if the period of his rule is marked by peace and prosperity. As such, Beowulf is epic not only because he is a skilled fighter, but also because he is capable of justly ruling the kingdom entrusted to him. Beowulf is the epic hero of this poem. He is a hero, such as bravery, loyalty and strength, both physical and mental. He is the archetypal hero.

He always overcomes obstacles along the way to achieve their goals. He has an altruistic soul that urges him to defeat the evil even if at the expense of his life. Particularly, the concept of the hero goes back to ancient Greek as a dual meaning. First, a hero as a term stands for a divine being who lives a mortal life, deserving to become a God after doing great deeds. Second, the hero is brave, warrior, ready to give his life in order to gain immortal glory and continues to live in the memory of his descents (Stevanovic 7).

Miguel Hidalgo When people think of an epic hero, do they think of an epic hero as being only a story-base character or can they be real people? Miguel Hidalgo certainly fits the epic hero exemplar. He has strong enough qualities that can support an answer stating that, real people are able to represent an epic hero. Most people define an epic hero as “brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events”(The Definition). Miguel Hidalgo can be seen as an epic hero in modern society because he has courage, has affected many people from his actions, and rose to a high position.

Odysseus is a hero because as a leader he can properly execute a group to do an action. Leadership is very important when it comes to being a hero. Leadership is what guides people. Heroes and villains both have leadership, but the only difference is that hero’s lead the proper path. Odysseus uses strategies as a hero to overcome the obstacles that come his way.

George Griffith What exactly is a hero? According to Google, a hero is a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. People have many contrasting ideas and beliefs about what a hero is. Some people consider a hero someone like Superman and others consider a real hero someone like Martin Luther King Jr or someone who has worked to benefit society in a positive. The attributes a hero must have in order to be considered hero include being patient and complaisant, even with the most frustrating people, willing to help anyone, friend or foe, and being humble even though they are constantly praised and awarded for the heroic things they do.

“A Hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, quoted by Christopher Reeve. Beowulf however, tends to be an epic hero based on the definition of one. Beowulf was definitely a hero, not because of his super strength, smartness, or even his sword. But because when everyone backed down he was the one to step up & sacrifice his life to save others. “ Beowulf fights in various battles which shows his hero characteristics such as supernatural, bravery, and leadership.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, the central character Beowulf demonstrates qualities of a hero, such as bravery, loyalty, and strength. Throughout the text, Beowulf is acknowledged for his heroic deeds and great defeats. He takes on challenges and sacrifices himself to protect his people. In traditional oral poetry, a theme is “a group of ideas regularly used in telling a tale in a formulaic style of a traditional song” (Lord, Singer,68). The theme of battle between Beowulf and Grendel shows Beowulf’s courage, as he relies on God and puts his life on the line to defeat Grendel for the greater good.

Hercules is a Beowulf-style hero because he has qualities of an epic hero, and is treasured by a group of people. An epic hero is one of great strengths and supernatural abilities. Beowulf is unable to be harmed by certain weapons, and Hercules has great strength. They also both go on a quest. Beowulf seeks to kill the evil Grendel, Hercules set out on a quest to complete the 12 labors.

However, heroism can take place in our everyday lives by simple brave actions. A hero has many noble qualities such as courage, humility, patience, being selfless and caring. They will put other people before themselves and make sure others are content. Heros are also intelligent and like to think ahead to plan on a good result. Although Victor very well fits the role of a tragic hero with a fatal flaw, he also fits the role of a hero.

Odysseus Essay: Odysseus of Ithaka. Some historians have argued for years that he is a noble hero, and others say he is just a man trying to get home from many hardship and challenges, however Odysseus is the definition of a hero. During Odysseus’s journey it becomes evident that Odysseus is a hero like the legends say, he meets all the criterias of being a hero such as being brave, smart, fighting against evil, and protecting others from danger. For generations people have been correct to honor the great Odysseus, for his actions along his adventures. Although there has been some evidence that points to Odysseus not being a hero, this essay will give three reasons why Odysseus should be respected as a hero.

The Illusion of a Perfect Hero Actor Anson Mount once made an insightful observation, “all of us have a hero and a villain in us.” This is something that has been confirmed over time, across cultures, and is also corroborated in famous literary works such as Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf and William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Key characters in these epics often rose to the occasion and made a positive impact on the society with their exceptional bravery, selflessness and moral courage. There were also instances where the same characters didn’t exercise the best judgment. Although Beowulf had many more heroic moments than Macbeth and Macduff, each of them had their virtues and flaws that surfaced at different times and under different circumstances,

The story would not be told today if Beowulf had not killed those horrible creatures. This story has lived on by people who have told the story to other people. They are fascinated by the story of Beowulf a brave and noble hero who fights to protect others. This story is unlike any other story because it is about a man who faces his fears head on. People loved him because he was courageous and he succeeded in his actions.