Beowulf The Ideal Hero

In conclusion, we can see that Batman’s superlative dexterity to accomplish dangerous acts of bravery one-ups Odysseus’s feats. Batman’s adroitness belittles Odysseus and all the things he accomplished. Batman is the ideal hero based on his character and the way he treats people. Odysseus’s indifference to his men and his wives shows us his disinterest in others and his self-absorption and vanity in

Bernard Evslin’s Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths and Burton Raffel’s Beowulf provide the reader with heroes who are morally questionable. In a typical myth, the hero of the story often makes many ambiguous choices that seem admirable on the surface, but develop in an unsettling manner. The hero is generally guided to an adventure and along the way commits many sins of goodness. Oftentimes, these heroes will never be able to overcome their obstacles; and therefore become fundamentally flawed. They are often looked up to as role models, but in essence these “heros” are representations of evil.

As an underdog, no matter how hard life hits you, you will find your own motivation and keep going. You show life not only how hard you can hit it back, but that you can overcome anything. In chapter 1 of Allison Scott and George Goethals’ Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them, they explain why it is necessary to have a hero within a story. These writers state, “One reason is that the creators of fiction purposely construct characters who perfectly embody classic heroic stories or narratives.

When one hears the word hero many think of a man in tights with a cape who possess powers that he uses for the greater good, but not all heroes wear capes. In the epic poem Beowulf, author unknown, the main character, a man who the work is named after, shows heroic characteristics as he battles monsters that threaten the safety of the people. Beowulf exemplifies himself as a hero throughout the story by displaying heroic characteristics such as: bravery, honor, and loyalty. One example of how Beowulf is a hero is that he is brave.

Within the The Norton Book of Classical Literature, there are numerous heroes who have accomplished many great tasks of whom deserves to be honored. However, of them all, the greatest hero must possess true Roman virtues and values, including valor, courage, manliness and worth. This hero must show that he possesses the ability to do what is necessary in order to achieve his goals. Therefore, only one hero qualifies to be the most honorable, Romulus, the founder of Rome. Before receiving kingship of Rome, Romulus helped to restore Numitor’s authority after unjustly getting his kingship taken away from him, thus exemplifying Romulus’ possession of the two most important Roman virtues, courage, and manliness (Livius, 704).

I believe the idea of heroism from the time of Beowulf to now have changed drastically. In the time of Beowulf and the writing of Beowulf, a hero was seen as someone who had attributions such as bravery, honor, value, and arrogance. As we see many of these ideas in Beowulf himself, especially arrogance. You often hear throughout the reading that Beowulf always speaks highly of himself. He claims that he is the only one that has the ability to defeat Grendel.

Heroes can range from the well-known Superman to Harriet Tubman during the American Civil War, to the very parents that get you up in the morning. Despite who the hero may be, heroes are said to display selflessness, humility, and integrity. Specifically, epic heroes are expected to also illustrate loyalty and devotion. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is depicted as the bigger than life epic hero of the epic poem that has had such an overwhelming impact on Western culture. However, his character flaws and the byproduct that are their consequences negate his heroism.

He is the archetypal hero. And not only does he fight for good, but he represents it as well. For Beowulf to signify good there must be a contrasting evil to complete the balance. Beowulf, who comes to help the Danes fight the dreaded Grendal. Beowulf is a classic epic hero and is honored by being passed down in the story.

Throughout the two dystopian stories, there are significant changes in how the short stories are told and directed, causing one of the protagonists to be presented as more of the “bad guy”. However, the overall theme and most of the characterization is perceived the same. In “Harrison Bergeron”, everything is given in a humorous manner. From the characterization, to comical descriptions, to the things the characters say, nothing that Kurt Vonnegut wrote in this story can be taken seriously. By Vonnegut presenting his story in this manner, it almost creates Harrison to look more like a supervillain than a superhero, like intended.

Anyone who possesses any of the above mentioned assets is a hero in my mind since they tend to look past the consequences and accomplish what they think their aim is. Before, my heroes contained of Batman, Hulk, Spiderman and Superman. What came across to my mind is that throughout my awareness a hero helps people, and this was what super heroes ever did. Well obviously, yes, this is what heroes do, he or she helps when in need, but what I could not understand was that they don’t need super powers to be heroes. I wasn’t able realize how somebody can help a soul spiritually, all I ever saw was the physical help similar to comics or cartoons that I read or watched.

In books, television shows, or movies, a hero can be identified easily by being courageous or admired for outstanding achievements is what a hero is categorized by. A hero can also be defined as someone who performs a selfless act, acting on an impulse or concern without the thought of any personal gain. In our current culture, we see that current heroes are modest, anti-heroes, an underdog, or an ordinary person. The quote, “a true is a hero by mistake,” applies to Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman as the characters, Van Helsing and Biff Loman, prove that they are the true hero in the story.

Many believe Beowulf to be a fearless and heroic character, though in reality, many of his traits and motives prove just the opposite. From defending the King’s citizens to slaying countless evil creatures, Beowulf may appear to be an extraordinary man of unimaginable feats. Upon further investigation, however, it may become obvious that Beowulf’s heroism proved itself unable to stand the test of time. Beowulf was written to be the perfect protagonist, but displays various flaws throughout the narrative that contradicts his heroic intentions. The character of Beowulf is portrayed to be a fearless warrior- one who has slain an infinity of monsters and demons.

Beowulf comes from a well respected family. His dad, the King of the Geats, allows Beowulf to step up as a hero and prove himself. He led his hero’s journey by conquering many, as well as keeping his reputation of coming out on top when it came to fighting battles. He shows many hero-like characteristics throughout the book such as bravery, courage, honor, and leadership which students and teachers alike still consider honorable in today’s day and age. Being a hero requires one to conquer many obstacles.

Beowulf was an amazing hero. His life was full of battles and epics that would take demy Gods to complete. Beowulf has conquered many tasks that would make many men see him as a God in the body of a man. Beowulf was a great tale told for a long time to inspire people that man can do great things, can be heros.

Beowulf: A True Epic Hero In the distance, there was a BOOM and a CRACK as the monsters invaded. We are all going to die! Mason bolted upright, dripping in sweat and practically crying. He hates monsters.