Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Arthur

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. From all this, we know that the perception of a hero from Beowulf’s time differs from our perception today. As we feel that the intentions define a hero while in Beowulf’s time the reputation and accomplishments are what makes a

Beowulf, the epic tale of a Danish society plagued by evil beasts, reveals many thought-provoking and admirable character traits of the main character and hero, Beowulf. Firstly, he shows chivalry through his interactions and actions towards the king of Heorot, showing him the respect and honor he deserved. Secondly, he demonstrates bravery in all battles above and beyond the standard of the times and the standard of his fellow fighters. He owes his bravery in part to his seemingly immeasurable strength, having more power in each fist than that of thirty men. Lastly, he demonstrates a trait that applies to people for his time and ours, pride. Pride plagued his times, due to warriors’ great deeds, but it haunts modern times as well. The liberator of Heorot and the champion of the tale, Beowulf, demonstrates three admirable and relevant character traits, chivalry, bravery and pride.

Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.” (Heaney

Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/and we went under the crag. No coward path” (Beowulf 2539 - 2541). In this scene of Beowulf, Beowulf is going to kill the dragon in his lair and everyone but one person runs off once they see the dragon. This shows his courageous deeds because even though all of his allies but on left him to die, Beowulf wasn’t leaving until

Emerson has stated the basics for heroism, and Beowulf follows them effortlessly. One of the characteristics Emerson states is having self-trust and confidence. Beowulf shows his confidence when he says, “The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then,/Foeman with Foeman.” Grendel does not use weapons and kills with his bare hands, and Beowulf is stating that he’s confident enough to fight the same way. Another quality trait Emerson talks about would be bravery; Beowulf shows bravery when he tells Hrothgar that he has defeated many beasts before, and will do so again with Grendel. Beowulf is brave when fighting against evils, and shows no fear towards fighting. Emerson also writes about how heroism is always right and cannot be criticized by

In today’s society, anybody can be considered a hero. A hero is a selfless person who is admired for their courageous achievements. A mother, celebrity, or even a mailman can be a hero to someone. In Beowulf, the epic poem translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is recognized as a hero who craves too much glory. In today’s world, Beowulf is viewed as an irrelevant hero since he displays poor qualities of arrogance and selfishness.

Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero. What is an epic hero, you may ask? An epic hero is one who is determined to show their strength, bravery, and honor by heroic and dangerous actions. In the epic, Beowulf, the main character himself shows many qualities that defines him as an epic hero. Beowulf’s many battles are examples of how he is an epic hero. On numerous accounts, Beowulf involved himself in many challenges such battling Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon to prove himself as a hero.

Medieval literature shows the change of heroes throughout centuries. For the English medieval times, two story’s heroes stand out: Le Morte d'Arthur’s Lancelot and Beowulf’s Beowulf. Lancelot, the patient, humble, and chivalrous knight, is contrasted by Beowulf, a boastful, proud, and rowdy viking. It clearly shows how stories have changed in their depiction of protagonists. Both Beowulf and Lancelot are great warriors and leaders but that is where their similarities end. Their differences can be categorized in their amount of patience, how they hold themselves around others, and their personal actions.

Christopher Reeves once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Although Beowulf was human, he was not an ordinary individual, hero, or king, for he was a man who displayed superhuman qualities in his efforts to protect the Danish and Geatish people. Beowulf, who was established Geatish warrior that spent his life in battle, showed these extraordinary characteristics that made him an epic hero, one who possesses superhuman, almost god-like qualities. Being constantly on a quest, risking his life for glory and the greater good of society, and being superiorly intelligent, courageous and strong are the three most important reasons why Beowulf deserves such a notable

One reason Beowulf is the better epic hero is because his intentions and motives were selfless. He always fought to save the people, not for glory or treasures. For example, the Danes were facing Grendel, a terrible monster that would kill their people at their meadhall mercilessly. The king, Hrothgar, and his men attempted multiple times to kill Grendel, but never succeeded. Beowulf of the Geats, heard of the Danes’ problem and offered to help defeat Grendel. In the text he states, “Many deeds of note have I done in my life, and now the reports of the monster Grendel have brought me to your land...So now I am come, my lord King, to fight single-handed against this Grendel.” Beowulf is part of another tribe and is willingly offering to help the Danes. This shows that providing protection and safety to the people, even those of another

Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they  have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.

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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. This can cause Beowulf to be a static character throughout the epic poem; he shows little change as his main goal throughout the whole

Beowulf has lasted since around between five hundred to a thousand Current Era. Beowulf story has lived on through people telling the story and it being written. Beowulf was a strong, intelligent, kind, caring, brave, and noble man. The story has lived on because of the accomplishments of Beowulf. The story would not be told today if Beowulf had not killed those horrible creatures.

Beowulf and the Knight are the protagonist of the two great literary works Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales. Beowulf stands out as the protagonist, a great warrior who fights evil and displays heroism throughout his whole life. The knight stands out as the protagonist who fight for truth and faith. Both Beowulf and The Knight encompass Loyalty and Humbles as great