Comparing Beowulf And John Gardner's Gren

Monsters take on easy prey and heroes have the strength to defeat the monster. This can be seen in Grendel and Beowulf's actions. Grendel preys on the sleeping soldiers. He encounters Beowulf and is surprised by Beowulf's strength and how Beowulf was quick to strike back. Grendel was mortally wounded by Beowulf and knew he was going to die. After being mortally wounded, Grendel cowardly flees. Beowulf's actions in battle reflects that of a hero as Beowulf was quick to fearlessly attack the monster in order to save the lives of the thanemen. Grendel's actions in battle reflects that of a monster as Grendel wanted to retreat when he knew he was unable to win the fight against the hero.

The poem Beowulf, authored by an anonymous person, remains to be one of the oldest epics in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The poem serves as an important influence for later literature; the novel Grendel by John Gardner is one example. The settings of Beowulf and Grendel are a result of the assimilation of Christianity into the Anglo-Saxon pagan religion. Not only did the Anglo-Saxons belief in spiritual predestination but also in fatalism. As a result of the combination of pagan and Christian beliefs in Beowulf and Grendel, the characters are heavily influenced by the concept of "fate.” This belief system describes all things as being predetermined and known to occur.

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

To be a hero you must be unselfish. At the end of this epic poem Beowulf shows how unselfish he is. “to the everlasting Lord of all, the king of Glory, I give thanks that I be had this treasure here in front of me, that I have been thus allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die..” (411-415). In the quote, Beowulf is talking to his lord. He had beaten the last monster of his days. Beowulf wasn’t jumping up and down, he was just glad he got to do that one more time for himself, his servants, and most importantly he showed his lord that he was still courageous!

Not all heroes wear capes. Well, in novels and movies, they tend to. From the start, heros have always been someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In poems such as Beowulf, which date back to the 10th century, implement the hero’s model in its purest form. The main character, Beowulf, is the stereotypical hero that comes from a far away land to defeat the monstrous antagonist Grendel, and defend the impotent villagers. More modern novels such as Grendel, depict the hero model in much different way. Grendel, the antagonist and protagonist, suffers through an extended existential crisis and is forced to deal with his monstrous instinct. The “hero” of this novel, Beowulf, is portrayed as

Beowulf shows many characteristic of how he is an epic hero in this poem. He also shows struggle and bravery through everything he does to help the people around him. He may have died in the end but everyone knew that he was a hero by defeating Grendel and his mother. He lived in a hostile world and he fought to make it, but he could not

Beowulf’s honor and integrity can be questioned throughout the entirety of the epic poem, Beowulf. Whether or not his actions are inspired by his own pompous arrogance or confidence, one can argue that he is a hero nonetheless. Evidence and experience prove that Beowulf is more of a fearless hero than an excessively prideful man, and his hubris is more than justified due to the formidable duties he is able to execute.

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.

Throughout the poem of Beowulf he shows heroism in different way, He is someone who has superhuman qualities who embodies the value of his society and who is larger than life. And also someone who defeats something that is bigger than him.

In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf is seen as a hero of the Geats and the Danes. He saves the Danes from the monster descendant of Cain, Grendel. He also saves the Danes from the atrocity’s mother. He saves the Geats by becoming their king for fifty years and killing the dragon which factored in his ultimate demise. The idea of a hero has existed throughout the ages. In ancient times the idea of someone risking their life to save someone else’s is astonishing. From modern times to tales in ancient epics, the idea of a hero has been passed down through generations. Throughout the story, the characteristics of Beowulf make him a hero. A hero exhibits strength, bravery, honor, and is able to complete tasks with divine intervention; Beowulf embodies

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

In the story Beowulf they make Beowulf out to be the hero. I believe that he is the hero because of his way that he presents himself when he gets to as his crewmen walked off the boat and they looked bad in clothes Beowulf looked very nice and very manly other than his crewmen looked bad and also he was a hero because he was the only one to come to and help the town.

Anyone can relate to the struggles and the conflict that Beowulf faces throughout his journey to save Hrothgar and his men. There are so many examples of good vs evil in my life and I can relate to his daily struggles as well. For example, Beowulf had to listen to Unferth, who thought completely terrible of him. Unferth pointed out that “Beowulf could not even win a swim match, so why should he be trying to save us?” In the same way, throughout life I believe people will eventually hear or do the identical thing; they can cause less self-worth and confidence in someone, somewhere. People can become so prude if they feel like they have to have help, which is the reason for Unferths ridiculous actions. While Beowulf faces

In the epic poem, Beowulf, by the Beowulf Poet, it talks about the battles, and the challenges that Beowulf the protagonist has with the supernatural antagonists Grendel, and Grendel’s mom. After reading this poem and discovering what it took to become an epic hero, Beowulf strongly represents most of the characteristics of a hero. Some people may say that Beowulf was just a guy with some good luck, and he was not an epic hero at all, but this statement is proven to be false. In the poem it talks about the Anglo- Saxon way of life and what an epic hero was to them. The Beowulf character is based off many of the Anglo- Saxon characteristics and beliefs, which are portrayed throughout the poem.

Throughout the history of mankind there have been many books and stories written which preview a hero doing dangerous, epic deeds for the good of others. The same is true in the story of Beowulf, titled Beowulf. Beowulf was written by the Anglo Saxons by an unknown author. In the book Beowulf, Beowulf follows the role of the archetypal hero and fulfills it by going on epic quests to help, and save kingdoms. This is shown whenever Beowulf sets out to fight Grendel, an awful beast who is terrorizing Hrothgar’s kingdom. This is also shown whenever Beowulf ventures out to slay Grendel’s mother. And ultimately whenever Beowulf goes to fight the dragon in his final showdown. All of these pertain to Beowulf fulfilling the role of the hero in Beowulf.