Comparing Beowulf, Grendel's Mother And The Dragon

Given this evidence, it is clear that Beowulf deserves to be labeled as an epic hero. He consistently and evidently displayed multiple characteristics of an epic hero. Beowulf was always on a quest, continously risked his life for glory and the greater good of society, and had superior intelligence, strength, and courage which were the three most crucial reasons that created him to be

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

He was only trying to help out King Hrothgar and wanted to fight. Although defeating Grendel was not enough Grendel 's mother had to be defeated to for trying to kill people in the town. Beowulf took the challenge. When Beowulf goes to her he feels as if though he is going to die. She takes him to her lair Beowulf fears for his life until they get inside the lair.

What would you truly call an epic hero? Do you think Beowulf is in epic hero, or maybe he’s not an epic hero to you? Threw this paper I will give you examples of why Beowulf would be considered an epic here in my standards. If you don’t think my opinion isn’t strong enough well that’s you. Let’s start out what’s an epic hero?

Beowulf The Epic Hero What defines an epic hero? Beowulf is anything but a normal human being, he poses extremely large amount of strength and great leadership techniques. When Beowulf set his mind on a task in battle he never gave in to evil. It all began as a quest to defeat Grendel. Beowulf also possesses superhuman strength and is the smartest of any warrior.

While Beowulf’s behavior was defensive, the conflict with Grendel 's mother came out of culturally appropriate revenge. We see this primarily when Grendel’s Mother seeks vengeance for her son’s death. Instead of a bloodthirsty troll slaughtering everyone in sight, we see a methodical sorceress who merely wishes for the suffering of one man. The concept of revenge is far more complicated then murderous rage or self-defense. An eye for an eye means taking just as much from the person who stole from you.

Beowulf can not simply kill nine sea monsters for fame; he must also kill Grendel. Then, slaying Grendel is not enough, he has to kill Grendel’s mom, and eventually the

The character begins insinuating pagan ideals, such as seeking pride and glory for himself and not directly for God, which dictates Beowulf’s decisions throughout the poem. At the beginning of this work, Beowulf hears of Grendel, a monster, and seeks to defeat him. His pride is seeping through his teeth when he mentions, that when it comes to fighting he is “as dangerous any day as Grendel.” (ln. 678). It becomes known that Beowulf intends on defeating Grendel alone.

After Beowulf defeated Grendel he leaves and Grendel ’s Mom comes and seeks revenge for her fallen son. When Beowulf returns the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, is in mourning because Grendel’s Mom killed one of his best warriors. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that is it not a time for mourning and that it is a time for action. “All men must die; let him who may Win glory ere death.

Beowulf states that Grendel's mom will not be able ti hide from his wrath. Beowulf assures that Grendel's mom will be eliminated. After Beowulf gets to be ruler in Geatland, he demonstrates his awesome unselfishness yet again by promising to execute the flame mythical serpent. Beowulf is said to have sworn to murder the mythical serpent, which has brought on an unsettling influence among his kingdom. These brave acts offered by Beowulf shows a great part of his integrity.

An epic hero is a person who in a story who comes in and saves the day. An example of an epic hero is the character Beowulf in the epic “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel. At this time, the Anglo-Saxons were scared of the unknowe disasters and evil in their life. The were afraid of invasions, natural disasters, monsters, and the unknown.

After Grendel was defeated by Beowulf his mother stepped in. She also murders a warrior of Hrothgar’s, which pushes Beowulf to fight her as well. He is forced to go under the sea, representing Hell, and fight her under the water for many days. As the warrior’s all think he is dead after seeing blood arise to the surface after many hours, they come to find out that Beowulf was victorious in the battle.

Being an epic hero, Beowulf was very brave and battled many immortal creatures. One monster he came across was Grendel. “Conceived by a pair of the monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banned by God..,”(44), Hrothgar’s men would say. This is a reference from the Bible, showing the evil portrayed in the monster Grendel. This monster went to Herot and killed thirty men just because he was hungry.

More than a Monster In Beowulf, it showed us Grendel dying by Beowulf’s hand, when his mother finds out about his death she goes straight to Heoret to get revenge. She grabbed Aeschere, killed him, and this lead to Beowulf seeking her out to get rid of her as he did with Grendel. Beowulf was successful, after an underwater fight in her lake he took her down. Grendel’s mother is considered a monster by the pagans yet her motives, her human qualities, and her comparison to other characters prove that she is not as heartless or monstrous as she is perceived. A mother grieves when her children are harmed and Grendel’s mother is just that, a mother.

Darian Aker Mr. Tate English IV 27 September, 2017 Beowulf Essay In this epic, the main character, Beowulf, faces many horrendous monsters. However, as the reader, and the interpreter, I am asked to explain how Beowulf portrays the qualities of an archetypal epic hero. After reading of his battles, his character displays great acts of courage, intelligence, and strength, while warriors revel as Beowulf defeats the creatures. Following his battles, Grendel and Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar and his men celebrate and thank him for his acts of bravery with many cherished gifts.