Digression In Beowulf

The hero was confronted immediately, the battle was hard of Beowulf but by divine intervention our hero was able to survive and triumph using a giant’s sword. He slayed Grendel’s Mom and saved the Danes ones more, for this he is considered a

Is Beowulf a Hero? The poem Beowulf, tells of great the great undertakings of Beowulf, a man who has defeated many ruthless monsters and seeks fame and glory. If we take Beowulf and compare him to the Anglo-Saxon ideal hero, Beowulf fills all the necessary requirements but, when compared to modern day standards, Beowulf doesn’t quite make the cut. In the modern day, selflessness is the ideal. It is evident from the beginning of the poem that Beowulf is meant to be the hero.

He showed bravery, he used his strength against his enemies and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people. He strangled Grendel with his bare hands. He fought Grendel’s mother by himself with no hesitation and fought the dragon to the death but in doing so Beowulf gave his life for those he vowed to protect. Beowulf’s life story is a true epic hero that will be spoken for

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic about a great warrior who values the Anglo-Saxon ideas of loyalty, personal indebtedness, fame, fate, and heroism. The epic is named after, and centered on, Beowulf and his quests; however, several other characters also reflect Anglo-Saxon values throughout the story. For example, King Hrothgar built “the best/ Of all mead-halls” (ll.145-146) so that his “men lived happy” (l. 15). Hrothgar built the mead-hall because he was indebted to his men who served and protected him. Meanwhile, Beowulf was indebted to Hrothgar because Hrothgar once defended Beowulf’s family.

A series of three battles allows the reader to understand things about Beowulf that reveal the mortal side of him. The greatest strength Beowulf possessed was his courage and confidence. When he arrived in the land of the Danes, he was willing to give his full services to the Danes in order to free them from the years of trouble they had suffered at the hand of Grendel. At this point in the story, the reader sees the first sign of Beowulf’s invincibility. The way he was welcomed into the kingdom showed the trust the king, Hrothgar, had in Beowulf.

Traits such as honor, valor, respect and bravery all come very easily to Beowulf. Although Beowulf has all of these qualities he completes such traitorous, dangerous feats for all of the wrong reasons. From these tasks, Beowulf expects everlasting glory, fame, and above all immortality. Elements such as friendship, loyalty, generosity and bravery were quintessential in Anglo-Saxon society. The most important being loyalty, without it the whole system would crumble.

The dragons solely purpose was to defend his material resource, and once he failing at that mission violence was the natural retribution. Once Beowulf learns that his house, / had been burned to a fragment (Beowulf, 2325-2326), he decides that the time has return for the defender of the Geats to face this beast. In his fight with the dragon, Beowulfs actions dwell the hands of fate, the ultimate demand of the Heroic Code. Whereas the dragon acts out of pure revenge, Beowulf seeks out the duel with the dragon so as to satisfy his destiny. The veteran king weekday down on the cliff-top...

Another trait that Beowulf exhibits is prowess in battle. In every battle, Beowulf is able to find something that he can use to his advantage and attain victory. During his fight with the dragon, for example, Beowulf was able to see the week spot under the dragon and stab it with his knife. He was able to deal the death blow even though he was barely alive. Another example of Beowulf showing prowess in battle is finding the ancient sword during the fight with Grendel’s mother.

This shows that he believes that whatever may choose his fate, that it would be what was always meant for him despite the Christian deity of God. Furthermore, Beowulf is characterized by the strength and bravery that he possesses, proving him to be the ideal epic hero. During the battle where Grendel would meet his demise, the narrator describes Beowulf’s ultimate strength showing that Grendel, “had met a man whose hands were harder… but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight grip” (33). Rather than shy away from the hideous monster, Beowulf used all that he had to overpower the great monster Grendel. Beowulf does not cease to amaze all of his people for years to come.

The epic expresses Beowulf having true heroic ethics and actions. When he follows the rule of the anglo saxons refinement. Every description that described Beowulf explains him to be a true hero. Murdering of the dragon. In the movie and the poem Beowulf dies slaying the dragon.