Examples Of Heroism In Beowulf

By examining the three fights Beowulf encountered between Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, one can trace the development of Beowulf’s heroism. Hero’s come in all shapes and sizes. However, there are a few characteristics one must meet to meet the idea of a hero. Such as, only speaking when necessary and never going out of their way to create a battle. Beowulf only speaks when he feels compelled to speak and never goes out to start any wars. At the end of Beowulf, Beowulf admits that he never started any battles: and live on in his flesh. For fifty years

I ruled this nation. No king of any neighboring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me. I took what came, cared for and stood by things in my keeping,

(2732-2739)

Another quality of Beowulf is that he never gives a promise of victory towards the monsters in the three battles he faces, just that he will do his best. Some think that heroes should be strong. At the beginning of Beowulf, Hrothgar tells that he has “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381). The first battle Beowulf faces, when we come into his life is the fight with Grendel that has been terrorizing Heorot. Sometimes heroes need not to always rely on their weapons and armor. In this fight, Beowulf uses neither. When he is proposing to his plan to defeat Grendel to Hrothgar, he says: I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad