Hero Analysis: Character Analysis Of Beowulf

In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.

The epic poem “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel, focuses on a hero by the name of Beowulf who goes on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from an egregious monster by the name of Grendel. This Anglo-Saxon tale gives insight into the values and beliefs of the people from whom the story originated. Their war-centered ideology and views on loyalty and courage were the principles that the Anglo-Saxon culture was founded upon. While warfare was a focal point in their lifestyle, it was far from a savage, barbaric state of fighting. Honor and prestige were bestowed upon those who died during battle and selflessness for fellow warriors was a fundamental belief. Boasting and self-possession were another common custom of the Anglo-Saxons. (“Anglo-Saxon Warfare Group”). Beowulf represents a quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero through his confident poise, his willingness for self-sacrifice, and his tenacity through near-impossible odds.

A hero does not fight for fame and glory but for the greater good. A hero is someone who goes through adversity to help others in desperate times. A hero fights evil, and defends people. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he is a strong, brave warrior who defended his people and slayed evil monsters.

All sentient beings are in some way shaped by the ideas that surround them. It is impossible for any thinking creature to ignore the philosophies held by their parents, friends acquaintances, and their society. Children, for example, have their personal worldviews profoundly affected by their parents, friends, and teachers. They typically follow the ideas of their parents and integrate the prevalent ideas of their friends and teachers. There is a phrase that describes the predominant swirl of philosophies that surround a thinking being: the philosophical environment. By extension, the philosophical environment is the source of meaning we bring to life, as Joseph Campbell states in “The Hero’s Journey”: “Life is without meaning. You bring

Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf is an old epic poem in which the protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats come to the aid of Hrothgar, king of Danes, whose great hall, Heorot is plagued by the monster name Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel’s mom with a giant sword and later becomes the king of Geats. Then after a period of fifty years, he defeats the dragon but is mortally wounded in the battle and dies. After his death, his attendants burn his body him in the huge funeral pyre and then bury him. Hero is the person who is admired and idealized for his courage, outstanding achievements, noble qualities, and is good in the opinion of others. Anglo-Saxon people find great honor in warfare and warfare is their primary motivation

Beowulf is the epitome of the ideal Anglo-Saxon epic hero. The numerous amount of characteristics that he possesses benefit him in many ways, but eventually lead to his downfall. As depicted in Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, the qualities found in Beowulf that were most admired by his society include inhuman strength, unreserved loyalty, and unending bravery.

An epic hero is someone who has to preform heroic deeds. The King of Geatland at the beginning of the poem was Hrothgar, Beowulf is just a Geatish Warrior, once Beowulf finds out about Grendel attacking he steps in to help the tribe. Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon in this poem. The battles Beowulf fought were beyond human strength and capabilities. Beowulf’s first battle was with Grendel, whose arm was ripped off with a pair of bare hands, this became his first heroic achievement. Beowulf’s next heroic achievement was when he entered “The Monsters’ Lair” (51) and killed Grendel’s mother, who was killed by a larger than life sword. Beowulf’s last and final heroic achievement was battling and killing a dragon who he later found out was Grendel’s brother, Beowulf then later dies from the poison in his blood from the dragon’s teeth.

A hero is someone who spend his life on doing goods for other. In this epic Beowulf is the strongest hero. The person who never think of himself in his life, are the real heroes. He has all the qualities like strong, brave and smart but he also has many more qualities like loyal, trustworthiness. He is more than a hero in this epic. He plays a great role in this Anglo Saxon story being a hero. He helps king Hrothgar's kingdom by fighting demons. A hero is someone who is always strong, brave, smart and loyal.

Hero; a person of notable bravery and courage, respected for valiant deeds and gallant qualities. The idea behind heroism can be traced back to the beginnings of time, with heroes such as Achilles who embodied courage. The warrior people known as the Anglo-Saxons; Germanic tribes from Denmark as well as northern Germany , extremely valued the concept of heroes. Despite being converted to Christianity around 597 CE, the Anglo-Saxons treasured heroic ideals such as bravery, modesty, and valor; and were very interested in traditional heroes . Heroes were not their only value, these people also heavily cherished community, family, and retained high moral standards. They lived in tribal groups, where kings began to emerge from; even though they were portrayed as great warriors, the Anglo-Saxons really feared loneliness and humiliation . An unknown author illustrates the historical past of the Anglo-Saxons through the epic poem known as Beowulf, by describing the

The poem of Beowulf focuses on the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero of Beowulf and explores the meaning of heroism. Throughout time, it is clear the definition of a hero has changed, there have been significant modification in what a hero’s morals are as well as their true intentions. Beliefs in today’s society pursue the idea that Beowulf would not be in the parameters of what we may consider a heroic individual.

According to old British literature, Beowulf is one the earliest and longest epic poems. An epic hero is defined as a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular culture. Epic heroes are people that are known to have superior strength, have strong love for their people,

In the fight with Grendel’s mother, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf culture values physical strength above all else. During the fight with grendel 's mother, Beowulf was giving a sword that was suppose to protect him from the wrath of the beast but the sword had failed him. However, that could not stop him. To Beowulf, “If weapons were useless he’d use his hands” (506-507). This shows Beowulf 's strength and want for frame and glory empowered him. If a steel sword couldn’t defeat the monster then his bare hands would once again has his life. Another example that the Anglo-Saxon culture values strength the most is towards the end of the fight when Beowulf identifies a magical sword, ``made from gaints, suck in solid stone. It was “the best of

Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English that dates back to 1000 CE. The ancient

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 every heroic tale, there lies a theme of balance in values. Every hero is said to possess a fatal flaw; whether they overcome this flaw or let it define who they are is up to them. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is not particularly hard for the reader to point out their perceived flaws of our hero: arrogance, pride, egotism. Yet, Beowulf stands tall in the poem as the perfect hero, adored and praised by all. Why is it that the modern day reader can so easily decide what makes a hero imperfect? Can a hero ever be perfect at all? Well, the difference is in the time period and the cultures. While it can be argued that Beowulf is perfect, or that Beowulf is flawed, the matter remains subjective depending