Heroism In Beowulf And The Seafarer

Heroism is a concept brought up when we think about the leader in comics, movies, and pieces of literature. The translations of Beowulf and "The Seafarer", by Burton Raffel, show variations of hardships and heroism while making standards of what today's hero should be like.

The hardships faced in Beowulf and "The Seafarer" are different from each other in text, but similar to what other heroes face in modern media. "Grendal came, hoping to kill anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot" (Canto 11). Like superheroes in movies, Beowulf had a vicious opponent. The hero's goal is to defeat this villain whether it is to save their village or the entire world. Battling terror is a common theme when thinking about heroes. "On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow,

In films, such as Life of Pi and Castaway, the heroes must find strategies through natural disaster and contemplate ideas such as the seafarer does. People look at these internal struggles for empowerment, so even though it may not be viewed as tough or brave, it is relatable.

Heroism portrayed in Beowulf and "The Seafarer" is still what an audience expects of modern heroes in books and films. "Beowulf, the hero of this epic hears of Grendel's deeds and vows revenge" (Cantos 3-5). When a threat occurs in the city, the superhero is usually the one to take care of the situation. Many actions Beowulf performed can be considered the bravery people expect to come from heroes. "Leaping to journeys, always set in thoughts traveling on a quickening tide" (The Seafarer). There is this ideal that heroes do not rest or stop till the job is done. They keep moving forward and have to be fast paced.

The modern hero can be connected to ideas from years ago seen from Raffel's translations of Beowulf and "The Seafarer". These poems show what shapes a hero in our society. Not