British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Astronaut Neil Armstrong. Physicist Albert Einstein. Civil rights activist Mahatma Gandhi. Musician John Lennon. Many people are called hero today. However, there has never been a clear standard of who a hero is. The idea of a hero was first shown in English literature through Beowulf. Written in the Anglo-Saxon period, the saga of Beowulf, a young Geat warrior, is depicted through the 3,182 lines of the epic poem. Through the heroic values that Beowulf shows from the epic – strength, courage, and loyalty – the concept of an ideal hero is defined. Strength, as one of the essential elements of a hero, is well shown by Beowulf’s battles. During the first two battles, each with Grendel and its mother, …show more content…
As time passes by, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and faces his final opponent, the dragon, as an old, veteran king. “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel in days gone by” speaks Beowulf, clearly showing a difference from his battle with Grendel (2518). During his battle, the dragon first lands its fangs on Beowulf, leaving a lethal wound. Gathering his strength, Beowulf strikes his knife into the dragon’s flank, putting the dragon to an end as he dies. During combat, Beowulf accepts the fact that the dragon overpowers him by far, but he does not fear the possibility of his death. Rather than showing fear for death, Beowulf claims to his men before battle: “This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth” (2532). Through the battle, Beowulf seeks to prove his worthiness and power as a king by saving the Geats one last time before he faces death. Beowulf’s attitude to death is like no other men; he accepts death as an inevitable event, and respects the honor of dying as a warrior in
The epic poem, Beowulf, was written by an anonymous author, but followed the same heroic character or person who is loyal, just like the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons were very dependant on their lord and they would show him their loyalty in various ways. There are several ways that define a hero, such as Beowulf, in this epic poem. A hero is not only loyal, but also unselfish, courageous, and shows his faithfulness.
When most people think of a hero, they picture a typically strong man with courageous actions and noble qualities. As people read Beowulf, they will begin to realize that Beowulf is the exact figure of what a hero should be. From defeating Grendel to helping the kingdom, Beowulf continues to show his heroic acts. If it weren’t for him, Grendel would have destroyed the kingdom. Beowulf’s strength, courage, and nobility proves that he is a hero.
If there is a challenge, Beowulf will meet it no matter how life threatening it could be. He was leaving makeshift will before he went to go fight the Grendel’s mother. This proves to us that he is not naïve. Beowulf knows that he could potentially die in the battle. This is what makes him so
“A Hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, quoted by Christopher Reeve. Beowulf however, tends to be an epic hero based on the definition of one. Beowulf was definitely a hero, not because of his super strength, smartness, or even his sword. But because when everyone backed down he was the one to step up & sacrifice his life to save others. “ Beowulf fights in various battles which shows his hero characteristics such as supernatural, bravery, and leadership.
Eventually, a third and last monster appeared. This time the monster was a furious dragon that would attack and burn down the villages of Geatland. Obviously, Beowulf was ready to take on the dragon in a fight, but unfortunately, after defeating it, his wounds were not to fix. Sadly, Beowulf had fought his last fight. Eventually, The Geat’s held a worthy funeral for Beowulf, and they even built an enormous barrow where he could rest in peace.
Beowulf Beowulf is a story of a hero who seems to defy false hope. A hero is a person of distinguished courage who has admirable qualities/abilities, which are exemplified through their acts. Beowulf illustrates the idea that humans can exceed the norm and combat with human evil and fears. There are three virtues that Beowulf personified: loyalty, courage and faith. Loyalty was one of the most important qualities a man could have in Beowulf's time period.
In the Anglo-Saxon culture a hero was a warrior. Beowulf depicts the adventures of a remarkably brave, larger-than-life hero who demonstrates almost superhuman abilities in battling monstrous opponents. Through Beowulf’s strength, bravery, and, loyalty he exemplifies the archetype of a perfect hero. The heroes of Anglo-Saxon period were best defined as honorable warriors.
As king, Beowulf stepped up and fought the malevolent dragon in his last battle. In his last boast he uttered, “ I’ve never known fear, as a youth, I fought endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.” (62). Beowulf was very confident for the circumstances.
Meanwhile, Hamlet and Grendel’s lack of interactions with others leaves them to grow bitter and contemplate death less positively. Beowulf’s maturity and acceptance of death are displayed when he says, “Wise sir, do not grieve… When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark” (Heaney, l384-1389). Additionally, his mindset allows him to battle evil without the fear of death, making him even more powerful. Once the time for Beowulf’s battle with the dragon occurs, he knows it is fate that he will die. “Now the people’s pride and love, the lord of the Geats, is laid on his deathbed brought down by the dragon’s attack” (Heaney, lines 2900-2902) is solemnly stated by Wiglar, representing the safety and value that Beowulf brought to his land.
Beowulf’s fate causes some of his men to get killed in battle and he leaves his land ungoverned and susceptible to attack demonstrated by the quote, “Grendel snatched at the first Geat, ripped him apart, and cut his body to bits,”(421
Beowulf didn’t want to fight this battle, the battle of the dragon. He then decided to because he wanted the treasure for winning the battle. Coming into this battle, Beowulf uttered “, I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.” Pg.56
As the story progress, Beowulf became king of the Geats for 50 years when suddenly a dragon emerged from slumber began to burn down villages. However, Beowulf didn’t pay the slightest attention, but instead ignored what was happening. Finally, when the dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne room Beowulf decided that he needs to deal with the dragon. In Beowulf 's eyes, the lives of his citizens couldn’t even compare to his throne room. When Beowulf prepared to fight the dragon he said, “Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (lines 2512-2514).
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. Beowulf proves himself to be a strong, brave warrior by killing Grendel the monster.
Beowulf is an epic hero because of his strength. His strength isn’t the same as an ordinary man, “He twisted in pain and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped muscle and on split and broke” (lines 337-340). No ordinary man would be
Near the end of his life as a king, Beowulf found that his citizens were being terrorized by a dragon. Although he was old and grizzled, the king took it on in battle. He showed tremendous courage even when knowing the odds were not in his favor. Previously, during his time in Denmark, Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother with the sword made for a giant. This showed his superhuman strength because as an ordinary human being Beowulf was able to handle and control the giant’s sword.