In today’s society, anybody can be considered a hero. A hero is a selfless person who is admired for their courageous achievements. A mother, celebrity, or even a mailman can be a hero to someone. In Beowulf, the epic poem translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is recognized as a hero who craves too much glory. In today’s world, Beowulf is viewed as an irrelevant hero since he displays poor qualities of arrogance and selfishness.
A leader is a type of person that everyone can look up to, who will be there when someone needs help, and someone that everyone desires to be. Although every leader is different in some aspects, there are common characteristics that leaders distribute. Among the various characteristics the characters hold in Beowulf, a few great qualities illuminate through, these being generosity, bravery, and most of all loyalty. Beowulf and Hrothgar portray to be a strong leader through the story exerting these qualities.
Beowulf possessed the trait of self-assurance, almost to the point of hubris. Beowulf quickly rose through the ranks and was entrusted by King Hrothgar simply by asserting himself as the leader and savior of the Danes. By being absurdly certain in his own abilities, Beowulf was cherished by those he
Not only have we seen brute strength, honorable courage, and admirable loyalty shine through beowulf, Beowulf also possess a great trait not many others have; his will to fight to the death, or self sacrifice. Not once throughout the story did Beowulf ever turn down a battle. Not once did he fear or flee his enemy. Not once did he ever give up even if death had him by the throat causing his mind to flood nothing but fearful thoughts and feelings throughout his body. Every battle Beowulf fought, he fought as if it was his last and that is what truly makes him the great warrior he is. It 's easy to flee a battle, but it 's hard to stay knowing death is a definitive factor. Beowulf shows that he is willing to die for his glory and to protect the Danes in every battle he faces. Against Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. During his battle with
When killing the enemy he was smart, brave, and noble. Beowulf knew the perfect tactic to bring out Grendel. Beowulf then eventually kills Grendel by tearing off his arm. For this everyone loves him and gives him great treasure especially the king. Although Beowulf liked the gifts he never asked for them. He was only trying to help out King Hrothgar and wanted to fight. Although defeating Grendel was not enough Grendel 's mother had to be defeated to for trying to kill people in the town. Beowulf took the challenge. When Beowulf goes to her he feels as if though he is going to die. She takes him to her lair Beowulf fears for his life until they get inside the lair. There he kills her and takes Grendel 's head as a gift for the king along with the giant 's sword. This proves his loyalty to the king and Drane-folk. During this fight, everyone waited for anxiously. When they saw the blood they knew Beowulf was dead but, he wasn 't. When he showed up to the mead-hall everybody was proud of him. Giving him more gifts and treasure. Throughout this story, he proves over and over how brave
“Beowulf” is an old English heroic poem written in the Anglo-Saxon Era. While the battles of Beowulf were mesmerizing, the concept of defending the civilians throughout the whole poem was self- evident. Even so, the poem contains many types of archetypes; situational, character and symbolic.
In the novel Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf possesses unstoppable courage which allows him to help move the plot along and maintain the balance between good and evil.
The King says, bragging about Beowulf, “Nor have I seen/my mightier man-at-arms on this earth/ then the one standing: unless I am mistaken,/he is truly noble. This is no mere/ anger-on in a hero’s armor” (247-51). People really do believe in Beowulf and how he presents his faithfulness so everyone. Beowulf will not give up until the job is done and the people who need protecting are protected and safe. “Inside Heorot/ there was nothing but friendship…/not yet familiar with feud and betrayal” (1016-8). Beowulf brings everyone together with peace and
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.
Greed is a ravenous monster; an insatiable parasite of the mind, which feasts on mankind’s noble ambitions. In Burton Raffel’s translation of the epic, Beowulf, the super human protagonist faces obstacles no other man in the land could face. Beowulf is a man of great deeds, with a narcissistic character. His eminence, though brought upon by his own fearless victories, is a façade, covering the creature lurking within him. Though Beowulf is a noble savior, secret motivations seethe behind his carefully constructed character.
Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery, translated by Dick Ringler, utilized the dark and the ominous to foreshadow or to portray the impending savagery of mankind. Darkness could be defined either by the absence of light or by the lack of intellectual enlightenment. The monstrous creatures are shrouded within the darkness or associate with the ominous. Throughout Beowulf the theme of violence and darkness are intertwined, which is manifest by correlating the darkness with the unknown through Grendel. The unknown generate fear among the mass through their inability to control and understand the existence of inhuman beings. Therefore, ultimately resulting in the use of violence and brutality to restore order and peace once again.
Beowulf is the longest epic poem composed in Old English. This epic poem deals with a man, Beowulf and his adventures toward killing a great monster, Grendel. Throughout his adventures, we the readers realize many negative traits about Beowulf. Beowulf’s main trait is that he is a charismatic leader. Even though being charismatic is fine in many cases, Beowulf being the main character over boasts himself. “He is absolutely fearless and supremely confident in his own abilities.”states John Finley and Tom Loughman. As well was being overly confident and fearless, he is also known for being a model to his comrades. He is seen as strong, helpful, yet very narcissistic. In today’s world we still have narcissistic and charismatic people which is why the article, “Beowulf and the Teaching of Leadership” is such a phenomenal piece. It talks about today’s struggles and the struggles dealt with Beowulf back then.
I agree a good hero and a good leader do share similar qualities. Heroes and leaders share similar qualities, such as standing up for what an individual believes in and confidence. When thinking about the question, does a good hero make a good leader? Personally, I believe a good leader creates a good hero. An individual who can lead a group of individuals in a positive and safe way can be a good hero. A good leader would fight battles with their crew members and risk his or her own life to benefit and/or save the rest. The best example is when Beowulf is about the fight Grendel, he instructs his crew members to stay back and let himself fight this battle. I believe Beowulf is a good leader as well as a good hero.
As anyone read the epic poem, Beowulf, They will be enthusiastic with the accomplishments of Beowulf as a leader. But what if Beowulf dies? Will Evil come again as an Impression of Grendel, his mother, or even the dragon?Is there anyone will be able to defeat him? Well According to the article Beowulf and Teaching of Leadership from Journal of Leadership education, Dr. Tom Loughman's and Dr. John Finley's Studies appraise the following: Examination of the Character Beowulf as a leader and how he fits into the Conger-Kanugo model as a charismatic leader and how the epic poem dramatized risks of overreliance upon a charismatic leader. As a result, I was Impressed with their connections between Conger and Kanungo's Charismatic Leader Model and
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