Beowulf shares the same traits with as many other heroes I know about. For example, Beowulf 's willpower can be compared with Henry Cavill 's Superman (Man of Steel). In Beowulf: "The Battle with the Dragon", Beowulf battled the dragon and he noticed that his weapons started to fail him and that he was weakened by his age. In spite of that, Beowulf 's willpower enabled him to continue fighting the dreadful beast. Eventually, after his ally Wiglaf provided Beowulf with some assistance, he was able to break through and deliver the killing blow to the dragon.
Achilles, son of a goddess, has superior strength and fighting skills to any regular human, and as a baby he was dipped into the river Styx by his mother, leaving no part of his body vulnerable to attack but where she held him by his ankles. Beowulf on the other hand is the strongest man in the world of his time, having the strength to rip of the arm of a large monster named Grendel, and he is extremely tough, being able to survive the surge of a dragons fire breath that would have killed a normal man. Despite their physical traits, they both displayed acts of brutality and ruthlessness in their poems. Beowulf did so when he ripped off the arm of Grendel and hung it in the mead hall as a sign of victory, as well as when he defeated Grendel’s mother and took her head as a trophy. Achilles acts were almost just as vicious.
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.” (1-3) These lines show that courage is seen as a type of greatness. If Beowulf would have not been blessed with the courage that he has, the kingdom would not have viewed him the same way as a hero. It takes a lot of courage to be brave enough to stand up to a demon that has been terrorizing a kingdom for twelve years. Luckily, Beowulf had this courage and defeated Grendel which made him a
Achilles and Beowulf exemplify countless traits throughout the occurrence of each epic poem. Beowulf, in the epic Beowulf, shows traits such as being self-less. For example Beowulf shows selflessness when he volunteers to help Hrothgar in protecting the Danes. Anyone could've easily been there to help Hrothgar however Beowulf felt he owed his help to Hrothgar so he was happy to have the pleasure. Achilles, in the epic Illiad, shows the trait of being unforgiving.
Beowulf The Epic Hero What defines an epic hero? Beowulf is anything but a normal human being, he poses extremely large amount of strength and great leadership techniques. When Beowulf set his mind on a task in battle he never gave in to evil. It all began as a quest to defeat Grendel. Beowulf also possesses superhuman strength and is the smartest of any warrior.
Beowulf declares that he “drove five great giants into chains, [and] chased all of that race from the Earth.” He is immensely overbearing at that point because he is too proud of his achievements. Being excessively prideful does not exactly label Beowulf as a hero. Beowulf assumes all of the courageous acts he fulfills will make him
This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).
Strength, honor, and resilience are all words that captures the essence of Beowulf. During the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf is a hero who strikes fear in his enemies and relief in his allies. Beowulf is widely-regarded as the most honorable and ruthless hero in all of the world; he defends villages of people from blood-hungry predators, defeats sea monsters, and defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother in the epic poem Beowulf. However, Beowulf can be an egomaniac at times. For instance, before Beowulf’s epic fight and defeat of the monster Grendel, Beowulf strips nude and fights the monster nude to boast and show off.
Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.
Achilles died similarly to how Beowulf died. Their similarity’s do not detract from their differences. Regardless of their similarities they were not the same heroes, they were different from one another. Achilles was more of a person who fought for vengeance. While simultaneously Beowulf was the type of hero who would fight to keep people alive.
Throughout the history of mankind there have been many books and stories written which preview a hero doing dangerous, epic deeds for the good of others. The same is true in the story of Beowulf, titled Beowulf. Beowulf was written by the Anglo Saxons by an unknown author. In the book Beowulf, Beowulf follows the role of the archetypal hero and fulfills it by going on epic quests to help, and save kingdoms. This is shown whenever Beowulf sets out to fight Grendel, an awful beast who is terrorizing Hrothgar’s kingdom.
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.
One of the biggest hero qualities Beowulf was his courage. Having the strength of 30 men, he battled against all types of foes and claimed victory. When he told the people that he will battle
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
Beowulf was invincible in his strength. He battles terrifying monster and risks his life. He showcases his heroic stoicism through his super-human physical strength. Grendel was a horrendous monster that was the incarnation of maleficence. Beowulf’s men had tried to use their weapons to fight, but Grendel “ blunted every mortal man 's blade” (Line 485).