The Anglo-Saxon poet who composed the epic poem Beowulf portrayed Beowulf to be a model of the perfect leader (Loughman). Beginning when he voyages to Heorot Hall to defeat Grendel, and concluding when he becomes king and dies a heroic death; Beowulf is in a position of leadership throughout the entire poem. Consequently, Beowulf possesses an abundance of characteristics that establish him as a strong leader. Throughout the course of Beowulf’s life, as depicted in the epic poem, the majority of his followers are loyal to him up until his fatal death. However, even during his last battle he still had Wiglaf as a loyal follower (McDonnell 25). A few leadership skills revealed in Beowulf are having confidence and success;
In the book Beowulf and the movie the 13th warrior, there are many differences and similarities.The differences is the religion aspect and the monster they were fighting.The similarity is that they both fought the monster at the same place. In the essay I will talk more about the similarity and the differences.It is quite interesting what all similarities and differences that there are.
Biblical allusions in Anglo-Saxon literature make up most of the story Beowulf. Which gives more meaning and background to the story allowing people to associate the bible with the story. The way the author relates the characters from the story to the characters from the bible but not directly, gives it a more sincere sensation. The author builds on allusion throughout the story when he introduces Grendel, describes Hrothgar’s men, and when he discusses the battles Beowulf fought in.
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. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Superman 's willpower also allowed him to defeat the monster known as Doomsday. The Man of Steel was weakened by the weapon he held in his own
The differences and similarities shown in The 13th Warrior and Beowulf can be found through the plot, setting, supernatural, and the central idea. And we will be focusing on the characters, the setting, the supernatural, and the the themes.
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.
Beowulf and Thor are very similar in terms of personality, morals, and the way they think things should be done. They are both very strong men and they have the need to control every little thing and how things should work out. They are both very arrogant and they like to brag Thor does not want to listen to what anyone wants to say while Beowulf does not have to listen to anyone because he already has a firm grasp of what his culture is like and what is to be expected of him.
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.
He did travel across the sea to kill a demon and then the demon’s mother for what seemed to be good will. Beowulf even states he is helping Hrothgar since he had helped Beowulf’s father in the past and Beowulf is returning the favor. Yet, Beowulf is still acting on his pride. He wants to defeat Grendel being that no one has been able to in the past and killing the monster for the Danes would surely bring him more honor and treasures. Beowulf never says that is why he is helping Hrothgar, but the context in which Beowulf says why he is there would suggest he cares more about glory than loyalty like he originally said. Yes, Beowulf is brave, but not because he wants to do the right thing, he wants gold and glory.
Beowulf, the epic tale of a Danish society plagued by evil beasts, reveals many thought-provoking and admirable character traits of the main character and hero, Beowulf. Firstly, he shows chivalry through his interactions and actions towards the king of Heorot, showing him the respect and honor he deserved. Secondly, he demonstrates bravery in all battles above and beyond the standard of the times and the standard of his fellow fighters. He owes his bravery in part to his seemingly immeasurable strength, having more power in each fist than that of thirty men. Lastly, he demonstrates a trait that applies to people for his time and ours, pride. Pride plagued his times, due to warriors’ great deeds, but it haunts modern times as well. The liberator of Heorot and the champion of the tale, Beowulf, demonstrates three admirable and relevant character traits, chivalry, bravery and pride.
Sacrificing his life for his people, Beowulf proved in his triumph over the dragon his legacy and hero status would resound forever within the Norse community. I do support the idea of confronting the dragon differently, but I insist Beowulf wisely decided to encounter the dragon. Since Beowulf lost his life as a result of the clash, questions arise when evaluating his preparation to battle the dragon. However, the conflict proved inevitable and necessary. Honoring his family and nation, Beowulf stood up to the dragon with valor and never needed to consider avoiding the burdensome task.
Beowulf has a motivation, but more so of a obligation because the Danes were relying on him when though it wasn’t his own people who were endangered. Beowulf has a motivation to keep a good reputation. He ends up fighting three different “monsters” whom were terrorizing the peoples. The monsters were Grendel, Grendel 's mother, and fighting the dragon, but in his last fight something happens.
He abuses his powers to the extreme, and gets everything he desires. With Grendel, he kills two birds with one stone. He killed Grendel, which satisfied his lust for killing, and then became even more famous because he killed in an area he had never been before, Denmark. Because he saved them from a monster who was destroying their population, this community will be eternally grateful to him, which is exactly what he wants. If it is not clear to you by now, Beowulf is not who he appears to be. Everyone who reads the story can easily see that he is a strong, powerful hero-type that saves a community from a monster. However, if Barney Stinson read that same story, he would come up with the same conclusion that I had: Beowulf is a bloodthirsty, vainglorious superhuman who values killing and fame more than the saving of a community or the vanquishing of a terrorizing
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
The story of Beowulf is a well known story and is used in many schools as a teaching model and in many schools around the world. The movie The Lord of The Rings is a very popular movie that many people have watched and know about it. The creator of The Lord of The Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, was a huge fan of Beowulf and used many of the ideas from the story into The Lord of The Rings. There are many similarities and differences between the two stories. The similarities and differences between the characters and the settings in both of the stories. Also there are some themes that appear in both of these stories and how they are connected and different. Some of these themes are the themes of death, boasting/ego, courage, violence, and Good vs Evil.