The Knight And Beowulf Comparison Essay

The idea of a hero is explored differently in the ancient Anglo-Saxon text Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. During the time period of both of the stories being a hero is very important to everyone. Beowulf is not a true hero, even if he tries to make himself out to seem like a true hero, based on modern ideas of the Hero.

¨True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat¨- Napoleon. Clearly, Napoleon is explaining that a hero will conquer any negative things in life that challenge them. For example, modern day superheroes always overcome their problems in life. Modern day superheroes such as Batman, Superman, and Spiderman fight the villains and grow superior to the negative aspects in their lives. Similarly, heroes in poems and books gain their heroic name by defeating the ills of life. For instance, in the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, the hero defeats evil creatures and saves his people. In his battles, Beowulf displays the heroic characteristics such as bravery, confidence, and selflessness.

Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.” (Heaney

Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage.

A typical hero is someone who is known to be very powerful and have unusual traits that no human being can withstand. They use their powers as an advantage to fight any crime and to protect humans from the bad. However, a hero can be characterized in two different ways; an epic hero or an Anglo-Saxon hero. A character name Beowulf can be characterized as an Anglo-Saxon hero more so than an epic hero because of his actions.

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.

Medieval literature shows the change of heroes throughout centuries. For the English medieval times, two story’s heroes stand out: Le Morte d'Arthur’s Lancelot and Beowulf’s Beowulf. Lancelot, the patient, humble, and chivalrous knight, is contrasted by Beowulf, a boastful, proud, and rowdy viking. It clearly shows how stories have changed in their depiction of protagonists. Both Beowulf and Lancelot are great warriors and leaders but that is where their similarities end. Their differences can be categorized in their amount of patience, how they hold themselves around others, and their personal actions.

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. In an earlier battle, Beowulf was able to once again exhibit his enormous strength by single handedly tearing off the arm of an enemy giant, Grendel. Lastly, before all of the battles, Beowulf displays his extreme intelligence. After being unjustly embarrassed by Unferth, Beowulf decided to reply in a civil manner. In his reply, he accurately refuted all of Unferth’s claims and turns the embarrassment on him. By responding cordially, he was able to dissolve any potential tension between the Geats and Danes.

In the poem Beowulf, we see the Anglo-Saxon hero. It is an epic of a hero who embodies the honor of the Anglo-Saxon culture and tradition. The poem in itself is an elegant script of Anglo-Saxon times. Composed in 8th or 9th century the epic was passed down from generation to generation orally and has no known author. 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.

In conclusion, Beowulf was a hero, even though he died, he was willing to sacrifice his life for his comrades. He showed his strength with every decision he made. He detached Grendel’s arm from his body, slayed Grendel’s mother with a sword and died fighting the dragon. He is brave because he didn’t back out of any of these battles, and he had the courage even though he was a little unsteady of the demons he helped the people of Denmark. He died saving everyone in Denmark from the horrific demons who lurked about. Three evil monsters

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. This can cause Beowulf to be a static character throughout the epic poem; he shows little change as his main goal throughout the whole

This Question can be interpreted in different ways. The answer could be yes because he saved

Beowulf is obviously an archetypal hero, being one of the first heros created in a writing. In Beowulf there is a hero, outcast/scapegoat, and many symbols. Beowulf is the hero because he is

How do Beowulf’s events correlate to Beowulf as a character? Beowulf exhibits characteristics of a hero in many ways. Some include his bravery, courage, skill, and quest. For example, Beowulf defeated Grendel by tearing his opponent’s arm off under gruesome circumstance (791-823). In other instances, Beowulf manages to kill Grendel’s mother, despite her relentless attacks (1518-1533). In his last battle, Beowulf shows that he knows of his weakness in the encounter with the dragon. Within every scene, Beowulf shines through evil due to his benefits. In Beowulf's first battle, his skills have an effect on his success.

Though the dragon managed to kill Beowulf in time from a bite that was poisonous, one his most loyal knights slayed the dragon and after retrieving the treasure he kept it hidden. Beowulf tells Wiglaf to build him barrow where people will remember him by. He was one of the