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Beowulf Characteristics Of An Epic Hero Essay

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Not just through characteristics, but through Beowulf's struggle and endeavors throughout the story, it resembles that of an epic hero. J.R.R Tolkien suggested the theme that a ‘man alien in a hostile world, engaged in a struggle which he cannot win’ states that Beowulf struggled in the hostile world, and in something he could not win; though he may have won battles through struggle, he never fully won. Being larger than life, going on a quest, and dying a symbolic death are the characteristics of an epic hero shown by Beowulf. In the theme of the story, the man alien was in a hostile world. Beowulf’s setting could be described as brutal, as it was set in the times of the Geats, the Danes and Swedes that lived in constant warfare with one another. A lot of men, when they went into battle, expected to …show more content…

Those examples can also be used to show another characteristic of an epic hero that is, there is someone going on a quest. Beowulf leaves his home to help a town fight off a beast. He ends up going on a quest to find his mother and then comes to kill them both. Lastly, Beowulf dies a symbolic death. He has proven to not only the town, but the king that he is a hero and he helped them fight off their worst fear. He accepts the challenge to try and beat the dragon, and even though he kills him with the help of Wiglaf, Beowulf is mortally wounded and dies. His importance of the story and to the safety of the town is why he died a symbolic death. Beowulf shows many characteristic of how he is an epic hero in this poem. He also shows struggle and bravery through everything he does to help the people around him. He may have died in the end but everyone knew that he was a hero by defeating Grendel and his mother. He lived in a hostile world and he fought to make it, but he could not

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