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. Beowulf is a very strong man. In order to fight and defeat Grendel he must show how strong he is. Beowulf states, “The truth is this: when the going was heavy in those high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all." (532-534) This quote shows how Beowulf believes that he should always show his strength even when he does not have a heroic act to be accomplished; therefore, even if there is not a demon or dragon to fight, he wants to show his strength in different ways. His strength shows only one of his many heroic characteristics. …show more content…
Typically, if a person has absolutely no courage, they are not very heroic. Beowulf was full of courage. If he had no courage, he would not have been brave enough to use his strength to defeat Grendel. The first three lines of Beowulf states, “So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. 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
It may prove difficult to only do things for the god of mankind rather than oneself. Nevertheless, Beowulf held tremendous bravery which contributes to his heroic persona. When Beowulf fights the antagonist Grendel he goes into battle with only “[his] hands alone to fight,” proving he is no coward (172-173). Throughout this epic, Beowulf continues
Beowulf fights in three battles and wins them all. That shows his bravery and strength. After Beowulf defeats Grendel, people of all ages were “retelling Beowulf’s bravery”(Beers II.
In the story Beowulf, there are numerous moments of heroic actions. Although there are manycharacters that are looked upon as evil, Beowulf is not one of those. Beowulf demonstrates many heroic traits throughout the story such as strong-willingness and self-determination, strength and admiration, and honest, and for these reasons, I believe he should be classified as a hero. The majority of the time, heroes are very strong-willed and can push their selves to do what is best. Oftentimes they do not need someone to tell them they need to do something and they do notusually need someone to follow behind them to make sure they are making the good decision.
This shows Beowulf is brave not only in the sense that he is willing to let his own men die, but he is willing to wait for all his men to die to fight Grendel himself instead of taking on Grendel with the help of his men. In addition Beowulf shows cunning in battle by not giving up and having the determination to do what needs to be done, which does go hand in hand with bravery. In the Illiad Achilles shows bravery by refusing to make a pact with Hector.
Nor will I.” Beowulf shows courage by explaining, if Grendel doesn't need a weapon and fears no man, Beowulf doesn't fear Grendel or need a weapon to fight him. Again, in lines (312-315), Beowulf shows courage when he holds Grendel and won't let go, giving him no escape when the author states “That mighty protector of men Meant to hold the monster till its life leaped out , knowing the fiend was no use To anyone in Denmark.” Another example of Beowulf’s courage is shown when he says “Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies’
First of all, Beowulf’s courage helps him have the strength to be in a battle against his enemies. For instance, before fighting with Grendel, Beowulf says “Unarmed he shall face me / if face me he dares. And may the Divine Lord / in His wisdom grant the glory of victory / to whichever side he sees fit” (684-687). Of course, this means that Beowulf has enough courage to be strong and fight Grendel without any weapons. Therefore, his courage helps build up another characteristic that makes up an epic hero, which is his strength.
In the epic poem “Beowulf” the character Beowulf is the foundation for all of our modern heroes, but was he really a great hero? A hero is classified as a person who is admired for their bravery, achievements, or nobility. Although Beowulf displays all these qualities, there are several reasons he is not a hero, mainly him being egotistical and arrogant. This is why Beowulf is not a heroic person. Beowulf is often caught bragging about himself and his great accomplishments.
Beowulf definitely displays multiple examples of courage, such as fighting Grendel barehanded and going to fight a dragon alone, but the most pronounced example is when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel’s mother, his second trial. Her home is a disgusting, murky lake that’s “infested with… sea-dragons / and monsters” (1425) and so deep that “the mere bottom has never been sounded by the sons of men” (1367-1368). Even the creatures that live around it would rather die than dive under the water’s surface. Beowulf makes a big deal out of how terrifying her home is, expressing how the warriors who arrived at her home were “not man enough / to face the turmoil of a fight under water / and the risk to [their] life” (1468-1470). But Beowulf is willing to.
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’s bravery is one example of why he is a hero. Another way Beowulf can be seen as a hero is through his strength. Strength is another main characteristic that most heroes have. “The Truth is this: when the going was heavy in those waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all.
Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.
Beowulf had so many characteristics that showed heroism by standing up and showing that he wasn’t scared of anything. He didn’t let nothing stop him. He was the one who saved the warriors and the cities men and women. He was a hero in the story.
Throughout the novel Beowulf is a noted and respected warrior from Geatland. During Beowulf's youth, he is considered to be a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery, and with age he is depicted as a wise and influential leader. There are multiple characteristics of a hero in which
Beowulf’s Unstoppable Courage 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. Beowulf first exhibits courage when he first hears the news of Grendel. He immediately assembles a team together and goes over to Heorot upon receiving word of Grendel’s actions. Beowulf shows courage even when no one else volunteers to complete the task: “Then news of Grendel,/ had to ignore, reached me at home...
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).