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 …show more content…
This is seen multiple times throughout the poem beginning with his quest to kill Grendel. Beowulf personally sought out permission from Hrothgar to help the Danish people. Beowulf was able to help the suffering community; furthermore, he had a chance to receive great recognition for his actions. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf was given the opportunity to receive more glory and once again help Heorot by taking the life of Grendel’s mother. This was an extremely dangerous challenge because he knew her capabilities. Beowulf risked his life twice to help the community of Heorot become safe again and with that received ultimate praise. For a last time Beowulf risked his life to save his own community who were his citizens as king. He conquered a powerful dragon that fatally injured him as well. Beowulf knew his life was at stake yet persevered for the sake of his …show more content…
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. Given this evidence, it is clear that Beowulf deserves to be labeled as an epic hero. He consistently and evidently displayed multiple characteristics of an epic hero. Beowulf was always on a quest, continously risked his life for glory and the greater good of society, and had superior intelligence, strength, and courage which were the three most crucial reasons that created him to be
Beowulf is extraordinary. The name sake and hero archetype of the epic poem Beowulf, transcends what it means to be a king reaching the title of hero and champion of the people. When he first is described in line 196 of the epic, the writer says,“There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, high-born and powerful.” Beowulf will always be the time’s mightiest hero, whether he is king or not.
“A Hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, quoted by Christopher Reeve. Beowulf however, tends to be an epic hero based on the definition of one. Beowulf was definitely a hero, not because of his super strength, smartness, or even his sword. But because when everyone backed down he was the one to step up & sacrifice his life to save others. “ Beowulf fights in various battles which shows his hero characteristics such as supernatural, bravery, and leadership.
Beowulf was the person who would take up for people that could not fend for themselves. Beowulf 's courage was so
When Beowulf approaches Hrothgar and offers to kill Grendel, he is already a very very skillful warrior who has (accomplished or gained with effort) many feats, and he is a hero to the people. Later in life, Beowulf changes from a young warrior to a wise king who later dies in order to save the people of his kingdom from an (imaginary, huge, fire-breathing animal). The extreme danger of the job is illustrated through the fact that Hrothgar 's own men 's tries to kill Grendel have been useless/pointless.
II. Beowulf gains favor with the king by establishing his lineage Beowulf comes before the Danish King Hrothgar to state his purpose for arriving to the kingdom unannounced. As Beowulf is petitioning before the king his ability to defend the kingdom from the monstrous attacks, the king interrupts with a reminiscent tone. Hrothgar recounts a hostile incident during which Beowulf’s father killed
The actions Beowulf takes throughout the story prove he is a hero. By willingly helping the king with an issue he could not conquer, dealing with the consequences of his actions in the form of Grendel’s mother, and sacrificing himself for the good of his kingdom,
A hero is no mere man. He exceeds mortal capacity and indulges in extraordinary. Thus, Beowulf is a hero because he represents the characteristics-strength, loyalty, and bravery- of an honorable warrior. Beowulf is the quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero because his strength is unparalleled (Dogra 80). This is evident through the fact he tears Grendel limb to limb even though Grendel is described as an incredibly strong monster.
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.
Adrianna Traslavina October 13, 2017 Mrs. Serwa Period 1 In the anonymous story “Beowulf”, Beowulf shows several characteristics of an epic hero. In the beginning Beowulf born from an epic hero, shows Courage and bravery, as he is called upon by the King of Danes to kill the Demon Grendel. Grendel brutally kills the innocent, and helpless people for no other than the enjoyment of his time. Beowulf and Grendel finally meet and Beowulf kills Grendel, by Beowulf from extraordinary and courageously ripping out Grendel arm and then bleeds out and dies from loss of blood.
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.
I believe that Emerson would indeed consider Beowulf to be an epic hero in this story. Beowulf is a brave, independent, and strong warrior who refused to back down from a fight. His heroism also displays his amazing leadership qualities. He is an honest man who does what he says he is going to do without any complaint or remorse. I think one major thing to point out is that he would not fight Grendel using a weapons (unless you believe his courage and honorability are the only weapons he needs) to ensure that his brawl with Grendel would be on even grounds.
Prior to ever killing Grendal the Danish king, Hrothgar, knew of Beowulf’s father and therefore expected much out of him. Legends of Beowulf could range but he did speak of himself battling sea monsters, several of them all killed by Beowulf. After defeating Grendel Beowulf could have easily left, but instead he stayed to finish the job he had come for. He fought Grendel's mother till bitter death than afterwards took Grendel's head as a trophy to the king of the Danes, Hrothgar. In his later years Beowulf became king after his father before him and his kingdom was under siege by a Dragon, instead of telling his men to slay the beast he fought it himself.
Throughout the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, the main protagonist, Beowulf, embodies the heroism, courage, and cleverness of a great epic hero in his battling against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Similar to profound figures like Odysseus, Hercules, and Aeneas, Beowulf demonstrates characteristics of bravery and virtue during his adventures in liberating Heorot from Grendel and slaying the dragon to protect Geatland. By examining Beowulf’s valor, nobility, and ultimate sacrifice when facing his opponents, one can argue that Beowulf’s character is the quintessential epic hero, embarking on perilous quests for the betterment of mankind. After learning about the terror Heorot was facing from Grendel, Beowulf voyaged with his men to Hrothgar’s kingdom, vowing to face Grendel and allowing God to decide who will be victorious in battle.
In the book Beowulf the character Beowulf has all the characteristics of an epic hero. Ted Ed says on What Makes a Hero? That “The stages of the hero are The call to adventure, Assistance, Departure, Trial, Approach, Crisis, treasure, result, return, new life, resolution, and status quo”(Ted Ed). To be a hero they go through the stages and if they don’t they are not counted as much of a hero to people’s eyes.
Beowulf Essay An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Also, epic heroes are characters that do extraordinary objectives that a normal human could never do. In the poem, Beowulf, the main character does superhuman jobs when he battles monsters, swims underwater for hours, and is also a great leader, which also makes him an epic hero. By analyzing the character Beowulf, he is classified as an epic hero.