Beowulf is such a unique and distinctive character. He shows people the true definition of an epic hero. He is the type of hero that people would look up to. He is a confident leader for many, and that is what makes him who he is. Beowulf’s main characteristics are loyalty, bravery, and strength.…
Beowulf, the greatest Geat soldier in the world, who is widely known for slaying Grendel the Monster, entered eternal peace on Monday. He was 70 years old.…
In the battle with Grendel he had to prove to the Danish people that he was really there to help him. Beating Grendel proved that Beowulf was not just any warrior but one with honor and integrity. The battle with Grendel's mother was very different. Beowulf went to great depths by plunging into a marsh into the underworld to defeat her. Beowulf went into the monsters territory proving that he would do anything to help the Danish people. 50 years later now old in age Beowulf came back to fight a dragon. This would only prove that no matter what Beowulf's honor never left fulfilling his father's…
To sum it all up, In Beowulf, Beowulf is an archetypal hero who ended up being corrupted by the fame and fortune that was gained while doing the Danes a favour and killing their monsters. In Grendel, Grendel was labeled as a monster who tried to be part of a human society; the failure to be accepted as part of the society has forced Grendel to act like how he was labeled.…
A poem written by an anonymous author over one hundred years ago has described that an Anglo-Saxon hero always has the qualities of courage, generosity, and faithfulness. This poem is Beowulf and in this poem those three qualities apply to one character, Beowulf.…
What is an epic hero? Beowulf was an archetype or, perfect example of what an epic hero is. Being infallible, he had many characteristics that showed this. Three of them are strength, bravery, and determination. Beowulf was always eager to face anything he was challenged with.…
The poem “Beowulf” exemplifies Campbell’s claim of the call to adeventure. “Beowulf” was translated by Burton Raffel and is about how a king must protect his castle from a demon at night. “The Call to Adventure” was written by Joseph Campbell and is a guide for The Hero and what he does to become whatis known as the hero.…
Throughout the story, Beowulf displays many qualities of a hero. Beowulf is a story about a epic hero who comes from across the sea to save another kingdom from a monster. Beowulf shows qualities only displayed from an epic hero: he is honorable, brave, strong, was born from a noble family, fights for god, has followers, accepts challenges, and many more. I’m going to tell you about a few of these qualities.…
An epic hero is somebody who has superhuman qualities, who shows the values of his society, and who is bigger and larger in life. Beowulf is a true example of an epic hero; his whole journey is about him crossing a large body of water and comes across many challenges along his way. During his journey, he shows off so many of his superhuman qualities that he had. There are also a lot of examples of how Beowulf embodies the value of his society, he is larger than life and shows his superhuman strength by battling Grendel. Beowulf paints a picture of the three important morals of its time: being a leader, bravery, and honor.…
The worst and most feared monsters of the fen are coming for the people, and only one hero can stop them. The epic story Beowulf was originally written in Old English over one thousand years ago, and, since then, has been interpreted into many different versions. Throughout the story, the hero Beowulf defeats many feared enemies and is honored by people for his actions. In his homeland, he later becomes the king and defeats the Firedrake as his final deed to his people. In the novel Beowulf: A New Telling, Robert Nye introduces a version of Beowulf, a courageous and clever hero.…
From Beowulf's initial introduction he is seen as being conceited and aggressive. During the first feast, Beowulf tells of the story of his swimming race. Beowulf states, "I was the strongest swimmer of all...Time and again, foul things attacked me...but I lashed out, gave as good as I got with my sword...My sword had killed nine sea-monsters. Such night-dangers and hard ordeals I have never heard of nor of a man more desolate in surging waves." (Heaney 37). This quote reveals the cockiness of Beowulf. He is very arrogant as he believes that he is the best and the bravest. Arrogance is not a characteristic of a hero. Another flaw is shown in Beowulf's character as he fights Grendel and Grendel's mother. Beowulf's quarrel with Grendel exposes his true expression of violence. While Grendel and Beowulf are wrestling, Beowulf manages to get Grendel in such as position where he ripped off Grendel's arm from the socket. This violent act can be seen as very brutal. The killing of Grendel in such a way would deny the right to name Beowulf as a hero in present society. In addition, the killing of Grendel's mother has the same effect. While battling Grendel's mother, Beowulf seeks assistance from an ancient blade. With this sword, he delivers a final blow to the neck of the monster. After determining that she is death, he still proceeds and decapitates her. He then returns with the head and displays it in Heorot. The decapitation of Grendel's mother illustrates Beowulf as disrespectful and in violation of the heroic code, which doesn't identify him as a hero. In the eyes of contemporary society Beowulf can be recognize as a paradoxical character as he is embodied by both heroic and callous…
A modern day hero is someone who chooses to make sacrifices without being asked to do so by anyone. Many may look up to a person and say that one day they’d like to have some of those attributes a modern day hero has. In the epic poem Beowulf, thought to be written by a christian monk, the central character and hero is Beowulf, who is looked up to by his people of Sweden, the Geats. Consequently a modern day hero that I admire immensely would be a nurse.…
Beowulf by Gareth Hinds is graphic novel based on the Anglo-Saxon epic from 1000 A.D. This work tells the story of a warrior-prince named Beowulf, who completes various heroic tasks throughout the epic story. How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster teaches the reader the real qualities and characteristics it takes to be a true hero in literature. In his quests Beowulf proves that he is a true hero in literature.…
Beowulf has many of the characteristics to classify him as a hero. For example he’s brave, sacrificial, strong, caring and patient. Evidence from the text where Beowulf shows/develops these characteristics are:…
Have you ever wondered where the concept of creation of the epic hero cycle originated from? For over centuries, the old super hero vs. evil villain story has been told over and over again, and it all started with the Anglo-Saxons' story of Beowulf. The archetype for all epic hero cycle stories. Various stories evolved from Beowulf, which contain the same concept, but changing the characters, setting, and etc. Beowulf displays heroic character traits, as well as many other heroes today. For example, one epic hero that possesses heroic qualities is Harry Potter. In my opinion, Harry Potter would be a hero in our society today. Not so much for his physical capabilities, but because he is reluctant to recognize the role that is chosen for him. Both heroes are strikingly similar, and yet they are remarkably different at the same time; Harry has no desire to fight off evil, but when he is called upon,…