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The loyalty of Beowulf as a hero, is shown in many different ways. Beowulf helps others, even when it doesn’t involve him. Beowulf is the type of hero that will go out of his way to help someone in need. That, to me, is a very loyal thing to do. Even toward the end of his life, Beowulf said “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again.” (Lines 624-626) This passage is proof of Beowulf’s loyalty.…
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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.…
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The Anglo-Saxon culture embraces virtues such as courage, strength, loyalty, cunning, and generosity. The epic hero Beowulf exemplifies these virtues. Beowulf possesses each of these characteristics. Throughout the epic tale of Beowulf, the hero displays each of these virtues through his actions and adventures.…
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To understand the famous Anglo- Saxon hero Beowulf, one must understand the culture that created Beowulf. The Anglo- Saxons were influential, strong, and loyal people. Research has found that, “the Anglo- Saxons arrived in Britain in about 449 A.D.”(BBC). This shows that Anglo- Saxon culture has had an influence on American history for a long duration of time because they are still discussed today. And were probably some of the first heroes that ever lived. This culture showed a great deal of braveness throughout their time. The men were put in many different situations, but their daring drive, and courageousness allowed them to persevere. According to the Germanic (Anglo Saxon) Warrior, “A glorious and courageous death was the only fitting end to a glorious life” (Hammack). This statement shows that the men took pride in fighting to protect their citizens, no matter what adversities came their way. It also shows that they had no fear and dying to save someone else, which was a very brave thing to do. Another characteristic displayed in Anglo- Saxon culture was loyalty. The warriors would never leave any of their comrades behind in battle. Hammack described this idea in this way:…
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Beowulf eventually becomes king and is growing old when a dragon attacks. The dragon attacks to seek vengeance because of the disturbance of his hoard of treasure. The dragon kills many in the kingdom which angers Beowulf and he is forced to seek vengeance even though his old age. This battle Beowulf is weary of due to his old age and the power of his enemy but still seeks vengeance for his people due to honor. This shows in Anglo-Saxon culture that risking your life for the greater good of the kingdom and for vengeance was rather common and endorsed for the pride of the individual and the kingdom they were a part of. In this battle Beowulf gets hurt pretty badly when the dragon bites him and needs help from his followers he brought along. Only one remains while the others flee and the two end up killing the dragon. Beowulf dies and he doesn't have any heirs to the throne so passes it onto his only follower who remained. This shows the importance of loyalty in Anglo-Saxon culture because he was the only follower to remain while the others fled which then rewarded him with becoming king while the others would never be allowed back in the kingdom for abandoning their…
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What makes a mythical hero? In the article of Joseph Campbell’s “ The hero with a thousand faces” heros go through trials and tribulation which make them into the hero they are meant to be. The author of Beowulf is unknown. Beowulf is a hero, but doesn’t follow Campbell’s theory. Beowulf was a noble man when he fought Grendel he used his bare hands so it would be a fair fight and he would fight for fame. He wanted all people to like him. Campbell always has a love intrest and beowulf doesn’t. Campbell’s fights for women not fame. Both are heros but in different ways. A hero always goes through obsticals which puts them in the path of their adventure. For example when the sun goddess hides from fear she went through obsticals but she still was…
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Loyalty is one of the most important qualities a man can have, the Anglo-Saxons possessed this quality and kept it sacred. Beowulf's honor and loyalty saved Hrothgar country and his beloved people. "Nor have I see a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken , he is truly noble. This is no mere hanger - on in a herds armor." (244- 251) This quote is showing the loyalty Beowulf beholds and that the people cherish so much. Beowulf stands upon others with his loyalty to his king. He drops everything and helps Hrothgar each time he needs him , conquering Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. However not only Beowulf is loyal in the text, almost every other character in Beowulf is loyal to someone, in their own way. Beowulf most importantly emphasizes the significance of loyalty. Beowulf could have if he was willing too could've seized the throne from Hygelac or Hrothgar, but he is much too loyal to ever betray his friends and battle against them. This…
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Beowulf's traits, good and bad, define him as a hero by Anglo-Saxon standards. But his arrogance, greed and selfishness contradict the modern, humanistic image of a hero. When it comes to Beowulf getting what he wants, nothing will stand between him and his goal. No amount of lives lost is too many for Beowulf, and the high cost to others only contributes to his glory. In his own time and culture, he was the ultimate hero of legend because he saved his people from monsters attacking them. But he falls far short when compared to today’s standards of selflessness, in which heroes are defined by risking their lives for others, and thus valuing their own less. Today’s heroes know that he may not make it out of the…
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Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes. They possess the traits that are needed in to be considered a hero. Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Wisdom is one of the traits of hero. Wisdom is the ability to make the right judgment, the right decision, because the situation is fully understood. A wise person has a complete understanding of the situation and makes the soundest decision for the best result. The connotation for a wise person is a person that is powerful and always makes the correct choice. When reading Beowulf the word wise is always use to describe heros. Beowulf was wise and very smart.Beowulf is a hero because he is also fortitude. Fortitude means the courage, strength to deal with misfortune. A person that has the trait of fortitude can endure any circumstances and face what is coming next with bravery. Beowulf shows amazing fortitude throughout all of his adventures. Beowulf is brave enough to go cross the sea to go fight this hideous monster that had been killing people in Hrothgar’s kingdom for years (Beowulf 44). Loyalty, perseverance, bravery, and guts are all words that could be used to describe a hero. Beowulf shows amazing heroism throughout all of his adventures. Beowulf is willing to go away from his peaceful land to go fight a monster just because he is strong enough to fight a monster. Beowulf forget about celebrating and goes and dives into the deep, dark pool that many men say there is no bottom to (Beowulf 52). Many men would have run away from the monster but Beowulf ran to the monster. Beowulf clearly showed that he was truly a hero because he had wisdom and fortitude. There are many types of heroes and Beowulf may not be a hero like Superman or Spiderman, but there is no doubt that Beowulf was a hero beyond compare. Many of the above examples of heroism were closely related, this is…
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The hero is an age-old concept that describes someone that will defend their honor to the end. In Beowulf, the author portrays the warrior Beowulf and his three battles in such a way as to clearly define what it means to be a hero. Fred Robinson and J. R. R. Tolkien addressed heroism in Beowulf regarding the warrior’s traits, as well as his battles and burial. The author of Beowulf defines the hero through Beowulf’s three battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. In this poem, each monster possesses a specific quality undesired by heroes. Beowulf battles anger/jealousy, vengeance, and greed/selfishness for the good of his Geat nation. As Beowulf fends off these anti-hero traits, he becomes capable of being a great leader of the Geats due to his divine piety – ultimately allowing him to be deified during his two burial ceremonies. Therefore, in Beowulf, the hero must utilize divine piety to overcome greed, vengeance, and jealousy in order to protect his nation.…
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Beowulf was an epic hero. His story was passed down and remembered generation to generation. He fought to protect his people and what he beloved in. he was a wise man who had defeated a lot of evil monsters. Just like any great hero, rewards come with fame and fortune. Beowulf was epic because of all the great things he had accomplished.…
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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:…
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“Beowulf was willing to put his life in danger for the greater good. He provide the common people with a sense of security and they display honor in every act.”(Beowulf-epic hero-20967.html) This means that Beowulf is brave and he wants people to feel…
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There have been many grand stories about great warriors, and champions; those about epic heroes however, are the truly exceptional tales. One such tale, over a thousand years old, stands out from all the rest: Beowulf, the tale of a great warrior, on his quest to achieve eternal glory, defeating great opponents. Throughout the whole story, Beowulf demonstrates most –if not all- of the qualities that an archetypal hero possesses. He embodies the highest ideals of his culture, travels to find adventure, and is not emotionally connected to his followers. Beowulf undertakes his journey to achieve something of great value to himself and society, defeats monsters, yet maintains humanity. Although Beowulf experiences human emotions and feelings, he is able to master and control them very well, and he will be remembered forever, achieving a type of immortality.…
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The Norse heroic code kept people focused in rewards in their life. The heroic code values such attributes as strength, courage and honor. The heroic code was of great importance in warrior societies. In Beowulf, a hero had to be willing to face any odds, and fight to the death of their glory and people. In the story, Beowulf is a considered a hero. "They said that all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame". This showed us that everybody considered him a hero because of how he defeated all the bad people. He is considered a hero because he has the following traits; courage, loyalty, faith and for his inhuman strengths. Beowulf shows courage because he never thought twice about fighting, he would kill those who came for him. An example is when he defeated Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Beowulf never thought about the fights he would just fight his hardest so he could defeat them. He was also considered a hero because of his loyalty. Beowulf was loyal to king Hrothgar, who once saved his father."He would sail…
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