What are the makings of a hero? Are they the physical qualities or the outstanding achievements? Or is it the mental battles of the hero that count? Three heroes from ancient english literature will be assessed for the noble qualities of a hero. Brave Beowulf was an honorable hero of the Geats.…
People throughout life all grow up looking up to a hero. Who was yours? In the Hero’s Journey it explains the life of a hero. It starts with they find their calling then they go through many challenges and in the end meet there match that leaves them remembered as a great hero. In Beowulf the story he hears about a place called Herot which has been under attack for twelve years by a great monster (Grendel) and so he decides that he is going to take on the mighty beast.…
Everyone face a difficult or dangerous situation in which you need to show courage in order to be able to deal with it. In the exert, there is a kingdom celebrating all their triumphs with the king, Hrothgar, in his hall, Heorot. There is this monster, Grendel, that never had the chance to be a nice person or experience happiness because he descended from Cain. Grendel killed 30 men in the hall while they were sleeping after celebrating.…
Beowulf is the tale of a man with godlike strength and the will of a mighty dragon, he is a well known warrior that has accomplished an incredible amount of feats. Beowulf is an exact representation of joseph campbell’s call to adventure. Where a hero hears about the danger and then must gather himself to cross the threshold and defeat the guardian of the threshold either by reason or by killing him. The guardian must be killed in order for the hero to make it fully across the threshold and make his way to his final goal.…
Of the many heroes in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature, Beowulf is a prime example of a hero. In the Beowulf poem written by the Beowulf poet, and in Robert Zemeckis’ film, Beowulf. Beowulf selflessly sacrifices his own life in the hopes of saving the lives of the Danes, who belonged to a whole different clan than his own. Beowulf is willing to give his own life for the betterment of another society, and with this he chivalrously saves many people. Even though Beowulf is portrayed as an ideal hero in the poem, and in the movie the audience is introduced to his flaws, they are both similar in their theme of heroism.…
This quote extremely depicts how much strength Beowulf possesses. In this epic poem, Beowulf exemplifies many heroic traits and Courage is among those heroic traits. In the poem Beowulf tells stories of slaying monsters by himself in the night while at sea. During the final battle with the dragon all of Beowulf’s followers flee, besides Wiglaf.…
If Beowulf’s sole heroic quality was his strength than when he discovered he was not as strong as the Dragon he would have either fled or called for help. His courage and self-sacrifice is what aided him in his defeat of the Dragon. Even his death is heroic. Beowulf’s death encourages his men to have courage in themselves and at the same time inspires them to new heights. A hero more than anything needs the confidence and courage to defeat a villain.…
They are about to fight the dragon that has been causing much terror and mayhem in their land. Beowulf is foreshadowing his fate and, even though he knows it’s dangerous, is still willing to trudge on through. Beowulf realizes that the dragon is more powerful than he is, but he will not back down. He is willing to run against the odds and possibly risk his life in the process. This really explains how true Beowulf’s bravery was because he did not give up to a more potent foe.…
Today our world is filled with everyday heroes displaying all kinds of extraordinary needs for others. Through her heroic acts, Malala represents the epitome of an idealistic everyday hero by taking a stand against extreme violence in order for women to receive the equality of education rights for women. Her heroic actions, especially getting shot in the head while fighting for what she believes in, shows her loyalty and bravery to the people, furthermore displaying her as a hero. Just like Malala demonstrates her heroic actions, throughout the poem, Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, the Anglo-Saxton protagonist, Beowulf, exhibits the ideal characteristics that apply to the definition of a hero. Similar to all heroes, Beowulf proposes the quality of…
Beowulf’s distinguished bravery sets him apart from most leading characters because of his acceptance of death and fate. He would lay his life down on the line to save his people from a threatening creature and he would not have to think twice about it. For example, when asked by Hrothgar to save his citizens from Grendel’s mother, Beowulf replies with “And if your enemy should end my life Then be, O generous prince, forever The father and protector of all whom I leave Behind me, here in your hands, my beloved Comrades left with no leader, their leader Dead” (Beowulf 452-457). In this quotation, Beowulf is advising Hrothgar that if he is to pass away while attempting to defeat Grendel’s mother and save the day, that Hrothgar must watch over Beowulf’s men and protect them since their leader will be gone. Beowulf is stating that he does not mind if he dies however, he only cares about the well-being of his men and wants them to be accounted for if he were to perish.…
His willingness to sacrifice his life for his people is yet another characteristic of an epic hero. The first major example of Beowulf’s bravery is presented to the reader when he decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands saying, “I have heard, / too, that the monster’s scorn of men/ is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I” (166-169). In this instance, Beowulf presents his bravery by stating that he refuses to fight Grendel with a weapon, simply because Grendel would not be using one. Beowulf knows that there is a possibility that he could get hurt, or even worse die, but his bravery and willingness to protect others overpowers those thoughts.…
In Beowulf, I found myself idolizing over the strong and fearless hero. He was what I would call “the perfect hero”, because not only did he get the job done, but he did it so with honor and modesty. In some cases it reminded me of the movie Hercules, where Hercules tried to show off as much as possible and show that he was better than everyone else to gain fame. While Beowulf used his famous strength to help those in need not to just gain fame, but because he knew he was undoubtedly the only one who could help.…
Without his loyalty to others, he wouldn’t be nearly as brave. Beowulf knew that, “When [they] crossed the sea, [his] comrades and [him], … knew that all [their] purpose was this: to win the goodwill of [Hrothgar’s] people or die in battle,” (29). Thus, showing that Beowulf is loyal and will fulfill his promise to help defeat Grendel. He knew what he had to do and would stay loyal no matter the obstacle or enemy. Fully aware of death, Beowulf bravely fought Grendel anyway to prove his loyalty to Hrothgar.…
Inner heroism, that’s the trick! Glorious carbuncle of the soul! Except in the life of the hero the world’s meaningless” (164). By saying this, he shows how important he thinks hero’s are, but Beowulf is not truly a hero, he is greedy. He wants the pride of saying that he killed Grendel, and the riches that come along with it.…
Seen as “the mightiest man on earth/ high-born and powerful”(ll. 197-198), Beowulf engaged in three major battles leading up to his death. Within each of the three battles, courage was always brought along as a source of strength. Before even engaging himself into the battle with Grendel, Beowulf sailed over to the Danish shore to help Hrothgar protect his people and to defeat this ruthless demon. When the battle approached he courageously stepped up to fight and this showed his devotion to the heroic code and to the Danish people.…