The ideal Germanic hero has various traits that make them a hero. Some of these are super human strength, pride, and desire for glory. In Beowulf, Beowulf displays all these traits and more making him the perfect example of the ideal Germanic hero. Beowulf has superhuman strength. He is spoken of as the strongest man anywhere in the world, “...the strongest of the Geats--greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world…” (110-111). Beowulf's strength is shown in his fight with Grendel when he, “...fastened those claws in his fist until they cracked…” (335-336). His strength is also displayed when he chops off Grendel's head with ease, “...then stuck off his head with a single swift blow.” (560-561). It is very clear that Beowulf has incredible strength. Another one of Beowulf's characteristics is his pride. Beowulf says he is the only one who can solve this problem: “Perhaps Hrothgar can hunt, here in my heart, for some way to drive this devil out--If anything will ever end the evils afflicting your wise and famous lord.” (190-194). He refuses to back down for fear of embarrassing his king, saying, “My lord Higlac might think less of me if I …show more content…
When Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off, he hangs it above the rafter for everyone to see: “The victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s arm, claw and shoulder and all.” (407-410). Once Beowulf kills Grendel's mother, he takes Grendel's head to prove he did what he came to do: “The monsters’ hall was full of rich treasures, but all Beowulf took was Grendel's head and the hilt of the giants’ jeweled sword…” (585-588). Beowulf is willing to die to bring the glory to his name and his people: “And this dragon's treasure, his gold and everything hidden in that tower, will be mine or war will sweep me to a bitter death!” (647-649). The main thing Beowulf cares about is claiming the glory for all his
A hero not only needs to be physically outstanding, but he also needs to have integrity, moral values and needs to act without thinking in his own benefit. Beowulf has many characteristics of a hero but he also has some defects that make me think that he wouldn’t be considered a hero in today´s world. A hero concept evolves with a culture, Beowulf has many things that the Anglo-Saxons viewed as heroism but he misses many things that are important for a modern hero.
Beowulf is told to be, “as strong as thirty men”. He has slayed numerous water monsters. When faced with Grendal, he kicked Grendal’s behind. Grendal had never felt such fear for his life. After he beat up Grendal, he kept his arm as a trophy to display in the hall. Hrothgar was forever grateful to Beowulf; he gave Beowulf a sword, a coat of mail, horses, ensign, etc. Weatheow, Hrothgar’s wife, gave Beowulf Hygelac’s old collar of gold. Beowulf was then faced with the vengeful mother of Grendal. Of course he defeated this foe and in reward he took with him Grendal’s head and a giant’s sword. Beowulf is a strong fighter in the manuscript Beowulf.
In the anglo saxon society in which Beowulf took place, there was a warrior code which resulted in everyone trying to gain power over one another. Everyone lived by a heroic code that encouraged battles, feuds, and murders and rewarded the victor with treasure. By showing your insecurities or weaknesses in this age you will be taken advantage of. Beowulf understands the heroic code and uses his pride to get the upper hand on everyone else, Beowulf boasts himself as an invincible hero and goes in battle with out an ounce of fear. Beowulf’s justifies his excessive pride through his . Lastly, Beowulf’s pride made him a leader and led by example to defeat the dragon and ultimately sacrifice himself in the process. Beowulf’s desire for pride
Beowulf is proud in the sense that he has no fear. He is willing to go to any length and any condition in order to protect the Danes. “My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were too afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linden shield;”. Beowulf is explaining how he will use no weapons on Grendel to kill him, and in my opinion he thinks it would be cowardly to do so. He is humble because he is okay with dying and he lies his fate in Gods hands. “And if my death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac, return the inheritance i had from Hershel and he from Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!” Beowulf is putting the fate of his life into God’s hands and is willing to die in the chance to kill Grendel for the safety of
The Epic poem of Beowulf is a story of heroism, loyalty, ego, and fate. To be a great leader of men; a great king of the people, you must be respected and trusted. Loyalty is given to those who earn the respect and trust of their people. Beowulf was blessed with great physical strength, the pride and fearlessness of a warrior, and an equally strong command of the spoken word, which he used skillfully to his advantage. He gained the respect and trust of nearly everyone he came in contact with, largely because he possessed the characteristics of a true hero, but in the end it was his ego that sealed his fate. Although it could be said that Beowulf’s character was flawed by an enormous ego, fueled by thoughts of immortality, it is this very trait that made him an ideal hero and king.
Beowulf is so competitive that he spends five night in raging sea almost killing his life to prove that he is better than someone. To be accepted by Hrothgar he begins talking about himself. "Thou Hrothgar, hail! Hygelac's I, / kinsman and follower. Fame a plenty / have I gained in youth! (“Beowulf” 408-410.”) Beowulf is very self-absorbed and thinks him boasting is the best way to be known. Beowulf awaits 5 nights in cold sea not for the intention of helping people, but just to prove a point and he could have told Hrothgar he wanted to help but he had to tell him how infamous he was as a
The clear definition of a hero is often open to interpretation and has never been clearly defined. In the translation of the epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, it is often debated whether the main character Beowulf is actually a hero or not. Beowulf displays hero-like characteristics through his bravery, loyalty, brute strength, confidence and protective nature. He is a crystal clear example of an Anglo-Saxon hero in his time period. In the present day he should be considered a hero as well. He displays heroism through his fights with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon while managing to protect his people and eventually sacrifice himself.
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
A hero in mythology and legend is a man often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for bold exploits, and favored by the gods. Beowulf, the strongest man alive and the greatest Anglo-Saxon warrior, distinguishes himself as this kind of hero. When Herot is in danger of being destroyed by the ferocious beast Grendal, Beowulf raises hell to the menacing beast. Through his brave actions and deeds, Beowulf demonstrates heroic qualities and that is revered by Anglo-Saxon and those which are also universally respected.
Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the fire-breathing dragon kills him. Beowulf’s excessive pride is evident from the very beginning of the epic. He is almost always boasting about himself to one person or the other. In the first part of the epic, when Beowulf first travels to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid him of Grendel, he talks about the mighty deeds he has done in his life. “Hail, Hrothgar, health ever keep you! I am Hyglelac’s thane and kinsman; mighty deeds I have done in my youth…they saw themselves how I came from combat bloodied by enemies where I crushed down five, killed a tribe of giants, and on the waves at night slew water-beasts; no easy task, but I dove out trouble from Geatland-they asked for it, the enemies I killed.”(Beowulf p73) One can easily picture him standing proud and tall in front of a multitude of fellow warriors, proclaiming all the deeds he has accomplished in his lifetime.
After the fight with Grendel’s mother Beowulf earned the seat of the throne. “At the hall, bold, and war like, and with Beowulf their lord and leader, they walked on the mead-hall green” (Beowulf, p. 63). Beowulf a great hero to all men defeated two of Herots and earned his riffle position as king. The torn off arm of Grendel was a prize of Beowulf’s earnings. “From the rafts where Beowulf had hand it, was the monsters arm, claw, and shoulder and all” (Beowulf, p. 59). The arm of Grendel was showed the defeat and revenge of all the bodies he feasted from. The slaying of the Dragon Beowulf himself life ended in a result of one of the biggest award a men can receive which is a monument. “For ten long days they made his monument, sealed his ashes in the walls as straight and high as wise and willing hands could rise them” (Beowulf, p. 77). Right before Beowulf took his last breathe Beowulf only loyal solider was told from Beowulf himself to honor him by building this monument so all men could
He shows this by simply ripping Grendel’s arm off in fight between them. Also Beowulf shows him being strong by purposefully opening up the hall again to make the monster come so he can kill it. “He might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broad shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.” (265-269). He exemplified great courage when he defeated Grendel and his mother to save Hrothgar's kingdom. Also Beowulf really shows strength just by being able to fight everyone and protect the town all by himself. No one else wanted to help the townspeople or had the courage to do so, so Beowulf is really strong in all aspects, mind and body. This is exactly how Beowulf was really
In Beowulf, Beowulf 's largest and most talked about quality is the amount of strength that he holds. It is not really seen in Grendel the test of Beowulfs strength until the final battle with the creature. Beowulf’s strength and appearance are seen when it is
How does Beowulf deal with pride? Beowulf would not back down from a fight with the dragon. He was going into this battle for the first time out of angry and hatred instead of pride and being thankful for the power that God has given him. “I won’t shift a foot/ when I meet the cave-guard” (2524-2525)
Beowulf shows physical strength in the story by defeating Grendel. In line 219 of Grendel’s mother, it tells how Beowulf killed her. “…cut it through, broke bones and all.” His strength is also told in line 213 of how he “lifted the sword that was so massive that no ordinary man could lift.” Beowulf’s determination, or his will to win, was throughout the story, even up until his death. A quote that describes this is, “…he cut the beast in half, slit it apart. It fell…”(line 185). He shows courage along with his cousin, Wiglaf, when they defeat the fire dragon. In line 189 it says, “…their courage had killed it, two noble cousins had joined in the dragon’s death.”