Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Strength can take many forms when it comes to dealing with obstacles in some cases seen as impossible to overcome. Using that strength to persevere is key in dealing with greater odds. Both “Beowulf” and “The Odyssey” cultures demonstrated strength however Homer focused more on intelligence whereas Danes focused on physical strength.
Plot is important in any form of literature, Similarly Both stories “Beowulf” and “The Odyssey”plot depict a hero arc. This hero arc is important because Its involves besting the challenge and proving oneself. In both theses stories the characters “Beowulf” and “Odysseus”
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Anonymous, Line 496-500 “ he twisted in pain and then bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and Bones split and broke the battle was over Beowulf have been granted New Glory”. The way Beowulf dealt with the creature was with pure muscle strength using his own two hands to pin the creäture to go as far as to break the monsters bone granting Beowulf as described in the text New Glory for Beowulf's achievement. By Beowulf‘s action he gets rid of the threat attacking the Denmark which makes Beowulf a hero in the eyes of the citizens he saves. As well as completing Beowulf arch by being born with his Supernatural strength , proving himself by defeating the Beast Grendel a feat not many could do …show more content…
Homer, Line 329-333 “ it drew from the coals and my four fellows give me a hand lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force curved him straight forward they sprinted, lifted it and rammed it deep in his Crater eye”. The way Odysseus dealt with the creäture was with the use of his intelligence using a weapon to puncturing the Cyclops in a weak spot to give Odysseus and the crew the upper hand. Further in the story Odysseus and his crew were freed granting Odysseus with a victory he told in his quest. As did Beowulf further told in the story said Beowulf hung the arm of the slain creäture to signify and remind of his victory. By having a character Odysseus being able to save the rest of his men and protect them. By planning this attack in hopes to escape and have no more lives of Odysseus crew be eaten by Polyphemus makes Odysseus the leading hero also completes Odysseus's arch by this feat of action in protecting others makes Odysseus a hero In the eyes of his crew. Both heros have a use of strength when facing their
Beowulf is “the strongest of the Geats -- greater / and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (ll.110-111). Even though he is famous for his massive strength, Beowulf has other attributes that are noticeable other than his strength. These attributes, arrogance, bravery, and a strong love for his people are what make Beowulf become such a powerful, epic hero. Beowulf is arrogant. He constantly brags about his supreme strength. The “strongest man alive” lets people know that he is the most powerful person around by saying, “no strength is a match for mine” (l.267). Beowulf does not think that he could ever be destroyed by anything. He obviously never questiones how his fighting ability would be when he was around seventy. Since Beowulf is convinced that God is watching over him, his ego makes him act as if he is invincible, because of the idea that he has a guardian angel. But, as Beowulf gets older, wiser, and fights in more battles he should realize that there was a possibility that he can die. Beowulf also boasts about his many battles, and is proud of himself for winning all of them. One of these triumphs is the battle in the water when he meets up with nine sea monsters which he killeds, and fights with a monster that is digging its jaws into Beowulf’s flesh. Beowulf proclaims that “ I fought that beast’s last battle, / left it floating in the sea” (ll.290-291). This epic tale reads that while Beowulf is in battle with Grendel’s mother, all he cares was about the fame he would get for defeating her. Unferth thinks that Beowulf was arrogant, by saying, “ You’re Beowulf, are you the same / Boastful fool who fought a swimming / Match with Brecca” (ll.239-241). Yes, Beowulf is a boastful fool that loves the attention that his strength gives him. A strong man and an arrogant one, Beowulf is also brave. Even after all of the horror stories that he hears about Grendel, he still fights the cursed beast without any hesitation. When he battles with Grendel, he does it without the things that everyone else would use--weapons. This shows that Beowulf is not scared of anything in the world. He also must be brave to fight a sea monster after swimming in the ocean for days. He went straight into battle exhausted, from the strenuous journey across the ocean.
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
"Odyssey" is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it was first composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so is because of the hero, Odysseus.
When a Cyclops attacks two of Odysseus’s men, the “ruthless brute” snatches them up and “[knocks] them dead like pups-/their brains [gushing] out all over, [soaking] the floor-/and ripping them from limb to limb to fix his meal/ he [bolts] them down like a mountain lion, [leaving] no scrap,/[devouring] entrails, flesh and bones, marrow and all”, while Odysseus can only watch the Cyclops’s “grisly work-/paralyzed, appalled” (9.323-332). The Cyclops wastes no time in gruesomely devouring two of Odysseus’s men.
To begin with, Odysseus is an intelligent and clever man. He is a hero because he has the capacity to understand the situations and think through the struggles they are going to face. Odysseus is put against all the odds possible, and at times it seems like the gods are against him. Odysseus tricks the Cyclops, Polyphemus, in a very strategic way and handled the situation effectively. “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, / everyone calls me Nohbdy (Homer 498). Odysseus’ cleverness is brought out because he conceived an idea that would be adequate enough to trick a Cyclops. Later when Polyphemus is stabbed, he screams, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked
...t to battle the dragon. His fortitude was probably told about in the songs the Geats sang around their mighty leader’s tomb. Beowulf also faced death and still had the fortitude to do what was needed. When he knew he was fatally injured, Beowulf told Wiglaf to govern his nation and protect them (Beowulf 59). To not despair at his own death and to rise above that personal problem and put his nation first took strength beyond what any man has. It took the strength of a hero.
Some of Odysseus’ most recognizable traits are his bravery and leadership. One thing that shows his bravery was his escape from Polyphemus. He was courageous to stab out Polyphemus’s eyes using a burning pole. Odysseus states: "I took my twelve best fighters and went ahead." This example involving the Cyclops shows that one of Odysseus’ great traits is his leadership. He is not the type of leader that sits on safe land while he sends his men in to fight, but a leader who engages in battle with his men. There are also times when many men are afraid, but Odysseus shows he's in not letting anything get in his way and speaks up when nobody will: "We all felt pressure in our hearts, but I spoke up in reply." He was fearless enough to take risks. Odysseus said: "Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, then when we faced Cyclops?" This quote shows that in time of danger, Odysseus is willing to put his life in jeopardy and not give up. Odysseus had the heart of a fighter, he would battle whenever necessary, no matter who his opponent was, in this case the Cyclops. Most epic heroes are aided and guarded by gods wh...
To start, within the course of The Odyssey, Odysseus displays hubris through many of his actions. The most prominent instance in which Odysseus shows hubris is while he and his men are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’ men ask him to stop before Polyphemus would “get the range and lob a boulder” (436). But Odysseus shows hubris by saying that if they were to meet again, Odysseus would “take your life” and “hurl you down to hell!” (462; 463). Polyphemus, now extremely angry with Odysseus, prays to his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus “never see his home” again, and after which, throws a mountain towards the sound of Odysseus’ voice. (470). Because of Odysseus’ hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men.
In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus fails as a leader by prioritizing his reputation over his crew’s safety after defeating the cyclops Polyphemus. In the story, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, travels to Troy to fight against the Trojans. On his journey back to Ithaca, a string of damaging incidents lead him to a mysterious island, which he later discovers is inhabited by the murderous cyclops Polyphemus. His crew manages to escape the cyclops, but not before Polyphemus kills several of Odysseus’s crew. Odysseus escapes and could have sailed away peacefully, but he calls out to Polyphemus to suggest that “if anyone, any mortal man, asks you how you got your eye put out, tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it,” (IX, 500-502). This prompts Polyphemus to lob a rock, nearly destroying Odysseus's ship. It is odd that this was
At certain points in his journey, Odysseus is faced with adversaries who stand between him and his return to Ithaca, thus, it is imperative that he do battle. For instance, when he arrives at the land of the Cyclopes, he and his crew find themselves entrapped in Polyphemus's cave. He cleverly escapes by offering the Cyclops wine, so that he would topple and be vulnerable to the olive stake stabbed in his eye. Note that Homer's attitude towards this scene seems to imply innocence on the part of Odysseus: "When the fierce glow from the olive stake warned me that it was about to catch alight in the flames, green as it was, I withdrew it from the fire and my men gathered round. A god now inspired them with tremendous courage" (Homer 135). After all, the blinding of Polyphemus was promoted by none other than the gods themselves! Homer shows that Odysseus, who displays such traits of
Polyphemus had strength that was no match for men. Odysseus had physical strength, but his real strength is the mind. Odysseus would find himself in many predicaments in which he would have to choose how he will tackle the situation. One such occasion happens to be when Polyphemus captured Odysseus and his men and would not allow them to leave the cave. The boulder is placed in front of thee opening so that none of the men could budge it. The only way out would be to have Polyphemus push the boulder back out of the way. Odysseus must think of a way to make this happen. Odysseus tricked Polyphemus into opening the door by through a series of events. First, Odysseus filled him with wine making him sleepy. Once asleep Odysseus poked his eye with a hot spike. He then tells Polyphemus that no man has tricked you. “And I was filled with laughter to see how like a charm the name deceived them.” (Page 907) Odysseus was well pleased with the way he handled this situation. As an epic simile this line shows how Odysseus must rely on something other than strength, and that he tricked him, like a charm had been used into doing what he needed Polyphemus to do. He used intelligence to get the Cyclops to do as Odysseus would want. Just as Ody...
The glory is given to God at that very moment, “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. So, he overcame the foe, brought down the hell-brute” (1269-1274). The “wondrous gifts” and strength in Beowulf is credited to God, who is on Beowulf’s side always in battle. Also, the great feat of defeating the evil monster, Grendel, shows that Beowulf is blessed and highly favored. Not only did Beowulf defeat Grendel, but he did it without any weapons. Gods power was instilled in Beowulf, to defeat evil with his bare hands. Beowulf showed a great amount of faith in God no matter what problems or evil he faced, and God rewarded him with victory, great legacy, and
Beowulf is called upon again to defeat this monster. Beowulf puts on his armour and takes the sword Hrunting and descends into the monster’s lair. Grendel’s mother quickly grabs Beowulf and takes him to the battle arena. Once there, Beowulf fights and finds his sword cannot pierce the monster’s hide. So once again, Beowulf throws his sword aside and fights hand-to-hand. Yet, he could not defeat her with his hands alone. Then Beowulf sees, “hanging on the wall, a heavy, Sword, hammered by giants, strong And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons.” Taking the sword and holding it high above his head he strikes the monster in the neck cutting deep into the skin, breaking bones and all. Thus ending his second heroic battle with a mythical beast and proving that he is indeed worthy of praise. Yet, this is not the greatest of his deeds.
A hero like Odysseus has some traits in common with some of histories greatest heroes. These traits are show in different places throughout the novel. He shows his extreme strength capabilities when he is fighting off the suitors who are trying to court his wife. He battles alongside his son Telemachus, Athena, and two herdsmen to kill all of the suitors (over one-hundred). At one point in this battle he had to single handedly take out ten (or maybe a bit more). Before this, he and his men were sailing home from Troy when they encountered a Cyclops' cave. The cyclops trapped them in the cave and began eating the men. Odysseus kept his hopes up and courageously thought of a plan while he had to watch his men be eaten alive. But above all, one thing every hero has in common is a weakness. “I grieved, but held her off, through pang on pang of tears.” Odysseus laughs at the cyclops when he escapes, causing the cyclops to chuck rocks in the direction of the boat. This almost sunk the boat and would’ve killed everyone. This weakness shows how heroes are made to be imperfect. But what if there are lives at stake? It takes strength to stand up for what is right.
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.