Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
narrative essay on courage
narrative essay on courage
narrative essay on courage
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: narrative essay on courage
Fear is a painful emotion excited by the expectation of evil. In “Beowulf”, translated by Charles W. Kennedy, fear is not an option, or emotion, nor does it even exist for the hero. The hero, Beowulf, is also given strength equivalent to thirty men. These things are demonstrated in the tale of the most celebrated hero of Anglo-Saxon times, Beowulf. A man, of which people loved and respected throughout the entire region where he lived. He made the people feel that they had someone to rely on through times in which failure seemed unavoidable. Beowulf, from the epic poem “Beowulf”, is an extremely courageous hero and confronts his many difficult battles without fear.
Danger is confronted in every situation Beowulf faced, but he never considered fighting for what he felt was right no matter the cost. Beowulf showed his people that he was the person they could count on in times of trouble. There was a beast named Grendel that terrorizes the kingdom which Hrothgar rules. Beowulf wants to show that he is a hero and he also is fatalistic, which means that he believes in his battles if he dies or not he was meant to; that was his fate. This leads to, along with the fact that a great mead-hall wasn’t being used due to this monster, Beowulf setting foot to rid the Danes of this problem. Beowulf’s first sign of unmatchable courage comes in the fight with Grendel. Grendel is a large monster capable of snatching thirty men with a swoop of a hand. He is a giant whose superhuman strength and size is unmatched. Grendel has no fear whatsoever and he is merciless towards his victims. Beowulf sits awake in the mead-hall waiting for Grendel to strike. He has no fear and believes victory is in his favor. Beowulf’s men lie sleeping around Beowul...
... middle of paper ...
...is help Beowulf was able to defeat dragon. After this long battle Beowulf lay dead like the dragon but he achieved his goal. In this process he sacrificed his life which is the most ultimate sign of courage.
This epic poem was written about a hero named Beowulf. This man showed the true abilities that are of a hero. He faces death in several situations and he is not fearful in any. He knows no meaning of fear. He goes into a situation believing in himself, no matter the who the opponent is, that he will seize the day. The courageous manor he portrays is a sign of a genuine hero . He never turned his back because he was courageous and knew that what he was fighting for was right. He shows at the end that no matter the cost, or the opponent, he is courageous enough to risk his life for the greater; which is why he is the most celebrated hero of Anglo-Saxon times.
In the poem Beowulf, the protagonist is portrayed as a heroic figure who strives to spread his name and glory out across the land in order to be remembered. Although his acts may not entirely be for the right reasons, Beowulf does express his heroic qualities of bravery, arrogance, and brute force.
Beowulf fights till his last day living. That helps him achieve the cherry on top for his display of being an epic hero. He dies using all three characteristics of an epic hero: strength, bravery, and faithfulness. Till his dying day, he showed strength in his effort to kill the
Beowulf shows off his bravery when facing Grendal. “Like Grendal, gripped in my hands and torn, but his breath will be burning hot, poison will pour from his tongue” (Raffel, 670-673). Beowulf has boldness; here it shows that he is not afraid of Grendal even after his hands were torn off. He showed even more bravery when all of his men abandoned him and he was all alone to fight Grendal.
In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by defeating the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the town of Herot. “He slipped through the door… Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, delighted with his night’s slaughter. (11)”
The titular character is first presented as a classic storybook hero, “a man who of all men / was foremost and strongest in the days of his life” (788-9). From the perspective of a Danish civilian watching the story of Beowulf unfold, his confidence is both terrifying and respectable. He waltzes into Denmark ready to kill Grendel with his bare hands. Whether or not he doubts his abilities is unclear to the reader; the audience sees only his confidence. For instance, just before the initial fight with Grendel, Beowulf boasts that he “shall fulfill that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed / or meet my death here in the mead-hall” (636-8). With this one-sided look at the hero’s feelings, it is difficult to discern true confidence from the illusion of courage fabricated for the story by Beowulf. His virtue of courageousness could easily fall apart if he does not truly possess it. To explore this concept further, consider the fight with the dragon in the final act of the poem. At this point, Beowulf’s mortality creates the conditions leading up to his death, and he acknowledges it, telling his troops, “This fight is not yours, / nor is it up to any man except me / to prove his strength … I shall win the gold / by my courage, or else mortal combat, / doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2532-7). Beowulf’s insistence on fighting alone is the manifestation of his overconfidence. His
While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical...
Grendel had obfuscated Heorot for twelve years and had killed many with his mighty strength. Beowulf knows that by going into a melee with the evil monster Grendel, he is endangering his own life. He also knows, however, that if he dies during the battle it will have been for a just cause because he was saving his people. Beowulf not only fights Grendel but also Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother comes back to Heorot to get revenge on the people who killed her son. Beowulf courageously runs to the rescue when his people are in need. This is another instance in which Beowulf knows that he is putting himself in danger for the sake of others.
Beowulf is a good example of a courageous and strong hero. He shows all of
Beowulf also shows courage in all of his battles. His intelligence is far above any others. He used the sword made by the giants to kill Grendel’s mother. In lines 210-222, it describes how he was quick and saw the sword “hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic…and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through…”
Courage is a theme that is shown throughout the entire epic of Beowulf. By definition courage is the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes on ones own will and determination. There are many things form the epic that could be used to prove this statement, but I chose to use the section entitled "The Final Battle." In this section there are two great speeches given by both Beowulf and Wiglaf. I believe that in both of these monologues courage is portrayed by the two warriors, and it is easy to see why.
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
Since the beginning of Beowulf, the character Beowulf shows courage in everything he does. This is proven when he battles Grendel, a descendant of Cain that haunts the halls of Herot. Beowulf being a mighty protector of men, holds the monster down until his life leaps out (Beowulf lines 472-475). As Beowulf battles Grendel, he is determined to
Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be remembered and be told in stories that are passed on from generation to generation after his death. These story tellers relate to the Anglo Saxons time when they told stories about their great heroes.