While I was reading the epic poem of Beowulf, I found that Beowulf himself seemed to be the hero archetype, which is most likely why the epic poem is named the way it is titled. Throughout the prose poem, Beowulf charms the reader with his alluring character and presents a variety of pleasant traits, such as honor, wisdom, superhuman strength, loyalty, and the courage to risk his life unselfishly in order to save the helpless people. Beowulf exemplifies an epic hero because of his good hearted nature and through his epic, heroic deeds he does to protect the people around him from danger, regardless of who they are. He is also a fair man, even to his worst enemies. He never lets anyone in battle have the upper hand, not even himself, which makes
What is a hero? Is it someone who pulls a drowning child out of a lake or is it someone such as Nelson Mandela who inspires others to be better? I believe it is both. Although the two differ in what makes them a hero, they are still a hero. That being said, when comparing the British characters Beowulf and Sir Gawain, I found that both fit the hero archetype. Beowulf and Sir Gawain will be compared on the hero archetype characteristics of being better than the ordinary man, proving oneself many times, and having a tragic flaw.
Many individuals fail to correctly describe a hero. When young, they are taught that heroes have superpowers and are powerful. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Burton Raffel contradicts this belief. He translates the characteristics that make Beowulf an epic hero. Beowulf fits the definition of an epic hero because of his courageous deeds that reflect the values of his era, his character traits that reflect important ideals of his society, and his journey leaving his homeland to live with others.
Beowulf (Heaney) is a three part poem about a man, if one can call him a man, with superhuman strength, the ability to swim for eight days straight, breathe underwater, and contest with nightmarish monsters in hand-to-hand combat, just to name a few. He, notably, combats Grendel, a spawn of Cain himself , “Grendel was the name of this grim demon… he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel...Cain got no good from committing that murder...and out of the curse of his exile there sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants…”
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.
Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery. These characteristics keep him set apart from all other character. He would take any risk to defeat his enemy and to gain glory. Even when he dies, he defeated his opponent and gained more glory to his name. In Beowulf, there are series of battles centered around the heroic figure Beowulf, who is an epic hero.
Beowulf was an epic hero whose journey was passed down through Anglo-Saxon storytellers, and was important to the life of the Anglo-Saxons, as he overshadowed the challenges that the Anglo-Saxons faced in everyday life. Though the Anglo-Saxon hero slew monsters, he represented something much more to the Anglo-Saxons. Throughout Beowulf’s story, the monsters represent the archetypal symbols of death and fear. When Grendel repeatedly attacks Herot, this represents fear, which the Anglo-Saxons lived in. The Anglo-Saxons feared being attacked by other tribes, because invasions were common. Peace was nonexistent, and survival was the basis of life. Furthermore, the dragon that Beowulf fights symbolizes death, and that there is ultimately no escaping
An epic hero according to Anglo-Saxon literature is a hero who is larger-than-life; someone with self-confidence, great strength, and the qualities of loyalty, bravery, and honor. Beowulf can be considered an epic hero for multiple reasons throughout “Beowulf.” Beowulf is a character constructed on all of the Anglo-Saxon epic hero qualifications. For starters, Beowulf is seen as a noble character, that is willing to provide security for the people by risking his own life. As a character, Beowulf conducts superhuman strength, and can complete impossible tasks. These are only some among many other reasons and characteristics Beowulf can be classified as an epic hero.
An epic hero is defined as a “brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events” (Random House).An adequate example of this is the protagonist of Beowulf, Beowulf Son of Ecgtheow. He hears that the Danes are under the terrorizing grasp of the monster Grendel. After he defeats Grendel he faces two other battles. The story follows Beowulf on his path from a young hero to wise king. The literary great, Beowulf, is a poem that reflects its time period and society, started out as an oral tradition, written by an anonymous author, deals with a struggle between good and evil, and has a “larger than life” protagonist; these main points tell readers that Beowulf is a literary epic.
There many ways to describe a hero but in my words the way I describe as is someone who risks dieing everyday for the ones they love or for the people and someone who isnt afraid to stand up to a very difficult task at hand.Beowulf is an excellent example of an archetypal hero in the following in the following three ways: he risks death and glory for greater good of society,he has super human strength,he decapitated grendels mother, and he is a strong responsible leader.In conclusion those are my examples of why beowulf is a hero.
Beowulf easily fits the profile of an epic hero. From all his strength and courage, he has sought immorality through these characteristics. A mighty warrior who was known for his many heroic deeds in Geitland from singlehandedly slaying beasts with his bare hands. Edgetho, his father had a good relationship with Hrothgar which he recalls when Beowulf meets him in Denmark when he arrives to take the head of Grendel. Beowulf bravely sails from Geitland to Denmark to kill Grendel in the name of glory.
From the Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, Beowulf has been turned to as a source of inspiration. Whether referencing specific scenes of becoming entangled with sea-monsters or simply turning to Grendel as a character model, those in the arts turn to Beowulf over any other story. This is not without good reason; as people referenced it and turned to it more, Beowulf stood the test of time above all other stories as the quintessential epic tale and continues to to this day. And what is an epic tale without its titular epic hero? As his story stands as the epic piece, Beowulf stands as the greatest example of an epic hero, featuring all of the main qualities, including (but not limited to) such qualities as a god-like, world-renowned position among the people, and a bravery of a near insidious kind, such that it even becomes his third trait as well, as his obligatory personal hamartia.
The following analysis of Beowulf discusses these archetypes: the hero, the outcast, the task, the initiation and the scapegoat.
The epic and oral poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values, and tradition. Beowulf, the main character, is an ideal king and archetypal warrior. History is relevant to Beowulf; this Germanic society was being taken over by Christian missionaries who were seeking to convert this culture. The character of Beowulf is a reflection of the Germanic culture's virtues; heroism is emphasized in the text's multiple references and constant focus on heroes and what it is to be a hero. Beowulf, who is reflective of an older generation of heroes, strives for community. In contrast, Christianity's focus is on the individual. This conflict is ended once Beowulf, a figure of the past and the old world, passes on. With Beowulf, the hero dies. Hence, Beowulf's efforts to keep his culture and his ethics alive are impossible as war and Christianity conquer the Germanic land.
Beowulf is a poem based on heroism. It tells such a great story that it was able to live on for over five hundred years before it was ever written down. Till this day the author is still unknown. It comes from the Old English or the Anglo-Saxon literary and historical period of time. Beowulf holds many characteristics that classify him as an epic hero; inhuman strength, loyalty, and courage
Beowulf also contains an epic hero. The title of the poem has been named after our epic hero, Beowulf. In definition, an epic hero is someone that does larger than life deeds and is stronger and smarter than any normal man; and Beowulf fits this description as if the mold were made for him. He has the strength of thirty men and uses it as a major weapon against evil. This can be seen through Beowulf’s battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.