Beowulf As A Hero

There are many things to take into consideration when characterizing a person as a hero. Heros are typically seen as people who accomplish brave deeds and fulfill noble tasks for the greater good of things. In the epic poem Beowulf by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet a hero is revealed. What makes Beowulf a hero is his unbelievable strength and power. He does not get discouraged or let anything stear him away from what he feels needs to be done for the safety of others. In his battles with the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon Beowulf exhibits his strength and will to fight. Beowulf, is loyal to his people and his king. What I feel is the most important quality of Beowulf, though, is his willingness to risk his life for the good

of his people. Beowulf in my opinion is the perfect example of a true literary hero.
Beowulf’s first heroic deed would have to be when he defeated Grendel.

His bravery and physical strength needed to kill this evil being makes him a great warrior and an even better literary hero. When the Hrothgar’s men attempted to kill Grendel, they were unsuccessful. Although he saw other men die to this monster he did not let that scare him off. This is when Beowulf felt it was necessary for him to intervene and take charge. When Grendel came to attack Heorot Hall Beowulf was there waiting for him. Beowulf stood up for the Hrothgar’s men and accomplished what they couldn’t in order to make everyone safer. Although he faced a plethora of obstacles he did not give up he stood strong and saved many people by doing so. During the battle Beowulf wrestled Grendel to the ground. Beowulf proceeded to rip Grendel’s arm from his shoulder and hang it from the ceiling. Grendel then fled away from Beowulf into the wilderness where he then died. This proved to Beowulf that Grendel may be strong but he will never be as brave. Grendel was an evil monster who wanted nothing good to happen to the people and Beowulf prevented any more murders by Grendel from happening. He saved the lives of many people by accomplishing this heroic and honorable

task.
In addition, after defeating the monster Grendel he then had a discrepancy with Grendel’s mother.

She was enraged over the death of her son. Beowulf did not let the fear of dying hold him back he was ready to fight even after his battle with Grendel. Although, she was not as strong or as powerful as Grendel. She still possessed the same dark hatred towards Hrothgar’s people and the land of the Danes and the Geats and especially Beowulf for what he did to her son. Beowulf had to travel underwater to fight Grendel’s mother in her cave. This shows us that he possesses a characteristic that not many people can say they have. He has the capability to not only breath and survive underwater, but the capability to fight underwater as well. During his descent to the lair, he was struck by Grendel’s mother and dragged into her cave. At first he tried to fight back, but was unsuccessful. He tried to pierce her with his sword, but he was unsuccessful in piercing her skin. He did not give up there though showing us his determination and willingness to risk his life. Again proving to us that his drive makes him a truly heroic figure. With all of the rage and anger built up inside of Beowulf he decides to attack her with nothing but his bare hands. He then knocks her onto the ground. However, she managed to get up and fight back and ending up sitting upon Beowulf. Beowulf comes across a giant sword in which he uses to slice Grendel’s mother by the collarbone and splitting her into two.

Beowulf yet again defeated another evil and dark monster saving the lives of many.
In Beowulf’s third and final with the Dragon this was his way of paying respect to his King. The dragon was poisonous, so before even going into the battle he had to build up a great amount of courage. At the time of this fight Beowulf was old, but still made the courageous decision that many young people would not have made. Through obstacles in the battle Beowulf was forced to take on the dragon without a weapon. With that being said, most people wouldn’t even think about fighting the dragon with a weapon, but Beowulf was strong and had pride in his king in which he was fighting for. This battle came to an unfortunate end when Beowulf was officially defeated and died. Although he did not come out as the winner he is still a hero for having the courage to even fight the dragon knowing how dangerous it was.
As you can see, Beowulf never gave up no matter how dangerous the battle. This made him someone his people looked up because he thrived on assuring their safety. Beowulf accomplished many brave deed and never let his will to fight diminish. Going into every battle Beowulf knew it could be his last but that did not scare him because he knew what he was fighting for and how important it was. This battle allowed the Geats and the Danes to live a safer life. In my opinion, Beowulf is truly displayed every characteristic of a hero.