Beowulf Is A Hero Essay

Beowulf is an epic story of a brave man guarded by God. He is an Anglo-Saxon hero, who is celebrated still to this day. The semantic interpretations of heroism can differ from person to person. The Christian definition of a hero reflects when a person is selfless, is working to glorify God, and is loved by his or her people. If the reader observes Beowulf’s character, he fulfills all these criteria making him a hero. Furthermore, his heroic characteristics manifest themselves through many literary techniques such as epithets, foreshadowing, and allusions. Selflessness, one of the most difficult tasks, was displayed by Beowulf various times in the epic. Beowulf leaves “his far-off home…[because he] heard how Grendel filled the nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat… he would set sail across the sea to Hrothgar, Now when help was needed”(109-116). Though the imagery one can see Beowulf putting others’ needs before his own even when the people in trouble were not his own. He had no emotional connection to these people yet he put his own safety at risk for Hrothgar. Many people talk about being altruistic but

For when Beowulf had died his people called him “the man most gracious and fair minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.” (840-842) This emphasizes how much respect and love they truly had for Beowulf. Beowulf also states that “ My people have said, the wisest, most knowing, and best of them, that it was my duty to go to the Dane’s Great King”(149-154). This symbolizes the respect they have for Beowulf and the confidence they have in him. A real life example is Martin Luther King Jr. All of his followers loved and respected his ideas. Furthermore, when Martin Luther King jr. died his followers were deeply saddened and continued the Black power movement. The love and respect of your subjects is a necessity to the characteristics to be called a