Beowulf Is An Epic Hero Essay

All epic heroes tend to be in a way super human and use their “power” to battle evil to save people. An epic hero comes in during strenuous circumstances. Many epic heroes have a god-like complex to them which can make them seem arrogant. Their inhuman abilities allow them to battle with monster no one man could. Beowulf’s extraordinary characteristics make him well known, yet in the end, his need for fame becomes his terrible downfall.
            Beowulf is everything an epic hero should be, he is brave and noble and admired for his great achievements in battle. His strength and his ability to hold his breath under water for an extensive amount time are abnormal.“My hands/Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/Against the monster”(page 45 line 267-268). At this point he is saying that he will go fight Grendel with his own hands. This is a great example of how he knows that he has inhuman strength. Death seems to not frighten Beowulf at all because he believes that it is just fate. He talks about how it is his destiny to meet these monsters and battle with them even if it kills him.
Continuously battling these monsters, the town’s people tend to be astounded by the “powers” he has. “Nor have I ever seen,/Out of all the men on

earth, one greater/Than has come with you; no commoner carries/Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,/Are both lies”(page 43 lines 161-165). This is a lieutenant of Hrothgar’s first opinion of Beowulf when he first sees him. It is obvious that even a person knows that Beowulf is more than human. In his battle with Grendel, he does not use any weaponry and still manages to separate his arm at the shoulder. Beowulf had to swim to the darkest depths of the lake to reach Grendel’s mother which means he is able to hold is breath for a while. Beowulf lost his helmet and a sword in this battle. During his fight with the dragon, he knew he would most likely lose this battle. He wants to ensure that his people are safe and that even after his death he is well known. His fatal flaw is even more evidently shown.
Beowulf’s fatal flaw is hubris which means excessive pride or self confidence.

Even though he states that he can end up dying while in battle, he still flaunts the fact that he is a great Geat warrior. When he engages in a fight, he relies on his inhuman strength and the armor he wears. “They have seen my strength for themselves,/Have watched me rise from the darkness of war,/Dripping with my enemies blood”(page 45 lines 246-248). His people have actually seen him in action, which is why they believe he could help with the Grendel situation. The only time he knows that he cannot lean on his strength is when he feuds with the dragon. He even tells his people that he is becoming old, yet he still wants to prove himself to

everyone.
Beowulf’s hubris and need for fame becomes his downfall in the end even though he has extraordinary abilities that make him super human. By definition, Beowulf contains all the characteristics of an epic hero. He is able to swim underwater for an abnormally long time and he has super strength. He also has a fatal flaw which is called hubris. All of these traits make Beowulf an epic hero who will fight for all that is good.