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Beowulf an overview
Beowulf a hero's journey
Beowulf a hero's journey
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Beowulf is an extraordinary warrior who goes through many obstacles to prove his worthiness. With the strength of thirty, and the heart of a leader he pulls through no matter what come his way. He is always thinking of others and not about only him, and does not ask for much in return. He does not seek honor and glory, although because of his good deeds this does soon follow. Unlike most kings his takeover of the kingdom did not come from heredity directly but because of the people's choice, and for the people he continues to fight for, even until death. Because of his bravery, his leadership, and his commitment this encouraged the movement from hero to a king.
Each king through out the story was known for their good works among the people and all of the battles that they have accomplished. "So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes heroic campaigns" (Beowulf 41). Each of these kings had something wonderful about them, and something more came from the next that ruled. The first king mentioned in the story was Sheild Sheafson, "A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on as his powers waxed and his worth was proved" (Beowulf 41). He was an orphan taken in by others and over time he flourished into a great king. He was honored all over the world for his good works. He then was given a son who became a greater king, named Beow. Because he started doing for the people and putting the people first while his dad was still king, his transition over to king was easy. "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere," (Beowulf 42). The third king, Hrothgar the son of Beow. Because he won many wars and attracted many young fol...
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... all this, it still was a one on one battle with the dragon, and to the death Beowulf did fight and conquer.
Beowulf overall has past many test to prove that he was a worthy king. Not only his strength but his faith in God guided him through his battles. He chose to protect first and as a young warrior fought to win. A great king is someone who must be for the people, must be liked by the people, kind, generous, brave, and a great leader who attract many followers. Throughout the progress of Beowulf taking over the kingdom these are all the qualities that made him the person that he was. He cared for the people even until his death, and fought the enemies so that his kingdom would be safe. His tough skin allowed him to back down from nothing, he was a good king. Because of his bravery, his leadership, and his commitment this allowed the movement from hero to king.
While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical hero displays a special quality that separates him from the rest of
When he arrived at the Danish land, Beowulf was a man seeking adventure and glory. Beowulf was famous among his people, the Geats, for his bravery. Beowulf fought in many battles and as a result showed his great character to others.
Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of Beowulf, a legendary Geatish hero who later becomes king in the aforementioned epic poem. While the story in and of itself is quite interesting, for the purpose of this paper it is important to look at the character more so then his deeds, or rather why he did what he did.
Beowulf was a strong young man who was able to defeat a terrible monster known as Grendel. During this era in human history young men were expected to be far more durable and adequate compared to those of today. Those young men commonly had the dream of becoming king, defeating strong monsters, go on adventures, or even die a hero. All of which Beowulf managed to do making him a perfect role model for the young men at the time. The story of Beowulf truly captured all of the dreams of young men at the time and it was a perfect story for the time. Although times changed the dreams of the people never died, they were just advanced, edited and remade into new stories, better stories for better
The character of Beowulf stands as a hero to the ancient Danes because of his actions. He is constantly being cited as a "war-chief" and a "gold-giver" (61). Beowulf has achieved fame through what he has done with his own hands. His identity as a leader is based upon the Danish society’s emphasis on personal action, as opposed to the delegation of responsibility through conscious thought. It is this very sense which spurs Beowulf to fight the dragon: "In my youth I engaged in many wars. Old guardian of the people, I shall still seek battle, perform a deed of fame, if the evil-doer will come to me..." (59). Beowulf derives his power from a strong link to the past. Without his history of glorious deeds, he would see himself bereft of the very power which qualifies him to be a good King. Beowulf’s bravery never comes in to question, he does meet every challenge head-on, with deadly attention. The society which labels Beowulf as a legendary hero, recognizes his actions and his bravery as a integral part of his definition as a hero. Without the society to support th...
Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.
Beowulf displays his leadership skills in an abundance of particular ways. It takes mental strength and determination to develop leadership skills that Beowulf has. Throughout the text, Beowulf leads his people through various victory’s. To do this, he has to have the ability to lead his people with determination and strength. Dr. J. Michael Stitt has said, “the poem ultimately shows the importance of a leader that is adorned by his people.” This has abundant accuracy when talking about Beowulf. He went out of his way by his travels from Geatland to Denmark to resolve a conflict with Grendel’s common attacks. Beowulf did not anticipate his fight with Grendel’s mother, but when the time comes he is prepared to battle and defeats her. The battles are not limited to Grendel and his mother, but also include a fight with a mighty dragon. The older warrior, Beowulf, is now weaker than he once before but does not give up. His awesome leadership drives him to fight the dragon despite it being much harder than it once was. All three battles are reasons Beowulf is idolized and an inspirational, major character in the poem. An astonishing leadership skill Beowulf displays is his realization of reality and understanding the possible good or bad outcomes and that is exactly what a
Beowulf is a great tale but as a person, he isn’t that all that people make him out to be. In his older years his need for attention and glory ended up with the death of him. He fought the dragon alone and in return, ended up killing the dragon, but also sacrificed himself. Even as he died he asked for one thing, his people to build him a memorial near the sea so everyone could see the person that he was. His need for attention, lack of planning, and need for glory caused him to be just a prideful man, not a
In conclusion, although Beowulf possessed many heroic qualities he would not be considered a hero in today’s world. A hero varies from culture to culture. The Anglo-Saxon appreciated different things in a person that what do not we appreciate today. Many things have changed a lot with time, the requisites for being considered a hero have also changed. Today we do not like to solve problems with war. Pride and honor are not as important as the willingness one has to help others. Beowulf is not feeling that contact with people he doesn’t identify with them because he believes himself better, a part of a hero´s cycle is to be identified with the community. To be part
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
For the most part, Beowulf’s characteristics describe those of a triumphant warrior who played a major role in defending the lives of his fellow citizens, while leading a thriving country. Although Beowulf soon became king, he died for his people, and was remembered as a victorious fighter. Beowulf is at least in part a study of kingship because it discusses the qualities that produce a good king, the disadvantages during his rule and how he overcame them, and the problems that arose upon his death.
At the beginning of the novel, Beowulf represents a savage warrior, displaying mostly his strength and bravery by defeating Grendel and his mother. However, as Beowulf ages, he begins to change into a different kind of hero. After becoming King of the Geats, Beowulf matured and took on more of a leadership role in the community, as opposed to a warrior. Even though Beowulf was still a hero, he began to lead an army of geats and acted for the good of the people. In both cases however, Beowulf was respected by others for his admirable
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
It is no question that Beowulf was one of the b est, if not the best, warrior of his time. His skills of being a tremendous warrior are not to be questioned, but his position as a king could use a closer look. While the qualities of being a great warrior and a great king can be similar, there are some differing qualities to keep in mind. There is an extensive comparison to be made between Beowulf and Hrothgar, as a warrior and as a king and the qualities that each of them bring to the table. On lines 17 00-1739 of Beowulf, Hrothgar gives his famous speech to Beowulf on what it means to be a successful king. Hrothgar feels the need to give Beowulf this advice because he knows that Beowulf will one day need to know how to more than a warrior.
In Beowulf’s younger years, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture when saving another kingdom from their demons. Beowulf’s willingness to sacrifice his life in order to save strangers his father owed a debt to is quite selfless. His bravery comes into play when he remains unchanged in his resolve even after hearing of all the King’s men and subjects slain by the beast.