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Throughout history, people have created super heroes in times of trouble to bring hope to people. Anglo Saxon heroes were also created in times of trouble, like the superhero Beowulf. Like modern day heroes, Beowulf exemplifies many characteristics that make them admirable heroes. Beowulf can connect to modern day heroes through his actions shown during battle, and his boasting. Throughout all of Beowulf’s battles, he exemplifies courage, selflessness and loyalty, which makes him similar to a modern day hero.
Courage is definitely shown by Beowulf throughout all of his battles. In his first battle with Grendel, in his boast he says his plan is to take on Grendel unarmed, and had confidence he would still win. He had a sense of duty, he knew he needed to help Hrothgar. He showed courage in the battle with Grendel’s mother, he swam down her underwater lair and fought off many sea demons until he got to her. In the last battle with the dragon, he knew it would be his last battle and he still fought with full bravery and confidence, even though he was mortally wounded. Modern day
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Beowulf isn’t a Dane, he is a Geat, and Grendel wasn’t necessarily affecting him and his people, but the moment he heard about how Hrothgar’s people were being tortured by this demon he immediately requested that a boat be fitted out for him. He didn’t have to go help them, he chose to, and not only did he kill Grendel, he did it unarmed. Modern day heroes fight with a sense of justice, and they care about ridding the area of evil forces and the safety of all the people. “Alone shall fight for me, struggles for life against the monster.God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip” (268-270). Here Beowulf is saying regardless of what happens, even if he loses his life in battle, he is going to try his hardest to defeat the beast. He put his own life before others, which shows how selfless he
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
Bravery is like a very trusted friend, it will never let you down. That statement holds true in the great epic of "Beowulf." "Beowulf" is the story of a great hero who comes to the aid of a troubled king. Beowulf hears that king Hrothgar is having trouble and immediately comes to help with no questions asked. he defeats the monster, Grendel, with his bare hands. Beowulf then defeats Grendel's mother along with a dragon until he is fatally injured. Bravery is a very admirable characteristic that few people possess.
This essay is the comparison between Beowulf and a modern day hero. I consider any American soldier to be my modern day hero. In this essay I will explain in three paragraphs of how my modern day hero is like Beowulf. With in these three paragraphs I will go over how they are both fighting for a good cause, how they are both rewarded for what they do, and how they are both treated with much respect.
Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude.
A hero not only needs to be physically outstanding, but he also needs to have integrity, moral values and needs to act without thinking in his own benefit. Beowulf has many characteristics of a hero but he also has some defects that make me think that he wouldn’t be considered a hero in today´s world. A hero concept evolves with a culture, Beowulf has many things that the Anglo-Saxons viewed as heroism but he misses many things that are important for a modern hero.
A true modern hero is able to set aside fear and act on the matter at hand, which signifies the quality of courage. Being Courageous can set you apart from others, because you are willing to carry out actions that are beneficial for the greater good. Any one can say they are going to do something, but when the claim is backed with actions they truly display courage. Beowulf is the epitome of being courageous. He voluntarily
Bravery is a trait that every young boy wishes to have. It is a desire that is embedded into each human being. It is only whether or not he or she acts on this desire to be brave that matter s. Aristotle writes, “{Bravery} courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” When Beowulf heard of the atrocities that Grendle was committing to the people of Herot, it was bravery that brought him there as their savor, and without fear he would
Beowulf also shows courage in all of his battles. His intelligence is far above any others. He used the sword made by the giants to kill Grendel’s mother. In lines 210-222, it describes how he was quick and saw the sword “hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic…and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through…”
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.
By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise.
Beowulf is a very brave hero, he has fought and killed many creatures before, but this battle was different. He knew this battle was of great importance to everyone, and that made him that much more nervous. This creature was fierce and had been tormenting their village for as long as they could remember, so her death would be a huge victory for Beowulf and it would be an even bigger relief for the villagers. All of the people in the village were cheering for Beowulf as he walked away headed off to the greatest battle of his life.
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.
A hero is someone that helps others no matter what the situation. There are many qualities that a hero must posses such as bravery, courage, strength, intelligence and honor. These qualities alone are not enough to make a hero. They must also be pure at heart, fight for the good of mankind and only fight when it is to protect the people and not out of revenge. Beowulf is everything a hero should be, but contains a few qualities that a hero should not posses. When Beowulf sailed with his men to Herot he had one goal, to rid the hall of Grendal. Beowulf was under no obligation to destroy Grendal and never asked for anything in return for his services. A true hero would never ask for money or anything of value. He put his life at risk to save the people of Herot, who he didn’t even know, out of his own good nature Great strength has been a trait that has been identified with heroes in many stories and legends. Than he saw hanging on the wall, a heavy Sword, hammered by giants, strong And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons But so massive that no ordinary man could lift... (II. 1557-1560) Beowulf possessed great strength that separated him from other men. Being able to use a sword that no ordinary man was able to carry gives the feeling that Beowulf is something more than a human being. It makes him special and causes him to stand out from all other men. Fame is something that makes a hero more noted. Beowulfs popularity had spread all over the world. He never let this go to his head and he never thought that he was better than everyone else because of it. “Your fame is everywhere, my friend,/Reaches to the ends of the earth, and you hold it in your heart wisely...” (II.1704-1706). A hero should not be foolish or full of himself. Unferth said: You’re Beowulf, are you- the same Boastful fool who fought a swimming Match with Brecca, both of you daring and young and proud,exploring the deepest Seas, risking your lives for no reason But the danger? (II. 506-511) A hero should not have to prove to himself or to anyone else that he is brave, fearless or courageous. If he is pure a heart and his intentions are good then he can be considered a true hero.
When the world still had knights, selflessness was expected with the title of Knight. Beowulf shows his selflessness when he offers to go to Denmark and fight Grendel. Beowulf heard about the Danes being terrorized and basically packed up and left, it takes a lot of greatness to just get up and go help someone halfway across the world. Joan Acocella says, “ The boats must have been enormous-it carries Beowulf and what seems to have been at least a dozen knights, plus their horses, their battle gear and, and heaps of treasure” (1).Not to mention beowulf fought Grendel for free. Additionally, he also makes his selflessness clear when he stands up and fights Grendel himself rather than send one of his men and take all the credit. It takes a strong soul to put others first in a situation so dangerous as this one. Beowulf puts his self in danger for the lives of the innocent when he fights Grendel with only his bare hands. Although he has a chance of loosing he trust in God that he will prevail and save the Danes from being terrorized any longer. As well as fighting Grendel, Beowulf also stands up and fights for the Geats, aginst the raging dragon that haunts Geatland. At that time Beowulf was king and he was loved by all, Most kings would have sent the bravest of warriors and made them fight, but not
The Anglo-Saxons brought with them their own religious beliefs, but when Saint Augustine arrived in 597 he converted most of the country into Christianity.The Anglo-Saxon time period lasted about 600 years, from 410 to whopping 1066, and during that time frame the Britain’s political landscape went through many changes. Beowulf was a man who would do anything for his beloved Geatland. He was not like any ordinary man Beowulf was stronger than the average man would be he was at least 10 times stronger. Beowulf never did back down from a fight from anyone he always went to battle never second guessing for a minute. He served Geatland as best he could Beowulf shows how he is loyal, brave, and also strong. Beowulf will take the time to help others in their time of need, but he always makes sure that his people in Geatland are always safe before anything else. This leads me to my thesis statement, Beowulf proves to be an epic hero through his tremendous bravery, strength, and loyalty.