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Characteristics of an epic hero
Characteristics of an epic hero
What makes a true epic hero
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Essay#1(Draft): Epic Hero
An epic hero. What is an epic hero? Well, an epic hero is a very brave character in an epic poem that is greatly admired by their achievements or the events that happen. There are 12 stages in an epic hero:
1. Ordinary World
2. Call To Adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
4. Meeting with The Mentor
5. Crossing the Threshold
6. Test, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach
8. Ordeal
9. Reward
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection Hero
12. Return with Elixir
These stages are what mostly happens to epic hero. Someone I would say is an epic hero is Beowulf. To me, Beowulf is an epic hero because he has achieved great achievements and has the qualities of being an epic hero. He shows qualities of being loyal and brave.
In the epic poem of Beowulf, he shows acts of bravery. When he is about to battle off the Grendel, he took of his armor. After Beowulf takes off his armor, he teases Grendel and says, “When it comes to fighting, I count myself/ as dangerous any day as Grendel” (667/668). When he did this, it showed an act of bravery. Taking off his armor was dangerous but it made him, in a way, seem like he was much more heroic without it. It was courageous! He finally shows one more act of bravery when he is with of his men, Wiglaf comes to help battle along with him 50 years later.
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In the poem, Beowulf says, “Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance” (472). Another way that Beowulf showed his loyalty in the poem, was when he and the men he was with went to go defeat the monster. This was to help pay back his father. The final act of loyalty is when one of his men (Wiglaf) shows that he is committed and loyal to his King Beowulf fifty year after his battle. Wiglaf say, “I shall stand by you” (2668). By Wiglaf going along with this Journey with Beowulf, it shows that he is brave and loyal
An epic hero is character who is brave and noble, and that person is someone who carries good leadership traits and goes through an epic journey. Usually an epic hero is from an epic, and an example is Odysseus. Odysseus goes through a journey to return back to Ithaca, his homeland. In the modern era, there are epic heroes all around us. They can be in books, movies, or plays. One great example of a modern epic hero is Woody from Toy Story 3. He is confident, courageous,selfless, and humane. Woody is a toy cowboy and his owner, Andy is going off to college. Woody and his buddies get misplaced and get donated to a child day care center. There, they have to try to escape and return home, after realizing how bad the place
An epic hero is a noble and brave person that accomplishes large goals. These noble and brave people have characteristics such as being selfless and loyal. What makes these characteristics so important in an epic hero? Being selfish can make the epic hero stray from the objective. On the other hand, being loyal shows commitment and dedication. An example of epic heroes are Dory and Odysseus. Disney’s movie Finding Dory is about Dory’s journey to find her parents. Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on an expedition home after the Trojan War. Both Dory and Odysseus face many risks on their journey. However, Disney’s Dory and Homer’s Odysseus are both heroes that accomplish immense feats, but Dory is a more exceptional heroine than Odysseus as Dory is more loyal and selfless than Odysseus.
Beowulf is very faithful to the kingdom in which he works with and serves. He says to Hrothgar, “If there is any favour I can perform / beyond deeds of arms I have done already, / anything that would merit your affections more, / I shall act, my lord, with alacrity” (1822-1825). Even if he is home, all the way across the seas, he would drop whatever he was doing and come to help Denmark defeat its evil that comes to that land. He shows his undying dedication to helping the king and the kingdom that he lives in. Beowulf then tries to defeat this dragon, that is, his final battle. He has been in “retirement” and has not fought in quite some time, but he still is being depended on by his kingdom to fight off this evil. Sadly, he does die, but he was so dedicated, brave, and strong enough to fight off this dragon to make sure all is safe. It was, “that final day was the first time / when Beowulf fought and fate denied him / glory in battle” (2573-2575). Each characteristic has a special part of an epic hero, but faithfulness can really set the tone for a hero's life.
Modern Poetry An epic hero is defined as larger than life, someone who embodies the values of a particular society. Common epic heroes have superior strength, they care for their people, and are fearless of death. Epic heroes show great intelligence and inventiveness. An epic hero will suffer severe pain, but in the end, they will ultimately persevere and conquer over evil.
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
In every epic story, the center of attention will be on the epic hero. Usually all the epic heroes have some kind of special power, which keep them different from other characters. Later on, their epic journey these powers, help them to win the glory, which make them epic heroes. In Beowulf, Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery.
What are the qualities of an epic hero? An Epic hero is a hero on a
From what I have read and considered to be an Epic hero’s qualities are those men who demonstrate nobility in and with their strong mind and body. They also seem to be mortal and can die. Their fears are real and with them, and yet they are helped by the gods. These heroes are steady to keep going and never give up their battles or journey until it is complete.
What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.
In Beowulf’s youth and early adulthood he is an outstanding and fearless warrior, characterized by his desire for glory and triumphs. Despite losing his swimming match against Breca, he admits his defeat and recovers even more eager to become a hero. Beowulf’s win over Grendel and the defeat of Grendel’s atrocious mother verifies his reputation for bravery and grants him the title of ‘hero’ he’s strived for.
Simba, the lion character starring in the movie Lion King is an example of an epic hero. An epic hero can be very different, but still inquires the same twelve characteristics. Simba isn’t the first hero that comes to mind, but he is a hero. He does not fight through many battles like Odysseus, but he still fights though his own battles. Simba would be considered a modern hero with similar traits to an epic hero.
An epic hero according to Anglo-Saxon literature is a hero who is larger-than-life; someone with self-confidence, great strength, and the qualities of loyalty, bravery, and honor. Beowulf can be considered an epic hero for multiple reasons throughout “Beowulf.” Beowulf is a character constructed on all of the Anglo-Saxon epic hero qualifications. For starters, Beowulf is seen as a noble character, that is willing to provide security for the people by risking his own life. As a character, Beowulf conducts superhuman strength, and can complete impossible tasks. These are only some among many other reasons and characteristics that Beowulf can be classified as an epic hero.
What makes an epic hero? An epic hero must undergo a dangerous journey that threatens the lives of a society, while upholding the values and ideals of that society. Although there are many differences between Beowulf the movie and the poem, both the poem and the movie basically follow the same story line. Beowulf is an amazing story of an epic hero told through text with vivid descriptions and a film version, which portrays the story in a more exaggerated manner.
References to epic hero stories are around us all the time, although we may not realize it. For example, why do we have trophies? What are they for? Well the answer to this lies in Beowulf; the trophies are put up to remember the deeds that we have done. Epic heroes have been around for a very long time, their stories born as the creation tale for the places of their origin. The people needed their epic heroes to outline the proper way to act and to tell the story of their creation. Some of the most famous epic heroes include: Achilles, Odysseus, Aeneus, Socrates, Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Arthur. The question, however, is what makes them an epic hero? For each the story is different, yet alike. Homer’s The Iliad, and The Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid, Plato’s Apology, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, The Story of King Arthur all present epic heroes that we still idolize today.
An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Furthermore, and character must also meet the following eight characteristic of an Epic hero: 1). The character must be significant and glorified or famous, such as having royal background; 2). The character is called to a quest or adventure; 3). The character must have superior or superhuman strength, intelligence and courage and often faces supernatural foes and/or has assistance from supernatural beings; 4). the character must be ethical; 5). the character risks death for glory or for the greater good of society; 6). the character is seen as a strong and responsible leader; 7). the character must performs brave deeds; and 8). The character Reflects the ideals of a particular society. Upon closer inspection, all of these features are prevalent in the character of Beowulf, thus qualifying him as an epic