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Beowulf character traits compared to other heroes
Heroism in Beowulf
Beowulf qualities of a hero
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A hero’s journey begins with an epic tale of bravery and achievements. The journey of any hero starts with the hero himself conveying to the audience that he or she possesses noble qualities. Beowulf shows many examples of heroism through characteristics such as, heritage physical strength, and leadership. Beowulf stood strong against the most daring evils and quests within the story and this is just one of the many characteristics this legendary hero possessed. The story of Beowulf explained that he had royal blood from his father, who was a king, and that he also contained the strength of 30 men in each play of his hand. The stories of this brave soul was known all throughout the lands and tribes not of his own. Beowulf had many victories …show more content…
Courage is an act, or thought of true bravery. The will to do something, something heroism is really focused on. Heroism is putting others first by throwing yourself into a mad fray of danger or chaos in order to save another’s life. Beowulf uses battle swords in every challenge he is confronted with such as Grendel, the mother of Grendel, as well as the dragon that began to attack Beowulf’s own people. Beowulf and his most trusted friend Wiglaf defeat the beast, although not without Beowulf being bitten by the beast first. Wiglaf sinks a sword in the dragon 's belly, but this still does not kill the dragon, but rather wounds. Beowulf, with what strength he had left, stabbed the dragon with a dagger and kills him once and for all. Beowulf proves yet another valiant move with the courage he possesses by continuing to fight even when he has little to nothing …show more content…
They have great communication skills and generally work amongst the people. Good leaders need all of these skills or qualities. Beowulf does not sit out on a battle, he fights with his men rather than avoiding it. He communicated very well with everyone and gives people a reason to look up to him. Beowulf upon his last breaths, gives kingdom to wiglaf because as a great leader he must know who is fit to rule his land and gives it to someone he trusts. Beowulf rules for fifty years, which tells the audience he was well liked as a ruler. Beowulf knew one thing: many heroes you see do not practice often; humility. beowulf counted on God’s help through his quests, always prayed to his God and gave thanks to Him. Before his last battle, Beowulf senses his death is near. He realizes that this will be his last battle should he choose to fight. Even knowing this will be the last time he will be protecting his people, he still goes out in battle. This is a true marking of a leader. He is not afraid to die to save his people, what the future may hold for the hero, even if it is not on earth. Beowulf did not turn and run, he had the opportunity when many of his men failed to stand behind Beowulf during the fight against the dragon. Beowulf knew that it was his duty as king and protector to kill the beast that was laying siege to his people and precious
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.
Ernest Gaines novel, A Lesson Before Dying, is a story about, Jefferson, a black man who is wrongfully charged with a crime he did not commit. He cannot get a fair trial because he is a black man in the south. He is sentenced to be executed, but before he dies Grant, an educated black man, teaches him how to walk like a man, so people do not think of him as a hog. "Beowulf" is an epic poem over one thousand years old, which was told from one generation to another. It is about, Beowulf, a great hero who defeats three different monsters to save the kingdom. In his last battle he is much older than before and is killed by a dragon. A hero does something that other people do not do and he does things for others, and other people look to a hero for guidance.
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.
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...
Throughout time, society has come in contact with individuals who are praised due to their bravery, loyalty, strength and a tendency to go beyond the limit. One may call this individual a hero, and if asked to give some examples of heroism, one may pick the classical literary hero Beowulf. According to Roger B. Rolling, Beowulf is classified as a Type I hero who, “if superior in degree to other men but not to his natural environment, … is a leader. He has authority, passions, and powers of expression far greater than ours but is subject both to social criticism and to the order of nature” (434). Beowulf’s heroism is exemplified first when he kills Grendel, then when he kills Grendel’s mother, and finally when he kills the Dragon. Also, Beowulf
In Beowulf the poem, Beowulf is considered to be an epic hero, he is different than just a regular hero. At the time, except for the King, warriors were the most honored and respected. Throughout this poem the author expresses that Beowulf is a true epic hero. What makes an epic hero? An epic hero must undertake a quest to achieve something tremendous value to his nation, must be super-human, and protects his people and their ideals. Beowulf is one of the greatest warriors of all time to protect his nation and people, he is a perfect candidate of an epic hero.
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…”
Bravery today has changed from that of Anglo-Saxon times. In the poem, Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat the evil, monstrous Grendel. He believes that it would be braver and mightier if he were to defeat Grendel without use of a weapon. “My lord Higlac/ Might thing less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind some broad linen shield: my hands/ Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/ Against the monster (15).” However, in modern times, bravery is associated and accompanied by weaponry.
Beowulf is a good example of a courageous and strong hero. He shows all of
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.
Karma is the destiny you earn through your actions and behaviors; when you act greedy and loathsome to others, you end up worse than the ones you looked down on. In Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, and Grendel, written by John Gardner, Unferth is an underrepresented character who is marginalized by others, especially Beowulf, and portrayed as unheroic due to him killing his own brothers. However, deep inside he is the most heroic character of all. In Beowulf, society defines heroism as all about fame and glory, something Unferth does not have, thus making him unheroic; in Grendel, Unferth finds his own definition of heroism as dynamic and realizes that he can be the hero of his own life, not anybody else’s.
Beowulf fights many monsters and he is successful in his hero’s journey. Beowulf is a strong warrior and had a lot of will power to keep pushing on and moving forward during his journey. Beowulf Hero’s Journey is trials, treasure, and results.
The heavyweight, airtight bay door of the W.G. Scyld closed. The circular spacecraft detached from the Angel on My Shoulder repair base above Gyth, a tidally locked exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star. In addition to the light sails retracting, the Scyld’s ion thrusters simultaneously fired a short burst as the ship moved away toward the Einstein-Rosen Dark Matter Bridge.
Beowulf was clearly an epic hero by performing courageous acts and going on long journeys to complete his quest.