Megan Madrigrano
Mrs. Gill
British Literature
5 October 2015
Compare and Contrast: Bilbo and Beowulf as Heros
Heroism is defined as great bravery or courage according to Webster, so being such a broad definition can be interpreted many different ways. I believe that heroism is someone stepping up to the plate when no one else will, even if they aren’t always ideal to the situation. In a Webster-way of the word ‘hero,’ Bilbo and Beowulf both possess qualities that could classify them as heros. However, I think that Bilbo Baggins is more of a Hero than Beowulf because Bilbo had to overcome so many personal obstacles in order to become the hero he was throughout the story.
Bilbo’s role in The Hobbit is to be our hero, but not in the traditional
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sense of the word. Bilbo simply does not have the physique for the traditional hero. Bilbo is the only one in the story that doesn’t have an end-goal in mind. He is dragged along by Gandalf and his only reason to survive is because everything he has ever valued is back home in Bag-End. Bilbo keeps his strategies simple and his mind clear on the journey. Bilbo is hesitant to going on the journey and doesn’t care much for being seemingly better than others. This passage from the eighth chapter was one of the novel’s major turning points because it shows how Bilbo is growing as our hero after defeating the giant spider.
“Somehow the killing of this giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark...made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath. ‘I will give you a name,’ he said to it, ‘and I shall call you Sting.’” (Tolkien, 141-2) Defeating an enemy in combat gave Bilbo that taste of courage that he never experienced before which made him feel much more confident. After this encounter, Bilbo proves himself capable of taking initiative in acting for the best interest of the company. This is Bilbo establishing himself as a hero (not to mention him upstaging Thorin as a …show more content…
leader). Beowulf’s role in Beowulf is to be our hero in a very traditional sense of the word. Beowulf is full of charisma, pride, strength, honor, and intelligence: all the qualities that would ensure his ‘heroic’ status. He simply has the physique for a hero and know’s how to carry himself in a manner that is almost intimidating to others. Beowulf is willing to take on any challenge in order to make a name for himself. Similarly to Bilbo defeating the giant spiders, Beowulf takes on this massive dragon:“Yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague.
He had scant regard for the dragon as a threat, no dread at all of its courage or strength, for he had kept going often in the past, through perils and ordeals of every sort, after he had purged Hrothgar's hall, triumphed in Heorot and beaten Grendel” (2345-2353) Beowulf is completely unafraid of the dragon, so unafraid that he's being a little bit dumb about how to fight it. Other kings might take an entire army to fight a dragon, but Beowulf is simply going to take it on one-on-one, the way he fought Grendel and Grendel's mother when he was a young man. Perhaps, the poet hints to us, Beowulf is a little too courageous for a king, who needs to think about protecting his
people. In conclusion, the supporting evidence shows how Bilbo is more of our hero (in the non-traditional sense) than Beowulf. Instead of having the story set up to have a perfect hero from the get-go, we are given someone we would have never thought to play as important of a role as he did. Whereas in Beowulf we are given this hero that has courage, intelligence, and strength and uses his skills every chance he is put in a difficult situation instead of learning and transforming from them.
Bilbo cleverly eluded Smaug’s temptation, spared the life of foul creature Gollum, and demonstrate courage more and more throughout his journey. These exquisite traits made Bilbo into the revered character that was loved and respected for generations of readers. Throughout the book, Bilbo’s character had changed. At first, he was the ordinary hobbit who described adventures as “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things” (4) but by the end of his journeys stated to Thorin, “I am glad that I have shared in your perils” (290). Bilbo’s ability to fight evil, make new friends, and to look beyond his maps and books enable him to become a hero. As Gandalf once said at the very beginning, “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself” (19). Gandalf was right. What appeared to be an uneasy hobbit who fainted at the thought of adventures, turned out to be a brave leader, a compassionate friend, and an inspiring
It is shown that this story can convey a strong message that all readers should know. That when you believe in yourself that you could accomplish things that were only in your wildest dreams. Bilbo Baggins had been the one to overcome his fear of changing his daily life and become the hero that he should be known for. Even though he starts off as the most non-courageous person in the world into a great hero. He goes one to defeat spiders, goblins, and outsmarts doby into getting the ring.
Bilbo Baggins, having a diminutive stature but, a heart bigger than than Hobbittown. People may begin to wonder would Bilbo be considered a hero? Being heroic is portraying qualities that are helpful, selfless, and brave. Bilbo possessed these character traits in The Hobbit. Gandalf exclaimed that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye, I feel like that statement is true because Bilbo has went through many heroic events that he could have easily backed down from. In The Hobbit, while still wearing the ring Bilbo “beats the creature off with his hands-it was trying to poison him to keep him quiet as small spiders do to flies-until he remembered his sword and drew it out to cut his legs loose. After that it was his turn to attack” (154) This shows how courageous Bilbo was when he could have gotten eaten alive, I think what changed in Bilbo was when he came in contact with the spiders, he be...
What is hero? A hero, under the Merriam-Webster definition, is a person who is admired for brave/great acts or fine qualities. This is a very broad definition that combines both ancient and modern belief of what --or who-- a hero should be. Beowulf is an epic poem that focuses on an Anglo-Saxon hero. As such he embodies the traits that his culture valued most. Deadpool, on the other hand, portrays the most recent ideas of what traits a hero should embody. With these examples from contrasting periods, we are still able to see similarities and differences that shows how modern and Anglo-Saxon idea of heroism reflects its culture.
...th heroes take are dangerous and difficult. Bilbo makes many mistakes but in the end he does mature and grow as a person. The hero is willing to put everything above themselves. Comparing Bilbo with Beowulf, it is clear that while Beowulf is an archetypal hero from a hero themed story, Bilbo is arguably more of a hero than him in some ways. Bilbo shows himself to not just a hero in skills and prowess but a hero in character, which Beowulf does not seem to show. Thorin even comments “Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size…” (198). However both heroes have acts of self-sacrifice and courage, while Beowulf uses his physical strength to achieve his heroics, Bilbo’s sense of honour, moral and courage proves himself equal to Beowulf in heroics.
All in all, heroism is a vague word that could be defined as many of things. Such as bravery, courage, honesty, morality, trusts...etc. If Beowulf was defined as a hero then the knight should be defined as one also seeing as he gave the old women the choice to be old and good or pretty and bad. Or if the Author of The Art of Courtly love cannot be heroic and then write in a way of being heroic how can one decide what heroism is. All three of these studies show different forms and fashions of heroic people, feelings, and attitudes. Overall heroism is and always will be based on personal opinion, what one person defines as a hero can be completely different from what another person sees it as.
When legends are told throughout the world about heroes, the picture that we have of that hero is someone like Beowulf. However, the reason why we see Bilbo Baggins as a hero is because he is so similar to the rest of us. He portrays the average person but Bilbo has gone the extra step. He takes risks and faces battles that seem impossible to conquer. This is why we he is a hero. He does everything that we wis...
Beowulf is the exact image of a perfect hero. He is unimaginably strong, selfless, determined and courageous. Victor Frankenstein may be much less of a hero, but a hero nonetheless. Heroism is often seen as someone who is strong, brave, selfless and determined. It is someone who would risk their own life for the benefit of others. It is someone who is physically strong and mentally capable of enduring extreme pain and hardship. Heroism can ultimately be defined as someone who puts others ahead of themselves.
Beowulf was born to lead and not follow. Beowulf’s character from youth to old seeks out battles with all his devotion to win as a great leader would do. “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open” (Beowulf 2011-15). Beowulf claimed his right as a king to his people and battled against the dragon to protect his people.
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.
While having one or the other can make you a great warrior, combining these two qualities puts a potential king above the rest. In Hrothgar’s speech, another great piece of advice he gives to Beowulf is to “hold it all with patient care,/ and temper strength with wisdom” (1705-1706). This piece of advice is especially important because a great king must be wise, patient, and strong. If Beowulf wants to be a successful king then there are warrior qualities he needs to learn to set aside. One of the main warrior qualities he need to let go of is the act of being impulsive. Most warrior’s natural instinct would be to act impulsively without thinking about the consequences of their actions and who it might affect. Whereas, a king needs to act patiently and wisely, thinking about all of the possible solutions before making a final decision. When Beowulf is king (towards the end of the poem), he decided that he wants to fight the dragon all by himself. He may be trying to spare the life of others, but this is not a smart thing to do as king. Instead of being boastful and cocky, he needs to set his pride aside and ask his warriors for help in battling the dragon. Even though most of them bailed out on Beowulf anyways, a king needs to know his own abilities for the better of his people. If he had faced the dragon on his own, did not defeat it, and died, then his people would be without their leader and still
Bilbo begins his long journey with the dwarves, who at the time were still skeptical of Bilbo’s abilities. The dwarves didn’t see why they needed such a small incompetent hobbit with them along their journey. Gandalf tells them to stop complaining and to trust that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye (Tolkien 6). Bilbo soon shows his courage and heroism for the first time in the story when they run into their first obstacle, three large trolls huddled around a campfire. Bilbo, who was once a shy, non-adventurous type, begins to develop into a hero as he tries to steal one of the trolls’ money purses. This is a dramatic scene in the novel because it was Bilbo’s very first act outside his comfort zone. It was this...
From the beginning of the story, Gandalf sees great potential in Bilbo. Although he does not believe him, Bilbo proves that he is capable of doing extraordinary things. Bilbo's first display of fulfillment occurs when he escapes the depths of the misty mountains without the help of Gandalf or the dwarves. Bilbo says “And here’s the burglar!”...slipping off the ring. Bless me, how they jumped! Then they[the dwarves] shouted with surprise and delight...It is a fact that Bilbo’s reputation went up a very great deal with the dwarves after this(214)." Following this event, Bilbo becomes more confident. He now knows that nothing is impossible if he believes in himself and is beginning to understand that the unknown is not an enemy, but a force that can be conquered. Bilbo once again displays fulfillment when he kills a giant spider in the heart of Mirkwood. Tolkien writes"“The spider lay dead beside him, and his sword-blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder...as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath(179)”. Bilbo's display of strength and fearlessness shows a dramatic change from his personality at the beginning of the book. He is now starting to fulfill
...ting points of the plot also relied on Bilbo’s courage. If Bilbo did not have such a valuable trait, the story of the Hobbit would’ve been fairly short.
As a pilot who saved many people's lives, Captain Sully found a way out of a tight situation, when he landed a plane in the Hudson River, "Because of him, everyone survived." (Sully). A hero does anything he or she can do to help others. The people who survived were connected to many friends and family, and for those friends and families, because the people survived, the world was a better place. Many recognize Bilbo as the warm-hearted main character from The Hobbit, and a brave hero who helped his friends uncover and guard an ancient treasure, and along the way faced a dangerous dragon, "Well thief! I smell you and I feel your air. I hear your breath. Come along! Help yourself again, there is plenty and to spare. (Tolkien 222). Bilbo had the courage to enter Smaug's lair for the sake of his friends, and the treasure. A true hero would be able to do actions Bilbo did. While appearing as an unlikely hero, Gandalf the wizard was the first person to spur Bilbo to go on the journey, and become a hero, when he first arrived at Bilbo's house, "Good morning!" Bilbo said, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat." (Tolkien 4). At the time, Gandalf wasn't a hero yet, at the beginning of The Hobbit, but after leading Bilbo and the dwarves on such