Heros now are not what heros were back in the Anglos Saxon and Medieval time periods. The Anglos Saxon time period ranged from approximately 450 AD to 1066 AD, which is best known as the Old English. The most important hero that emerged from the time period is Beowulf, where he was the main character from an Epic Poem written by an unknown person. Beowulf was a true hero. He had superhero like abilities. He made other feel safe and everyone trusted him. He is a true hero of the Anglos Saxon time period. As the Anglos Saxon time period came to an end, the Medieval time period emerged. There from this time period two heros really stood out, The Knight and the Pardoner who both came from the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Knight, …show more content…
who was a model of behavior, showed the cultural value of the Medieval time period along with the Pardoner, who showed an ironic point of view. During the time period of the Anglos Saxon and Medieval period the hero's involved within each period show a heroic figure and reflect the value of the cultures they are in. To start off Beowulf reflects the value of the culture of the Anglos Saxon time period. The values that Beowulf showed of the period were bravery and loyalty. Beowulf was completely unstoppable by any means necessary. Grendel, a monster who bothered the king of Hrothgar for many weeks, was the only thing that stood in Beowulf’s way of gaining the trust of the king. Beowulf was loyal to the king and saved him from Grendel by defeating him, yet he did not kill him he only chopped his arm off and hung it on the wall in the Hall. Grendal retreated to his mother in the sea, which happened to be Beowulf second challenge. Beowulf fights Grendel's mother and obviously he won because Beowulf is not a thing to be messed with, and when he defeated Grendel's mother he also chopped Grendel's head off. Of course after every victory of Beowulf’s they celebrated and drank till they couldn’t no more. Beowulf finally returned back to his homeland of Geatland where he became king for his bravery and loyalty to the people of the land. 50 years past and Beowulf did not encounter any fighting until one day someone so ignorant went into the cave of a dragon and took the goblet which led to the awakening of the dragon. So Beowulf being Beowulf he had to protect his land from the Dragon and went to fight it. He brought 11 men with him but they all cowardly ran away. Beowulf, all by himself defeated the dragon, but the blood of the dragon was poisonous and that led to Beowulf's death. This led to the people of Geatland horrified and unprotected. As a result of Beowulf's bravery and loyalty he showed and reflected the cultural value of the Anglos Saxon time period. Secondly, the Canterbury Tales shows its cultural values by the heros of the Knight and the Pardoner.
The Knight shows bravery and loyalty, and the pardoner displays a great heap of honesty, about himself of course. The Knight was off battling in the crusades until one day he came back just in time to go on a religious journey to a shrine. His bravery was shown there because he fought in the war, let alone he was loyal enough to his religion to come back to the shrine. He had no time to even change his clothes to go onto the journey, but as always he was dressed to battle. Right when he returned he went straight into another journey. This shows his loyalty to his land and people. The other character, the pardoner, was a so called “holy” man who had pardons sins for money. He lied and snuck people into scams which led to more money for the pardoner. Although the pardoner belonged to the church, he is probably the most sinful men on the whole canterbury tales journey. He shows brutal honesty by telling everyone on the journey about his schemeful plans and his “holy relics” that he sells. These relics are all just the things that he found on the side of the road. As a result the pardoner and the knight has shown bravery, honesty, and loyalty to resemble the cultural values of this time
period. All in all the time periods of Anglos Saxon and Medieval have hero’s reflecting the values of the culture of their periods. In the anglos saxon period Beowulf as the true hero who showed bravery and loyalty to his people and land. In the Medieval time period the two people from the Canterbury tales whoo showed a great resemblance of the cultural value were the Pardoner and the Knight. People today are like Beowulf, not as his superhero like abilities but there faithfulness, loyalty, and bravery. Men in the Military forces show the bravery that Beowulf showed. They fight everyday for our freedom and still manage to come home and sacrifice their time for our own. Beowulf, the Knight, and the Pardoner are a great example of the heros of the time period before us, also showing great cultural values.
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.
In my opinion Beowulf is can be considered a hero. Beowulf can be considered a hero because of the characteristics he displays that resemble heroes. He displays all of the characteristics that heroes have. Throughout the story Beowulf stays true to himself and is morals showing that he is a hero. Beowulf is a hero due to his courage, loyalty, and justice.
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.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, people worshiped Hero's. Here are a couple of ways how a modern day hero can be compared to one in the past.
The clear definition of a hero is often open to interpretation and has never been clearly defined. In the translation of the epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, it is often debated whether the main character Beowulf is actually a hero or not. Beowulf displays hero-like characteristics through his bravery, loyalty, brute strength, confidence and protective nature. He is a crystal clear example of an Anglo-Saxon hero in his time period. In the present day he should be considered a hero as well. He displays heroism through his fights with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon while managing to protect his people and eventually sacrifice himself.
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.
Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.
Erika Mercado Essay 2 Modern Heroes: Dante vs Beowulf A modern hero is a good-hearted person with these attributes: bravery, strong, and contributes to saving the lives of his homelands. Beowulf demonstrates the characteristics of a modern hero: a leader, fearless, and generous. Beowulf is a young hero whose character exerts powerful strength in battles. Dante the Pilgrim does not display hero attributes in The Inferno.
Throughout the story, Beowulf fights three battles against frightening monsters. Beowulf, the prince of the Geats, was a well known warrior with extreme strength who makes a promise to protect his people under any circumstance. In the poem, his strength is tested, but he uses it to save many people in battles against: Grendel, Grendel 's mother, and a dragon. Before, during, and after each of these battles Beowulf shows many similarities and differences in his actions.
Heroes in historical literature such as Beowulf, written in 1000 AD, and Hamlet, written in 1599 AD, portray varied types of heroes. Beowulf is an epic hero and therefore portrays the qualities commonly associated and recognized as those of an epic character. Beowulf is significant and glorified, goes on a quest, and has superior superhuman strength, intelligence, and courage. He also portrays ethical behaviour, risks death for the glory
A hero in mythology and legend is a man often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for bold exploits, and favored by the gods. Beowulf, the strongest man alive and the greatest Anglo-Saxon warrior, distinguishes himself as this kind of hero. When Herot is in danger of being destroyed by the ferocious beast Grendal, Beowulf raises hell to the menacing beast. Through his brave actions and deeds, Beowulf demonstrates heroic qualities and that is revered by Anglo-Saxon and those which are also universally respected.
In the stories of Beowulf and A Knight's Tale, there are many different themes. One of the major themes is the religion that runs through both of them, yet both stories have a very different view of religion. In Beowulf, it seems as if God has chosen where our life will end and where it will begin, everything happens by the will of God in a fair and just way. In The Knight's Tale, we see Greek gods playing with the characters and when they "play" with them, there is no real pattern to how they choose things. Each vies is different and this affects the stories in different ways.
The Anglo-Saxon period was one in which heroes were needed, man eating beasts lurked though towns slaughtering innocent families with little to no regard. Heroes like Beowulf displayed their heroism by slaying large beats who posed a threat to the townspeople. Much like the Anglo-Saxon period, Todays modern world also needs heroes. Our heroes differ from the Anglo-Saxon period heroes; our heroes are people like U.S. Service men. Our heroes risk life every day to defend our great nation, much like Beowulf risking his life to protect his people from the beasts that lurked outside of town. While Anglo-Saxon period heroes are much like modern heroes, Anglo-Saxon heroes have a more farfetched effect on the reader.
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.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.