Courage In 'How To Train Your Dragon 2'

Courage: How to Train Your Dragon 2

Courage is an important quality that heroes must possess to complete their quests. In the movie ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’, Hiccup is the hero who displays courage throughout his quest to settle a conflict peacefully with Drago Bludvist. Courage is a significant factor during the hero’s journey. It is an attribute that contributes to the completion of the hero’s journey while staying true to the hero’s principles. On a hero’s journey, it is because of the hero’s courage that the threshold is crossed. It is because of courage that heroes have the will to descend into the underworld, overcome unimaginable obstacles, and accept any occurrences that result in negative outcomes. Without courage, heroes fail

to complete their quests.
Heroes must have courage to cross the threshold. When the hero starts his/her journey, he/she will cross the threshold that separates home from the quest. Once the decision is made to step over the line, there is no going back. Like Frodo leaving the Shire in ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, Hiccup passed through his threshold when he flew out of berk on his dragon Toothless. Even though Stoick, his father, told him Drago was an extremely dangerous maniac, Hiccup had his mind on stopping Drago no matter what, and that courage was what caused him to disobey his father. Oxford Dictionaries defines courage as “the ability to do something that frightens one”. Hiccup displayed just that, because despite his knowledge of the danger Drago posed, he didn’t think twice about stopping him. Stoick was afraid that Hiccup’s reckless determination may lead him into harm’s way. Without his courage, Hiccup wouldn’t have left Berk. It is a quality that heroes must possess to pass the stage of threshold in their journeys.
Heroes must have courage to descend into the underworld and face monstrous nightmares.

In the midst of Hiccup’s family reunion, he descends into his version of hell, where humans are using dragons as weapons. The hero must have courage to face the nightmares of the underworld. Instead of greeting the war with despair and grief, he bravely accepts reality and joins the battle to defend his mother’s home. During the battle, Hiccup tries to persuade Drago Bludvist to stop a meaningless conflict. Dictionary.com defines courage as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain without fear”. Because of his courage, Hiccup dared to approach a treacherous, malicious man without fear or hesitation, believing in the good of humans, even though both his parents disagreed. Courage is strength during a time of grief. When a hypnotized Toothless killed Stoick, Hiccup knew the others were counting on him, and for that reason, he didn’t mourn his father. He wanted to cry the most, to lie down, scream, and give up. However, while the others were still shocked by Stoick’s death, Hiccup formulated a new plan to take down Drago Bludvist. He thought of something nobody would’ve expected, and found a way out of the mess they were in. His courage gave him the motivation he needed, the push to conquer the challenges directed at him. Courage is what heroes count on to outplay their enemies, to exceed limitations, to triumph. It is a quality that heroes must possess to withstand hell’s fierce flames, to beat the odds no matter

what.
Heroes must have courage to accept undesirable consequences. Drago’s dragon, called the Alpha, had the ability to manipulate other dragons; Toothless was one of them, and while he was under control, he killed Stoick. After Stoick’s death, Hiccup shunned Toothless. Nonetheless, he believed that Toothless had the will to fight the Alpha’s control from inside. He exhibited courage by choosing to confront Toothless, which meant confronting agony, pain, danger, and uncertainty. Hiccup had to revisit the emotions that he felt when his father died. He also faced possible death. Hiccup’s belief in Toothless defied logic; when Toothless felt his master’s courage, he knew he had to free himself from the Alpha’s control. It took courage accepting his father’s death, but it took even more courage to forgive the killer. Without courage to acknowledge reality, heroes wouldn’t be able to accept negative outcomes. Without courage to forgive, heroes will remain pessimistic. Every hero needs to have courage; otherwise, they will fail to meet their objective.
Heroes need courage to overcome obstacles. Heroes need courage to face countless challenges in their path. Whether it is crossing the threshold, descending into the underworld, or accepting the deaths of close ones, courage is necessary. It is an important quality to possess to complete their quests.