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Summarry of beowulf a selfless
Summarry of beowulf a selfless
The character of beowulf and the anglo saxons values
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The Hero
Strength. Bravery. Loyalty. These are just a few characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero that are exhibited by the protagonist in the poem Beowulf. Saying that Beowulf is strong is an understatement. Beowulf defeated Grendel by himself with his bare hands, he defeated giants, and even a dragon throughout his life. During all of these battles, Beowulf’s bravery never wavered and he always pushed through his battles until he was victorious. Throughout the entire poem, Beowulf’s loyalty to his lord was always prominent. The Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, exhibits great strength, bravery, and loyalty throughout the poem.
In the poem, Beowulf exhibits extraordinary strength. The first time that he exhibits strength in the poem is in the middle of his first boast. Beowulf
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“drove five giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth” (247) and he “swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one” (250). Another time he exhibited powerful strength was when Beowulf was battling Grendel. Grendel “clutched at Beowulf with his claws, grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper - and was instantly seized himself, claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm” (321). Grendel unwisely “twisted in pain, and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke” (389). One last time that Beowulf showed his strength was when he fought Grendel’s mother. While he was in their cave, Beowulf saw that there was a sword mounted on the wall and he needed help in defeating the mother. He knew that “no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt, and then, savage, now, angry and desperate, lifted it high over his head and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through, broke bones and all” (532). These three occasions are only a few of many times that Beowulf displayed strength throughout the poem. Another characteristic of an Anglo-Saxon hero that Beowulf exhibits is bravery.
Whether it was during his battle against Grendel or the fight against the dragon, Beowulf never backed down. When Beowulf went to fight Grendel’s mother, just getting to her lair took great courage. “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s answer… For hours he sank through the waves” (467). Once Beowulf finally got to her, Grendel’s mother held Beowulf down and went to stab him but the chainmail on his chest was too strong for the blade to pierce through it. Beowulf then “raised his arms and seized her by the shoulder, anger doubled… proud prince was ready to leap on her” (509). When Beowulf was much older and went to battle the dragon, he knew he was walking to his death. Knowing that he was an old man and not as strong, Beowulf went to fight the dragon with everything he had. “Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong, and with his shield at his side, and a mail shirt on his breast, strode calmly, confidently, toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked there!” (650). Throughout Beowulf’s entire life, he exhibited courage and bravery everywhere he went and with everything he
did. An additional characteristic that Beowulf exhibits is loyalty. When Beowulf heard word of the monster, Grendel, that was terrorizing the people of a neighboring area, he rose to the challenge to defeat him. Beowulf “would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, now when help was needed” (114). His people said, “the wisest, most knowing / and best of them, that my (Beowulf) duty was to go to the Danes’ Great King” (244). When Beowulf sailed to Hrothgar, his loyalty was clear when he did everything that he possibly could to defeat Grendel and Grendel’s mother when he found out about her. After Beowulf defeated the dragon, with the aid of Wiglaf, he told Wiglaf to “take what I leave… lead my people, help them; my time is gone” (821). Even as Beowulf was laying on his deathbed, he had loyalty to his people and wanted them to live happily after his death. Beowulf had strong loyalty to his lords and the people he ruled later in life. In conclusion, Beowulf exhibited great strength, courage, and loyalty throughout the entire poem, Beowulf. In all of the battles that Beowulf fought in, he exhibited the greatest strength. Along with his strength, Beowulf had courage. In order to fight the monsters that surrounded his family, Beowulf needed the strength and bravery that he had to defeat them, and defeat them he did. By defeating these beasts, he showed his loyalty to his lord and his people. Beowulf exhibited superhuman strength, courage, and loyalty throughout the poem, Beowulf.
Of the many characteristics of a hero, being better than the ordinary man is the trait most easily found when studying a character. Beowulf exhibits almost god-like strength throughout his quest. For example, “He twisted in pain, / And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder/ Snapped, muscle and bone split and broke.” (Beowulf 815-818). His strength is once again demonstrated in his fight with Grendel’s mother. After he realizes hand-to-hand combat is futile, Beowulf swings a sword “so massive that no ordinary man could lift/ It’s carved and decorated length.” (Beowulf 1560-1561). Yet another example of Beowulf’s strength is his presentation of Grendel’s head to the Danes. After slicing off Grendel’s head in one blow, Beowulf orders his men to carry the head back to Herot. However, the head of the monster was “too heavy for fewer than four of them to handle” (Beowulf 1636-1637). After arriving in Herot, Beowulf “carried that terrible trophy by the hair,/ Brought it straight to where the Danes sat” (Beowulf 1647-1648). The second trait that demonstrates that Beowulf is better than the ordinary man is his incredible honor. When preparing for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf decides not to use ...
Some heroes show their strength in the form of smarts, emotion, physical strength, and much more. Beowulf displays a remarkable amount of physical strength, and mental strategies.
Since the beginning of Beowulf, the character Beowulf shows courage in everything he does. This is proven when he battles Grendel, a descendant of Cain that haunts the halls of Herot. Beowulf being a mighty protector of men, holds the monster down until his life leaps out (Beowulf lines 472-475). As Beowulf battles Grendel, he is determined to
Throughout the poem we acknowledge the idealisation of Beowulf both as a warrior and a king. The main features which contribute to Beowulf’s greatness are courage, martial skills, honour, responsibility, generosity and pursuit of fame.
Picture a world shrouded in darkness and despair, where war is inevitable and its inhabitants live with a relentless sense of fear. Medieval Europe was not a peaceful or secure place, but rather a world filled with turmoil, suffering, and unrest. Commoners living in medieval Europe never strayed far from the security of their homes because evil and suffering lurked within every facet of society. The story of Beowulf recounts the life of an idealized warrior, whose desire for honor instills deep convictions of justified violence. In many ways, Beowulf’s attitude parallels the warrior instinct exhibited by the crusaders as they attempted to recapture the Holy Land. Hence, the world of medieval Europe painted suffering for a just cause as an honorable
Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.
Beowulf by far endures more than the average person as the poem progresses. He is faced with daunting challenges of defeating three monsters that would kill any other man. Beowulf exemplifies bravery by never backing down no matter what the threat was. He was loyal by honoring his promises of keeping those around him safe and alive. And finally, his unwavering confidence helped him push through the toughest confrontations. These traits and the fights with the three different monsters are what genuinely make Beowulf a hero.
First off, Beowulf shows the characteristic qualities of an Anglo-saxon hero by being selfless. Beowulf would always help everyone and he helped the townspeople by getting rid of Grendel. Beowulf risked his life just to save the people of the town, and he did just that. He took Grendel's life, and ripped his arm off. Another way Beowulf is selfless is that the last thing Beowulf tells Hrothgar is to take care of his men if he dies in battle. His first thought was towards his men and what would happen if he died. Another example of Beowulf's selflessness is when "Beowulf gave a battle-sword to the
Beowulf shows physical strength in the story by defeating Grendel. In line 219 of Grendel’s mother, it tells how Beowulf killed her. “…cut it through, broke bones and all.” His strength is also told in line 213 of how he “lifted the sword that was so massive that no ordinary man could lift.” Beowulf’s determination, or his will to win, was throughout the story, even up until his death. A quote that describes this is, “…he cut the beast in half, slit it apart. It fell…”(line 185). He shows courage along with his cousin, Wiglaf, when they defeat the fire dragon. In line 189 it says, “…their courage had killed it, two noble cousins had joined in the dragon’s death.”
There are many traits that are possessed by those who seek heroism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, every hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most prominent in the poem Beowulf are bravery and goodness.
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.
He showed great courage, strength, leadership and intrepidness. Beowulf defeated a beast that swooped up an entire room of people and ate them. He took his men on a dangerous voyage to Grendal’s deep, dark lair. Beowulf also demonstrated strength that a normal man couldn’t when he lifted a sword crafted for giants. Although Beowulf was an Anglo-Saxon hero centuries removed, his heroic attributes still appeal to heroes today. Although Beowulf has super strength, he still shows courage, initiative, selflessness, and desire to make the world a better place just like heroes of
Beowulf was brave in that he fought many battles for the good of others. In the epic poem, Beowulf fights the monster Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. Next, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands. He could have easily obtained some kind of weapon to fight with. Beowulf was the first warrior ever to have enough sheer bravery to go up against such a monster with neither help nor weapon or shield to aid him. He was a warrior that believed somewhat in fate and in God. Believing that God made the decisions and was in control, Beowulf trusted that his life was in good hands. Defeating Grendel with his bare hands, Beowulf not only proved his bravery but also his loyalty. Defeating Grendel weaponless was another display of magnificent bravery. He kept coming back and defeated Grendel 's mother along with a fire-breathing dragon until he was fatally injured and killed. Bravery should not only apply to warriors but also to everyday people. Beowulf fights Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf came back twice in order to kill Grendel 's mother and a fire-breathing dragon. Although during his bout with the dragon, Beowulf was fatally injured. As his services were needed, he always prevailed; Beowulf 's bravery never tired. He
INTRODUCTION Anglo-Saxon is a term historically used to portray any member of the Germanic peoples who inhabited and controlled land during the 5th century to the time of the Norman Conquest that today are parts of England and Whales. The Anglo-Saxons were the descendants of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes according to St. Bede the Venerable. The Anglo-Saxon society was organized under the structure of «comitatus». Under comitatus, each man served a lord as a warrior or thane.
There has only been one hero in Anglo-Saxon history, only one man can meet every requirement one needs to be classified as hero. Only one man's honor, loyalty, courage, generosity, and wisdom, fits the true definition of a hero. That man is Beowulf. With these leading traits, Beowulf's rise to heroism was not just by chance. He filled each of the five characteristics perfectly, as if it was his destiny to be admired.