Bravery, loyalty and confidence. Homeric heroes tend to fit the image of a powerful and physically perfect young hero dying for fame by taking up deeds that no one is willing to take on and usually ending with a 'good heroic death'. An epic hero possesses qualities that average humans lack such as superhuman physical strength and the willingness to risk his life for the good and the respect of his people. "Nor have I ever seen,/ Out of all the men on earth, one greater/ Than has come with you; no commoner carries/ Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,/ Are both lies." These characteristics were showed in Beowulf’s epic deeds, including slaying Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf later also demonstrates the epic trait of being …show more content…
a ruler to the Geats and sacrificing his life to slay the dragon that is threating them. Beowulf shows bravery, courage and confidence as a warrior, which makes him an epic hero. Bravery is a very commendable characteristic that few people possess.
Beowulf shows his bravery when he came to help Hrothgar on his own free will. Hearing of the troubles that Hrothgar was having with a monster terrorizing Herot, Beowulf bravely offered his help not knowing what he was up against. Beowulf traveled a long way from home to help get rid of a man-eating monster and asking for nothing in return is an extremely brave deed. Beowulf decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands even though he could have easily used some kind of weapon to fight with and he was the only warrior to have enough bravery to go up against such a monster with either help or weapons to aid him. Beowulf also showed his bravery when fighting the 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 courageous when fighting the dragon. Defeating Grendel with his bare hands, and taking the dragon by his self, Beowulf not only proved his bravery but also his …show more content…
loyalty. Loyalty means unswerving allegiance in what you do.
Beowulf shows loyalty when he comes to the aid of Hrothgar, he feels a sense of loyalty to the king because of his father. When he was younger, Beowulf shows his loyalty to Hrothgar when he agrees to help him rid the castle of the monster. When he speaks to Wealhtheow, Beowulf explains that he will fight Grendel, and he intends to defeat him, even if it means his own death. He is letting him know that he is loyal to the end. He stated, ‘‘And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall. ‘Beowulf showed outstanding loyalty throughout the piece. Beowulf’s actions were clearly motivated by
loyalty. Beowulf also demonstrates honor. When he throws away his armor and sword before leaving for his fight with Grendel, he explains that his opponent “has no idea the arts of war, / or shield or swordplay” (681-682). He then decides that there will be “no weapons, therefore, / for either this night” (683-684). In accordance with the morals of the time, a kill does not bring satisfaction unless it is fair. Meanwhile, Grendel, the poem’s malevolent villain, displays a lack of honor when the epic states, “he grabbed thirty men / from their resting places” (122-123). The character of Beowulf clearly exemplifies these traits.
Beowulf is very faithful to the kingdom in which he works with and serves. He says to Hrothgar, “If there is any favour I can perform / beyond deeds of arms I have done already, / anything that would merit your affections more, / I shall act, my lord, with alacrity” (1822-1825). Even if he is home, all the way across the seas, he would drop whatever he was doing and come to help Denmark defeat its evil that comes to that land. He shows his undying dedication to helping the king and the kingdom that he lives in. Beowulf then tries to defeat this dragon, that is, his final battle. He has been in “retirement” and has not fought in quite some time, but he still is being depended on by his kingdom to fight off this evil. Sadly, he does die, but he was so dedicated, brave, and strong enough to fight off this dragon to make sure all is safe. It was, “that final day was the first time / when Beowulf fought and fate denied him / glory in battle” (2573-2575). Each characteristic has a special part of an epic hero, but faithfulness can really set the tone for a hero's life.
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.
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
Beowulf’s courage is a characteristic of a hero and this is what makes him one as well. In the story he faces his fears multiple times while trying to save others. One example of his courage would be this quote that states "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." This is a good example because it shows how Beowulf had the courage to stand up against Grendel and defeat him. In addition Beowulf also put himself in danger while he was fighting the dragon even when he knew he probably not make it. This is an extreme example of courage because it frightened him that he would not make it, but he fought the dragon anyway. I think that these examples show Beowulf’s courage and that is
His life was on the line but he was courageous enough to go against Grendel. When Beowulf also said, “Of force in fight no feebler I count me, in grim war-deeds, that Grendel deems him.” (678-679) This quote also shows Beowulf’s courageousness because he believes that Grendel is no better than him. This also proves that Beowulf wasn’t afraid to fight Grendel. Many outstanding achievements were accomplished by Beowulf. He fought off formidable foes and became king of Geatland where he ruled for 50 years. Beowulf’s most outstanding achievement, in my opinion, is when he fights off the mighty dragon who threatened his land and his people. Despite his old age he still felt that it was necessary to fight the dragon. The poem states “Atheling brave, he was fated to finish this fleeting life, his days on earth and the dragon with him, though long it had watched o’er the hoard,” (2350-2353) From this quote it seems as if Beowulf knew he was going to die but was willing to die to protect his people and to continue to live up to his legacy. It is very outstanding to
Early in the poem, Beowulf hears accounts of Grendel’s destruction of Herot, Hrothgar’s majestic mead hall. Knowing his strength and military prowess, Beowulf immediately devises a plan, recruits men, and orders boats, thrusting himself into a battle that was not necessarily his to fight. Beowulf felt obligated to end Grendel’s reign of terror. Though he knew the death of Grendel would bring him fame and honor, the idealized Beowulf was able to set aside personal ambition in order to end the suffering of the Danes. Shortly after slaying Grendel, Beowulf again displays an awareness of duty when Grendel’s mother extracts revenge upon Herot, killing one of Hrothgar’s best men, Aeshere. Instead of leaving Herot in a state of frenzy, Beowulf comes to King Hrothgar’s side, pledging allegiance and service. Bolstering the defeated king’s moral, Beowulf boldly addresses the older King Hrothgar saying, “So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, not to dens under ground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to fall to. Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be.” Beowulf could not set aside his duty and obligation, though he knew full well the suffering and pain that might result from his actions. Thus, Beowulf is a portrait of
The mighty warrior Beowulf volunteered to help fight off the monster, Grendel. Beowulf showed great bravery because even though Grendel over sized Beowulf, he still accepted the challenge. He also showed strength, Grendel’s head was so massive that four men each had to carry it, but Beowulf could handle the head all by himself. Lastly, Beowulf revealed loyalty by coming to Hrothgar’s assistance, to help with defeating Grendel. Even after Beowulf became King he went to his last battle to defeat the dragon without any help from his
In the story Beowulf’s men show loyalty to him as well, from the time of them being brought down to help him. When he brought fourteen of his bravest and strongest men he had to choose them because he knew of their worth and of their loyalty. Later on in the story Beowulf vows to protect the town with all that he has inside of him, he didn’t have to do it but instead he choose to do so. Even though he was much younger than everyone else. Beowulf knew that since he promised Hrothgar that he would of it by him giving up Beowulf would be betraying all the loyalty that he had to King Hrothgar. Beowulf also shows loyalty because he could of sent any of his leaders to go and defeat Grendel but instead of doing that Beowulf took the chance of bringing himself and then bringing the men along with him as a sense of backup just in case he needed them. Beowulf knew it was his duty to do so, this is a huge representation of loyalty to his dear friend King
Heroism is found very easily in Beowulf, there are many different forms of heroism portrayed from different characters. The heroism shown in Beowulf goes beyond just physical courage as they go on into war, or defeating the dragon. The Thanes; the warriors who have been rewarded by King Hrothgar, had to show loyalty and trust to the King to prove that they were able to fight for him and the city. As stated at the beginning of the piece “Indeed, we have heard of the glory of the Spear-Danes, kings of the nation in days gone by-how those princes performed deeds of courage,” (489) without this act of heroism King Hrothgar and his villa...
A true modern hero is able to set aside fear and act on the matter at hand, which signifies the quality of courage. Being Courageous can set you apart from others, because you are willing to carry out actions that are beneficial for the greater good. Any one can say they are going to do something, but when the claim is backed with actions they truly display courage. Beowulf is the epitome of being courageous. He voluntarily
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…”
... enormous risk that all the instincts of self-preservation resist”(Hanning 60). Beowulf is always ready to take the risks for the fame.Beowulf “fight Grendel alone and without weapons to maximize his chance for glory; if he fails he is fully aware that it will mean death”(Hanning 61). This clearly shows his bravery and how hard he goes to gain glory, and he values them all more than his life. His bravery keeps him to fight for glory, and this quality clearly makes him an epic hero.
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.
Batman and Beowulf both showed bravery. Every Time the opportunity arose they grabbed it by the neck and through it to the ground, literally. It was brave of Beowulf to risk his life and save the Danes from Grendel and Grendel’s Mother. Those two enemies were very tough foes for Beowulf, but in the end the hero won the battle. The last battle Beowulf had was with a mighty dragon. Wiglaf
They provide the common people with a sense of security and they display honor in every act. Beowulf is willing to put himself in danger, and he accepts the challenge of fighting the monster, Grendel, for the honor of helping the Geats and to honor his father who pledged his allegiance to Hrothgar after a feud had been settled. Beowulf is also described as being honorable and virtuous. This characteristic comes into play many times, but it is most evident in Beowulf's commitment to fighting Grendel in hand-to-hand combat rather than using man-made weapons. Beowulf reasons that Grendel does not use weapons, and so he will likewise eschew any armament besides his own strength.