There are many types of heroes--some with superpowers, some who do amazing deeds, and some who are in our everyday lives. However, one of the best examples of a hero is Beowulf from Beowulf: a New Telling. Beowulf is a brave man who is willing to accept weaknesses and turn them into strengths. He aids Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, in defeating many monsters such as Grendel and Grendel’s Mother, which kill people and bring terror. Afterwards, he heads home and is crowned king after the king dies, and thus kills the Firedrake, which was destroying land in anger. Beowulf is a hero worthy of notice. In Robert Nye’s novel Beowulf: a New Telling, sacrifice and humility are heroic traits seen throughout the novel within Beowulf’s character. In …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Beowulf tells the story of Breca, his friend, and their swimming competition after an accusation from Unferth saying he had drowned his friend. “‘[Breca] was a better swimmer than I.’ [Beowulf] was not given to boasting, and had offered his account simply as an answer to Unferth’s lie” (32). Beowulf demonstrates humility by telling the story truthfully and plainly, instead of taking the chance to defend himself and prove how he is greater than the rest of the soldiers. Most people would exaggerate their own adventures to make themselves seem greater than they actually are, so his humbleness is rare to find. Then, after defeating Grendel and Grendel’s Mother, he is hailed as a hero by all the Danes and by Hrothgar, the king of the Danes. Beowulf again demonstrates humility by saying to Hrothgar, “‘Please don’t think of me as some sort of saint. That would make me as monstrous as Grendel, although in the other direction.’” (76). Beowulf shows that he does not want fame or recognition, knowing it would not make him a good person, but instead one who would expect an easy life. He knows doing so will turn him into a person who is monstrous, but also considered a hero. Always humble, Beowulf demonstrates that humility is a heroic trait when Beowulf tells the story of Breca truthfully and when he asks not to be treated as a saint even after he defeats many
Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.
Epic battles, terrifying monsters, extraordinary strength, and great leadership; these characteristics and encounters are what make up the epic hero that is Beowulf. The heroism exemplified by Beowulf is defined by many different qualities. Beowulf is truly a hero because he is willing to put himself at great risk for the greater good.
Beowulf is from a time where heros never die. They would live on through stories. There would be amazing tales, poems recited, and songs sung about what the hero had done. To be a hero you had to follow the Anglo-Saxon codes. Which meant showing respect to those who had raised you and in turn helping them when they are in need. It means proving yourself and doing what was expected of you, even when it is something like dieing for your people. To live on through stories, Beowulf fought because of his duty, for glory, and as a sacrifice.
Beowulf is the hero of all. He has courage, strength, and is considered the prince of the Geats. He always stand by his word no matter what happened, no matter if he must risk his physical integrity for it. He likes to be there for the people that need his help to be saved from the evil. He is willing to risk his own life in order to save the life of his ideals, and that selfless help identifies his heroic identity and character. He defeats three monsters, two of them were the descendants of Cain, demonstrating his capabilities of performing great feats of strength and courage. This heroic icon demonstrates how brave he is, not only with himself but with other people that need his useful help and he is always there to help others, using his ability of strength and courage.
On the contrary, people might describe Beowulf as pompous and conceited because of his long speeches of pride. Yes, these speeches do stroke his ego, but his egotistical mindset is no match for 3 monsters, his ego did not beat those monsters he did. His pride comes from a place of fear and weakness and in order to show the people that he has proof of strength, he must show them through pride. These long speeches of pride do not make him stronger, they only make him more right, “no strength is a match for mine” he said while describing his “battle” with Brecca (267). When Beowulf arrives he is an outsider who has come to save them, and only cares about the betterment of people. This kind of thinking is what drives the plot forward, Beowulf's ability to block out the things that make him weak (everybody drowning in his debt) is very powerful, filtering the comments to aid him instead of go to far and make him weak.
A hero is defined as “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character,” says dictionary.com. During the whole book Beowulf is saving the Geats, aiding Hrothgar, killing creatures and saving his people. He shows his heroism through his bravery and acts of courage; but he is also being assisted through fate and God. From killing Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon he knows that he is doing great things for all of the people in his kingdoms.
A man by the name of Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his/her life to something bigger than himself”. No matter who you are and what you do there are opportunities to be a hero all around you. You just have to know how to think and act like a hero. Beowulf is a story of a seasoned warrior who faces many trials during his life and becomes a leader among his people. By exhibiting certain traits he is able to find success and make a name for himself. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the author employs foil characters such as Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon to establish Beowulf as a true hero.
The epic poem Beowulf describes a famous hero of the Anglo-Saxon period. The hero Beowulf, is a seemingly unstoppable person with the inhuman traits required of a hero. He uses his courage and physical strength to put his people before himself. He encounters many monsters and rigorous
In the epic poem of Beowulf, the main hero, Beowulf, proves himself as the hero everyone thinks he is over and over again. Whenever the revered hero and his men face adversity, they simply do not shy away. They will stand against it and fight to the end to protect the goodwill of others. Although there are different definitions of what a hero is, there is only one that really sticks out to me. Beowulf represents this definition of a hero because of his courageousness and selflessness. He simply doesn’t care if he dies, but he will do whatever it takes to protect others.
A hero could be defined in a wide variety of ways. To one person, it might be someone who has brought about a desirable change for society. To another person, it may simply be someone who went out of their way to help them when their car broke down. Within countless epic tales, a hero not only acts in selflessness, they have traits that could only be described as superhuman. In the spectacular story, Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon work of literature with no known author, there are three accounts of battles that the hero of the narrative fought with tremendous effort. Throughout it is made clear that Beowulf is extraordinary in more ways than one. Firstly, he is one of the most courageous characters in the history of literature, which is no small
In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist is seen as a hero among man, fighting every battle as if it could be his last. Beowulf has fought the most grueling and intimidating monsters imaginable in the story, constantly putting his life on the line for the lands of the Danes and the Geats. As an incredible hero to these people, Beowulf is characterized as a noble soldier of God. Using his traits of faith, bravery, and loyalty, to fight for the lives of the people who see him as a hero.
Beowulf fits the model of a hero because throughout his journey, he follows the steps of the monomyth. Beowulf had many battles in his day, the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. All of the battle he wins can be seen as heroic in the sense of a epic hero in literature. Beowulf’s boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. Many of the great epic heroes in literature have been strong and noble warriors. In his youth, he personified all of the best values of the heroic culture. When being young, he of course is in the peak of his physical abilities and could be this great warrior. Later, in his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler because he couldn’t be the warrior he once
In the poem “Beowulf”, translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland, the protagonist Beowulf is the hero. Many people have the concept that a hero is someone who defeat evil, can stand up to the impossible, and never give up no matter how difficult the situation is to overcome. This character is the hero because he saves an entire kingdom from fall into the hands of a terrible monster. He did not back down when the mother of the monster try to kill him. When other men fall, he persevere and use his skills and experience to think of different ways to defeat Grendel. Beowulf is shown to be a hero because of his abilities to win every fight against evil. The reader can tell that Beowulf is a hero because the poem is all about him. The poem glorify
Beowulf is a great man who will go and make ends meet to try and help people who are in need. He has traveled miles and miles to help out people who he didn't even know to save them from a horrible monster. In my opinion Beowulf truly is a hero because of all he has done for the people in need.
The personality of the heroes in medieval stories are what causes us to classify them as heroes. Beowulf has physical strength that can not be compared to anybody alive. That physical strength helps play into Beowulf’s character which causes him to defeat his enemies with much more ease than everybody else. In addition to Beowulf’s physical strength Beowulf is a courageous person. Beowulf fights and defeats the terrible monster Grendel without being asked or told to by any person to help out Hrothgar and the Danes. After that, Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother to help out the Danes once again. In the end of the story, as an old king of the Geats Beowulf protects the Geats from a vicious dragon that is attacking the kingdom. Doing this ultimately