Beowulf: A Hero Of Epic Proportions

The character of Beowulf demonstrates several characteristics that make a great epic hero. Throughout his lifetime he displayed several characteristics such as honor, bravery, physical superiority, leadership, and glory. These characteristics all formed how the Anglo-Saxons believed one should live their life. Along with the valorous deeds that Beowulf accomplished he is considered to be a prime example of an epic hero. Beowulf would have even been considered a model human to the Anglo-Saxons due to how he consistently demonstrated these qualities.

The Old-English epic poem of Beowulf, officially written down somewhere around the year 1066 by the Beowulf poet, is one where you are persistently kept of the edge of your seat due to its superior use of vivid phrases and imagery. In the Anglo-Saxon period in which the story takes place bravery, heroic deeds, and loyalty to one another is paramount. Beowulf, a tenacious scandinavian warrior, is the savior of a neighboring kingdom due to his aptness to slay the treacherous monsters such as the nefarious Grendel and his mother. A truly remarkable feat is how the words and actions of this poem are put to life in the movie. Though remarkable, the cinema didn’t exactly correlate with the poem. In fact the integrity of the poem almost seems diminished

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”( Christopher Reeve) In 1000 A.D. a group of people were formed, these people were called the Anglo-saxons. They were also known as what people now refer to as Vikings. The Vikings were explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe. While these Anglo-saxons were raiding and trading they also had some down time, where they would sit down around a fire and tell tales of Heroic adventures. These sorts of tales were things that the Anglo-saxons would look up to, it was almost like a handbook of how they should live their lives. During these stories was created one of the earliest examples of heroism and adventure. The epic poem of Beowulf was born. While the author is to be unknown, the

“Then when darkness had dropped, Grendel went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do in that hall when their drinking was done. He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing , their dreams undisturbed. The monsters thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws: He slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them, unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his nights slaughter (Narrator pg. 42 lines 30-40)”. Beowulf is a folk epic translated by Burton Raffel. Its a story about a hero with the strengths of a bear and a wolf called to a desperate town to defeat vicious monsters who have been tormenting them for the past

Beowulf is an epic poem being cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Herot has been under attack by a monster named Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. Beowulf is clearly a hero because of his brave deeds, he is a strong and responsible leader, and his courage. Beowulf is a hero because of his brave deeds. Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf does many deeds which are considered to be brave during the Anglo-Saxon period.“Grendel is no braver, no stronger/Than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not,Easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth.../ Beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him With my hands empty-unless his heart /Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting /Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom /Extend His hand where He wills, reward /Whom he chooses!”. In his first battle, Beowulf fights Grendel. He fights without any armor. Also, Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. He then

In the opening lines of the poem, the reader is introduced to Grendel and is immediately given the impression that Grendel is not the protagonist. “A powerful monster living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day the music rang loud in that hall” (Beowulf lines 1-4). When the author says “Living down in the darkness” he is making a reference to hell. The reader knows right away that it is Grendel whom the author condemns. Also the reader learns in the beginning that Grendel comes out of his layer at night. This is symbolic of being mischievous, and a criminal. “Then when the darkness had dropped, Grendel went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do in that hall when the drinking was done” (Beowulf lines 30-32). These characteristics of Grendel in the opening lines of the poem add to the condemning of Grendel. When the reader first see’s Beowulf preparing for battle, the poet gave no inclination of condemnation. In fact he speaks of Beowulf quite honorably: “Standing on that prince’s own hearth, Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt gleaming with a smith’s high art, he greeted The Dane’s great lord” (Beowulf lines 138-141). The poet uses many light images when describing Beowulf, much like he did here when describing Beowulf’s “silvery metal of his mail shirt”. If the poet condemned Beowulf, this type of positive

Beowulf is an interesting, old English epic poem. Often referred to as one the most important works of Old English Literature. The author of the poem is unknown, but the date the poem was made into a manuscript is c. 975 – 1010 CE. Although, the manuscript was damaged from a fire in 1731. The poem of Beowulf is set in Scandinavia c. 700 – 1000 CE. It starts with Hrothgar, king of Danes building a mead hall for his loyal followers. Then Grendel, the monster hears everyone’s joyfulness and is over come with jealousy. The over jealous Grendel decides to attack the men in their sleep. No one is brave nor strong enough to stand up to Grendel either. This goes on for 12 years until a young warrior by the name of Beowulf over hears of Hrothgar’s troubles.

Slaying demons, fighting dragons. Just an ordinary life for a hero—a hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is known for battling massive and terrifying beasts with unwavering confidence. Many attribute his success to his courage and determination, but it also leads him to his untimely demise. Maybe his confidence is not an asset, but a tragic flaw, a vulnerability.

What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.

Beowulf is the oldest known poem written in Old English. The author was an Anglo-Saxon poet. The original poem has was edited by Christian Monks. The latest found version was translated by Seamus Heaney. Like many other works of literature, Beowulf follows the mythological/ archetypal Hero Quest. There are six different parts of a monomyth: the call, the decision, the preparation, the obstacles, the climax, and the return. The poem Beowulf tells about not just one Hero Quest, but three. Beowulf endures two quests in the land of the Danes and one in his homeland of the Geats.

Beowulf has been one of the most notable epic hero's since his story was first written down around 700

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.

In “Beowulf”, there is no author since it is a poem of the Anglo-Saxon period. The main characters are Beowulf, strong ruler of the Geats and Grendel, a murderous monster that causes great danger. Briefly, in the poem it discusses how beowulf is notified to kill Grendel for creating disastrous scenery at the Banquet Hall in the Danish king's, Hrothgar’s, palace. Therefore, Beowulf goes on an adventure to kill the monster and faces challenges during the journey. In Beowulf there are many themes that help the reader relate to the characters. For instance, loyalty, envy,and Good v.s Evil, but the central theme of Beowulf is Revenge.

The epic, “Beowulf”, tells of a constant battle between good and evil. Its main protagonist, Beowulf, has sailed the sea to the land of the Danes to offer his help to King Hrothgar in defeating the monster, Grendel. Grendel is a powerful monster; however, ridding the land of him will prove to be an easy task for our protagonist. Throughout the poem, Beowulf is featured in the midst of a couple nerve-racking circumstances. The features of the poem that brings it to life for me are Beowulf’s fight against Grendel, Beowulf’s fight against Grendel’s mother, and Beowulf’s fight against the dragon.

Beowulf is the longest epic poem written in old english ever published. The composition centres around the exploits of Beowulf, a heroic warrior known for his strength and bravery. Themes of heroism are prevalent in the famous piece of literature in relation to its noble protagonist. The poem follows an adventurous plot containing conflict between both good and evil forces. Beowulf is often engaged in selfless conquests in the pursuit of saving others from evil forces, resulting in his emergence as the hero of this composition. The text is broken up into two main sections, Beowulf as a young warrior, and Beowulf as a seasoned ruler, while focusing on the main theme of Heroism as both a virtue and a downfall throughout the duration of the manuscript.