Alexandra Halaj
Professor Tague
Epic to Novel
October 21, 2016
Assignment One A hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Throughout literature, we see many different heroic figures that have different qualities of being a hero and are a hero in their own special way. Some of these heroic figures include Beowulf, from the epic poem Beowulf, Sir Gawain from the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Portia from William Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice. All three characters play a huge part in the texts and demonstrate their different types of characteristics when it comes to being a hero.
A hero can be defined in several ways. Someone can be considered a hero by the qualities he or she displays. The epic poem Beowulf, written by an unknown author, describes the most heroic man and role model of the Anglo-Saxon times. This hero Beowulf has all the qualities and traits that a true hero expresses. Beowulf, as depicted in the epic Beowulf, is the prototype of the epic hero, a larger-than-life figure who embodies the virtues and ideals of his culture.
Many people disagree on who might qualify to be a hero. While a few people could qualify to be called a hero, many people have done some heroic things at some point in their life; Beowulf and Cuchallain demonstrated heroism through their actions. A hero in the medieval times is considered to be someone that is a noble character that fights for his honor or the honor of his kingdom or community and also someone that is willing to risk his or her life for the greater good. Beowulf was a brave man that volunteered to fight a monster that was terrorizing the people of Herot. He heard about the monster, and decided to travel all the way to Herot to assist the king in defeating the monster. “ I come to proffer my wholehearted help and counsel’’
A hero is defined in classical mythology as a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift. Beowulf, the title character of an epic poem and Superman, a more modern day hero are both prime examples. Beowulf and Superman exhibit several differences, but they also share some similar qualities.
Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.
The concept of physical war is universally understood while many do not recognize internal struggles as a war within. The wife of bath, Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight all share a common theme of internal struggle. From a mental war over the kingdoms precedent, to an altering decision on whether knightly virtues are more important than his own life, these characters are battling the ideology of their roles during their time periods, as well as themselves.
A hero must do many things to be allowed the title of hero. However, there are some aspects a hero should not show. If these characteristics are shown, they should not be considered a hero. One attribute a hero should not display is selfishness. In the Knight’s Tale, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, Arcite and Palamon acted selfishly. They perceived a beautiful lady. They fought for the beautiful lady. They died for the beautiful lady. Nevertheless, they acted selfishly during this gripping story. For example, they fought for Emily, the beautiful lady, because neither could live without her. Nonetheless, neither ambitious young man could bother themselves to question her on whether she wished to marry either of these headstrong knights. She may not have desired to marry either of them. Therefore, they acted selfish and do not live up to one requirement of a hero. On the contrary, Beowulf, the main protagonist in the epic poem Beowulf written by an unknown source, did not act selfishly. Throughout the poem, he risked his life to fight horrendous monsters to save the good people living in the area. These actions define Beowulf as a hero. Contrarily, Sir Gawain, who starred in the book Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, embarked on a dangerous journey. The Green Knight had tasked him to find the Green Chapel. Before finding the chapel, the tired knight came across a castle tucked away in the peaceful forest. When he asked to stay for a night, his host proposed a trade. The host would
A hero is someone who is idealized for his courage and noble qualities. Beowulf and Sir Gawain can certainly be called heroes. They both have many qualities that are expected of heroic knights and warriors. They are both brave, gallant, and skilled men, but are they the perfect heroes their people believe them to be? While they are portrayed as perfect heroes and they possess many heroic qualities, Beowulf and Sir Gawain are far from perfect.
The term hero means different things to most people. A young kid might describe a hero as a superhero. Some would say a hero makes the world fun and entertaining, but others would describe a true hero is one who helps people in everyday life. Very few would describe a hero as they would describe a hero in Shakespeare's time. These heroes would be classified as tragic heroes. A tragic hero usually dies within the story and do not always win. Shakespeare's arguably two best dramatic heroes are Macbeth and Hamlet,but a more modern example of a tragic hero Amelia Earhart.
The purpose of the hero in literature has evolved through time, and there is no denying the differences of two medieval heroic archetypes, Beowulf, and Sir Gawain. In both poems, the hero is faced with several different tests, each with proposed solutions and goals. Anglo-Saxon epic and romantic stories focus on the central hero who stands alone as the ideal example of perfected chivalry. Even though there are countless similarities that both manuscripts share, Sir Gawain and Beowulf are pitted against vastly different obstacles by the poet to preach different messages to the intended audience. As a renowned epic warrior of the Geats, Beowulf faces challenges that test his physical capabilities since the traditional Epic was concerned with pondering grand questions about life and giving the hero abilities that separated him from ordinary humans. On the contrary, due to the nature of the romance hero, Sir Gawain’s two main tasks revolve around maintaining a reputation that is marked by qualities of what was thought to be the complete human at the time. As we will come to realize, neither one is without sin. In the case of one Gawain, it is a slight imperfection that solidifies his status as a hero for the people of Camelot.
The definition of “hero” is someone who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Both stories listed below have one man, the hero, using chivalrous attitude to help their town’s people for the better. Although created from two different time periods, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s journey motif can be easily compared to Beowulf’s, as well as contrasted.
“Faith, valor, loyalty, truth...” one can expect these virtues that comprise the Chivalric Code from an orthodox knight in the Middle Ages. The Germanic Warrior Code, on the other hand, governs the warring tribes of Norsemen. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf as translated by Simon Armitage and Seamus Heaney, the core values of the two codes are respectively personified as the two protagonists.
A hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character. A hero is someone that someone looks up to, because of many reasons like their acts of kindness or how they react when problems occur. Many people look up to Beowulf because of how passionate he was towards killing the monsters who attacked Heorot. Shania Shaffer is my hero because she protects this country from the “monsters” who try to harm our country and take over. Beowulf and Shania are two heroic figures that epitomize humility, patience, selflessness, caring, and show courage and bravery.
A hero can be found in any work of art. They may come out in a story that you just read, your favorite cartoon/movie, or just a random individual. A hero can be described as brave, intelligent, courageous, strong or many other traits in which I won't mention at this very moment. It's not about the actions that someone follows but the moral of those actions that makes them a hero. A hero would show bravery towards danger when someone else is in need, they would show courage and fight for others, and they would come face to face with a problem to resolve it. Heroism is shown in Beowulf, Sir Gawain the Knight, and the Canterbury tales, because of these characteristics.
The values of an Epic Hero is shown through many literary writings including the Iliad, Beowulf, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The textbook dictionary definition of a hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.Achilles from the Iliad and Beowulf were two heroes who fought to show their superior power and were very egotistical. They had motives as to why they fought, and only considered their gain. On the other hand, Sir Gawain, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, had no motive to take on the Green Knight. He only did it to benefit King Arthur and to make it easier on the other Knights in Arthur's court. Sir Gawain demonstrates the true meaning of heroism through his selflessness,courage and humanity.
According to the definition, a hero is one who embodies the values of their society. In the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, the character Beowulf is used to convey the value that Anglo-Saxons placed on courage, strength, and loyalty.