Beowulf Tragic Hero Essay

As a matter of fact, Beowulf is a strong man who takes it upon himself to protect others and commit many acts of courage, bravery, and pride. At the same time,

Continuing on, Beowulf was a poem about a great leader and warrior. He had the strength of thirty men just in one arm. Not only do you need to be strong to be a warrior but you also need courage. Beowulf definitely showed this. “Fate often saves and undoomed man when courage is good”- Beowulf. This is saying just because a person strong and confident does not always mean that you are going to win. They believe that death is a great honor; warriors must be willing to die to get glory, that he must show courage even when the odds are slim to none .In order for you to step into any

“Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." This is a quote from Beowulf showing his courage and strength. Beowulf is the hero in this story. He proves this throughout the story by showing his strength, defeating villains and his great deeds. Anglo-Saxons describes a hero as someone who is strong and courageous as well as kind and generous. Epic Heroes also are extremely glorified and have a lot of fame and fortune. Beowulf shows throughout the story that he has all of these characteristics and this is what makes him an epic hero.

Beowulf, now an old man, says in his final boast, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again” (lines 607-609). Beowulf realizes the dangers of going into battle as an old man, and despite still knowing that his strength and fighting skills were not what they used to be still goes into battle against the ferocious dragon in order to protect his homeland from the villain. Unfortunately, as Beowulf was fighting saw that “for a time (the shield) held, protected Beowulf as he’d planned; then it began to melt, and for the first time in his life that famous prince fought with fate against him, with glory denied him. He knew it, but he raised his sword and struck at the dragon’s scaly hide/And the Geats’ ring-giver did not boast of glorious victories in other wars” (lines 666-671/678). As Beowulf fights the dragon, he comes to realize that he is not going to win and is going to meet his fate. All the battles he had previously fought had him fighting alongside fate, not against it, but now he realized that this is the battle he would not win. Still, Beowulf fights on knowing he would die. He, as stated in the quote, does not seek any pride nor has he in any of his battles and would valiantly fight until his death. These actions Beowulf has portrayed ultimately

with. In one part, he gives a short spiel about how a warrior’s death is a noble way to go. “’Let

During the medieval times Vikings were known as warriors or heroes. These heroes were known mostly for their superhuman strength. Most stories tell the journey of these warriors and how they are honored after defeating an evil creature. A prime example of this would be the poem of “Beowulf”. Beowulf is known for his superhuman strength as the Vikings or warriors once were. However, Vikings were not only known for their physical qualities, they were also known for their leadership in battle and their interaction with those they serve as well as the courage they displayed. In this poem, Beowulf displays many characteristics as that of a medieval warrior through his acts of bravery, loyalty, generosity, courage, and an accomplishment of a great task.

Beowulf even risks his life for a multitude of people! This sort of mental fortitude is common in epic poems and works of fiction, such as The Odyssey, where the hero has to save humanity as the world knows it. Additionally, Beowulf is physically powerful. During the massive fight with Grendel, Beowulf aggressively rips Grendel’s arm off of his body so that “the bleeding sinews deep in [Grendel’s] shoulder/ snapped” (lines 390-391). Grendel is a brutish, gory, and hellish monster.

To most of society, a hero is one who is courageous, honest and acquires worthy qualities. There have always been heroes whether they are not here today, a modern day hero or a hero in literature. Those who advocate for the cause they believe in are heroes, they are able to use their own platform for people who are not able to. To most, people who are courageous and inspiring are seen as heroes especially when describing an epic hero. An epic hero are usually people in an epic poem awarded for their achievements and have strong and noble qualities. A hero shows great courage and strength like Beowulf, Michael Brock, from The Street Lawyer, and Michelle Obama who are great inspiring advocates that have gained trust from the people they advocate for.

Beowulf, the legendary hero of the Old English epic poem bearing his name, embodies countless character traits that define him as a model of heroism and virtue. Fearless in the face of danger, he demonstrates unmatched courage and strength, facing terrifying enemies with unwavering resolve. Yet, Beowulf is not merely a savage force, he possesses wisdom, loyalty and humility which complement his heroic deeds. His unwavering commitment to justice and his unyielding loyalty to his people underscore his noble character, making him an enduring symbol of heroism in literature. Beowulf exemplifies unwavering loyalty throughout the epic poem.

The most heroic of traits within Beowulf is that he is not afraid to die. He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. “…and if death takes me…send to Hyglac the best of war clothes that protects my breasts, finest of male shirts. It is a legacy of Hrethel, the works of Weland. Fate always goes as it must.” He is aware of the heroic paradox; he will be glorified in life or death for his actions. He knows that when he fights an enemy like Grendel or Grendel’s mother he will achieve immortality as the victor or the loser. “I resolved when I sat down in the sea-boat with my men, that I should fulfill the will of your people or else fall in slaughter. I shall achieve a dead of manly

A true Hero risks his life to fight for a noble cause. He does not run away in the face of danger, but faces it with courage to help people live better lives. Beowulf is an epic poem that tells a story of a legendary hero who fights for the greater good for all people. Heroes all exhibit bravery, courage, loyalty, honor, and leadership when faced danger. Beowulf displays all the qualities and characteristics needed to be an epic hero throughout the epic.

Beowulf showed his honor as he traveled from his homeland to battle the vicious monster Grendel, who was terrorizing the Danes. Grendel “Raided and ravaged” the mead hall, showing no honor by killing intoxicated men in their sleep. Beowulf knows that there is a chance that he may die in his great battle against Grendel when he says, “If death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac…”, yet he is still willing to attempt to defeat Grendel. A hero in the Anglo-Saxon time is always very confident, as well he should be. It would serve no purpose to face battle with doubt of ones ability to do so, and with fear of all that awaits him. Beowulf’s morality came also in the form of loyalty to people and his word. Promises by Beowulf were kept . Acceptance of death, and care for the welfare of his people were Beowulf’s greatest virtues. His

Beowulf is always seeking to help his enrich his image. This flaw in his character, as well as his feeling of invincibility leads to his downfall later in life. “Again and again the angry monsters made fierce attacks, I served them well with my noble blade, as was only fitting. Small pleasure they had in such a sword-feast, dark things in the sea that meant to eat me, …I had chanced to kill some nine sea-beasts. I never have heard of a harder night-fight under heaven’s vault, or a man more oppressed on the ocean streams.”(Beowulf p83) It is very apparent here that Beowulf is extremely proud of what he had accomplished, and was not going to let some other person who had done no major heroic deed try to put him down. In fact, he goes on to say that no one in the world has fought such a hard fight as he did that night.

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

The poet admired Beowulf’s ability as a warrior stating “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth,”(15). The poet described the great warrior as wielding “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand”, treating his comrades with great respect, and only using his immense strength for noble deeds, to the point where the Geats considered him weak (149). Like most warriors at the time, Beowulf believed in a fatalistic view, made clear in line 1386 saying, “For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for an end. Let whoever win glory before death.” (97). The poet emphasized this philosophy, including many passages where Beowulf’s thirst for glory is