In the beginning of the poem, a legendary monster named Grendel who is attacking King Hrothgar’s mead hall herot causing serious damage. Beowulf heard of this tragedy and volunteered to go and fight the beast. Beowulf displays great bravery in everything he does. No man could be looked down upon by lack of defense because both Beowulf and Wiglaf demonstrated heroic bravery. Many stories have been written and forgotten. Yet, the tale of Beowulf has stayed as one of the examples of a great hero. This brings an unavoidable question to mind. Why is Beowulf considered a hero? Many stories have been written and forgotten To begin with, before facing Grendel; Beowulf “reiterates his intent to fight Grendel without a sword leaned up on one arm/guardian …show more content…
Beowulf frightened Grendel by the power of his strength. Shortly after doing this, Beowulf “lowered his sword and roared out a battle cry/so loud and clear it reached through the hoary rock/ hung in the dragon’s ear”. Higlac’s follower remembered his final boast standing erect, stopped the monsters flight/fastened those claws in his fists till they cracked” (280-285). Impressive and reckless actions like that show Beowulf’s courage and glory. He appears more heroic in the battle because he’s killing the dragon to protect his people and risking his life. In spite of Beowulf’s actions he is seen even more heroic because he's battling Grendel by himself. Beowulf show the same character when fighting the dragon, as well does Wiglaf, who helps him and didn't run away like all the other men that went with Beowulf. In the poem Wiglaf said “I remember how we sat in the mead-hall, drinking and boasting how brave we'd be when Beowulf needed us” (705-715). Wiglaf is showing that he is loyal to his king and also displaying bravery. Meanwhile, In the poem Grendel displays a lack of honor when the poem says “he grabbed thirty men / from their resting places” (122-123). Attacking men in their sleep when …show more content…
The poem mentioned christianity and paganism. In the poem christianity was a little more popular and talked about how men would let god decide if it’s their faith to die in battle. For example, Beowulf says “ my hands alone shall fight for me/struggle for my life against the monster/God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip ” Beowulf is extremely courageous in this section really showing that he is not scared of anything and is always ready for anything. This can also be seen in line (505-510) “ if that shining woven had not helped/Holy God who sent him victory/gave judgment for truth and right, ruler of the heavens ”. However, In the movie christianity wasn't is popular as the poem described it. For example when Beowulf became king in the movie he said “ the time of heroes is dead Wiglaf, the christ God has killed it “. In the movie Beowulf didn't seem like a christian at all and it seemed like he was paganism. The reason for this is because in the movie Beowulf says to the man they captured after battle “ the Gods will not allow my death by your feeble blade “. Beowulf’s character changed a lot from the movie compared to the poem. When Beowulf approaches Hrothgar and offers to kill Grendel, he is already a very accomplished warrior who has achieved many things, and he is a hero to the people. His willingness to help the kingdom from Grendel as a way of returning a favor makes him noble. Many stories have been
The traditional heroic tale of Beowulf portrays an honored protagonist who declares to purge all evil from the kingdom of Hrothgar. The story unfolds as the brave Beowulf is faced against various battles which bring him to his near end. The author of the epic poem, Beowulf emphasizes the hero tradition to prompt the moral lessons of honor, loyalty, and bravery. In the poem Beowulf demonstrates to be an epic hero with morality, bravery, and selflessness as he shows that one must fight for the good
Beowulf reveals different characteristics about the Anglo-Saxon society. The different characteristics are bravery, truth, and honor these characteristics are important to the Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf. These characteristics show how Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons live there everyday life and how they treat other people. Beowulf reveals these characteristics by his actions and the words he says Beowulf follows these characteristics throughout his life. Beowulf always shows honor and bravery and he always
Beowulf, originally written by an unknown author and then translated by Seamus Heaney, is believed to include the epic hero of Beowulf himself. An epic hero is one who has achieved greatness and is appreciated by others. They acquire characteristics that makes them noble and worthy of acknowledgement. Beowulf shows numerous characteristics throughout the poem, including bravery, honor, strength, and loyalty. Beowulf does things such as giving up his weapon and keeping his devotion to the Danes. Beowulf’s
1. Introduction Beowulf, a fearsome warrior, travels to the Danes homeland in order to protect them from the evils of Grendel and his mother to the frightening dragon. He is a symbolic form to the Anglo - Saxon’s due to his heroics and strength to push through when nobody else will. The epic poem Beowulf displays Anglo- Saxon culture by the belief of fate in a society where both glory and loyalty heavily influence the peoples values and nature. Body Paragraph 1 Beowulf portrays the Anglo-
to what people call a hero. He is a physically built, strong-minded person. The loyalty of Beowulf is a huge advantage when being a king to his people. Beowulf’s ability to not back down from anything and making the right choices shows bravery. Characteristics of Beowulf explain why he is considered a hero and a king. A person that shows bravery has to show courage and dedication. Beowulf’s signs of bravery is shown when he fought Grendel with no armor or weapons. His travels from Geatland to rid
values but also life lessons to the audience. A popular Anglo-Saxon epic is the song, Beowulf. In the song, the
range anywhere from your parents, a famous sports star, actors, etc. We all need someone to look up to for guidance to show us how to live our life, what to do and how we should act; Beowulf demonstrates all three of those few characteristics of a hero. Everything that I look for in a leader is demonstrated by Beowulf throughout the book. He willingly leads his troops into unknown land without being asked or called upon and fights off a beast that had been torturing the people for years. When he was
Battling Beowulf Would you ever be able to accomplish what Beowulf did, traveling on journeys to defeat vigorous monsters? Beowulf is a heroic epic due to all of the characteristics that the epic hero, Beowulf, himself portrays. An epic poem refers to a work that includes a character whose fortune is brought upon by his own admired and superior characteristics; the hero, Beowulf traveled vast distances to prove his strength and defeat his enemies. With this being said, epic heroic characteristics
of the Anglo-Saxon period characterize heroes as people with bravery, courage, honor, intelligence, boasting, loyalty, strength, and a sense of duty and justice. Beowulf, a well-known Geat in the Anglo-Saxon period, displays bravery and courage, a sense of duty, and consistently boasts about his accomplishments. To be brave, one must continue on after knowing the possibility of a dreadful ending. Beowulf countlessly acts with bravery in his multiple battles against his strong monsterous opponents
Bravery is a big aspect in the book, “Beowulf” which allowed me to reflect on times I have been brave or could have been. As a kid you found it brave to walk into a room that was dark but as I have grown up, it has become harder to find scenarios to be brave. Spots is a big part of my life. Whenever we would face a good team in football or I knew I would have to wrestle someone who was considered superior to me I would usually have some type of fear or discomfort. However, the realization that
The theme of bravery throughout Beowulf plays a central part within the poem. Prominent figures like Hrothgar and Hygelac exhibit this trait dutifully in their reign as king. In the poem, there are many instances that emphasize the importance of bravery as a well admired quality in both the kingship and daily life. One instance that stuck out to me in the poem was lines 1383 to 1396 in which Hrothgar is grieving the loss of his second-in-command. In these lines, Beowulf says a line that makes Hrothgar
it will get tough. Beowulf is a warrior who doesn't back out of any battle. Even when he knows it will be a tough battle, he still goes and proves himself to everyone. His bravery is what pushes him to help fight these battles that no one else thinks they can. Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes, any individual can be strong enough against anything if they put their minds to it. Bravery is a strong element that takes place in the first sections of Beowulf. Beowulf's bravery first comes into play
One of the oldest epics of the time is Beowulf which reflects on the Danish time period. The unknown author reflects on the daily lives and beliefs of the Danes. Through the author's eyes, we are able to see a small glimpse of the way these people lived. It explains to us what specific values were vital to the Danish culture. Even though it was quite different from today, numerous ideas are similar to this time period. In Beowulf, the Danish are represented by the way the author uses specific traits
Beowulf is first epic ever written about the heroism of a man who lived thousands of years ago. He was the bravest, strongest, and trustiest man to have ever walked among the Geats in what is now Sweden. He was the nephew of king Hygelac. When Beowulf heard tales of the affliction Grendel was creating, he decides to travel to the land of the Danes and help Hrothgar defeat the demon. He cruises across the sea with fourteen warriors until he reaches Hrothgar’s kingdom and within hours of arrival he
ideals are as important to them as are their great achievements. Loyalty and bravery lie exceptionally high on their list of priorities. The epitome of a good Anglo-Saxon is always loyal to his lord and is always running into whatever battle he shall face with true courage and ferocity. They never falter and are always ready and willing to fight for their king to the death. While they do have many other values, loyalty and bravery are two that are consistent in their everyday life as they are always looking