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Heroism of beowulf
Beowulfs heroism and bravery
Essays about bravery
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According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
To start, Beowulf presents the trait Bravery because he asks his king if he can go to Daneland to help the Danes deal with Grendel. During his time in Daneland he killed two beasts. Grendel, and Grendel's mother. In order to even think about battling something that's not human
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Beowulf is selfless because he puts others before him no matter how rich or poor they are and does things that regular people would think to be the unthinkable. The first act of Selflessness that Beowulf shows is when he requests permission from his lord Higlac to go help the Danes kill Grendel. “Won’t go to fight Grendel without Lord’s consent …” (116-119). This quote not only shows that Beowulf is not only willing to go help the Danes deal with Grendel but also wants to go help the Danes kill Grendel. Another example of Beowulf acting selfless is when the Danes ask him to kill Grendel's mother, he does so without no hesitation . He kills the mother of Grendel because she was going to start terrorizing the Danes so Beowulf decided that his job was not finished Grendel's mother was killed . The last act of Beowulf acting selfless is when he is old and weak. As king of the Geats Beowulf decides to act upon the dragon that was terrorizing his lands . What he does is the unthinkable , Beowulf grabs his sword and lets out one last battle cry knowing that he was going to die , but die for his people.This shows that Beowulf is selfless because he sacrificed his life for others which is the ultimate act of
A hero is considered to be any man noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose;
His selflessness is shown on full display after Hygelac’s death, where “…Hygd offered him throne and authority as lord of the ring-hoard…” (165). Instead of accepting the offer, Beowulf refuses under the notion that he couldn’t “…be elevated over Heardred as his lord or to undertake the office of kingship…” (165). It is not until Heardred is killed that he finally agrees to ascend to the throne (166). Beowulf’s actions and initial refusal to take the throne shows that he cares more about the wellbeing of others and the order of succession than assuming power; a sure sign of selflessness. Later on during the final moments of his life, a weak and perishing Beowulf addresses Wiglaf one last time, telling him “…I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die. Now that I have bartered my last breath to own this fortune, it is up to you to look after their needs…” (174). Once again, Beowulf’s selflessness prevails. Even in his dying state, one of his top priorities was to make sure all his people would be taken care of and live happily. Neither can be said of Gilgamesh, who represents quite the contrast.
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
Beowulf’s courage is a characteristic of a hero and this is what makes him one as well. In the story he faces his fears multiple times while trying to save others. One example of his courage would be this quote that states "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." This is a good example because it shows how Beowulf had the courage to stand up against Grendel and defeat him. In addition Beowulf also put himself in danger while he was fighting the dragon even when he knew he probably not make it. This is an extreme example of courage because it frightened him that he would not make it, but he fought the dragon anyway. I think that these examples show Beowulf’s courage and that is
8. Based on Beowulfs opening address to Hrothgar my first impression is that he is very confident and perhaps even self obsessed. He brags about his success and his strength. He says “of my youth have been filled with glory” and also states “my people have said, the wisest, most knowing, and best of them, that was duty was to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth.” And also to continues to list all of his world changing achievements that he accomplished all on his own. To me personally, he comes off as self conceded and feels as if he is untouchable.
The mighty warrior Beowulf volunteered to help fight off the monster, Grendel. Beowulf showed great bravery because even though Grendel over sized Beowulf, he still accepted the challenge. He also showed strength, Grendel’s head was so massive that four men each had to carry it, but Beowulf could handle the head all by himself. Lastly, Beowulf revealed loyalty by coming to Hrothgar’s assistance, to help with defeating Grendel. Even after Beowulf became King he went to his last battle to defeat the dragon without any help from his
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
Bravery is like a very trusted friend, it will never let you down. That statement holds true in the great epic of "Beowulf." "Beowulf" is the story of a great hero who comes to the aid of a troubled king. Beowulf hears that king Hrothgar is having trouble and immediately comes to help with no questions asked. he defeats the monster, Grendel, with his bare hands. Beowulf then defeats Grendel's mother along with a dragon until he is fatally injured. Bravery is a very admirable characteristic that few people possess.
What is a hero? A hero can be classified as a number of things. A hero can be a person who in the opinions of others has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Ervin Staub, a holocaust survivor from Hungary and as scholar on altruistic behavior, has written, "Goodness like evil often begins in small steps. Heroes evolve; they aren't born. Very often the rescuers make only a small commitment at the start, to hide someone for a day or two. But once they had taken that step, they begin to see themselves differently, as someone who helps. What starts as mere willingness becomes intense involvement." The business man, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example
Allow me to first explain how our hero, Beowulf, embodies bravery. From the beginning, Beowulf was brave. The moment he caught word of the story’s first villain, Grendel, he was bound for Danish shores and to the plagued town of Herot. Readers were intrigued by the brave actions of Beowulf in his encounter with Grendel. Though the battle was well fought on both sides, Beowulf reigned supreme over the beast. In his second onslaught, Beowulf was up against Grendel’s mother. His gallantry shined through as he swam to the bottom of a lake to fight her. In the fight, she
Bravery is seen in many different ways by various societies. For example, our society sees bravery as having the courage to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Other societies, however, view bravery as putting one's life on the line. No society matches this idea of bravery more than the Anglo-Saxons of long ago. The Anglo-Saxons left us an extraordinary tale depicting their idea of bravery and pride, “Beowulf”. In the epic poem, Beowulf gets word of an evil, fierce monster named Grendel who has been ravaging King Hrothgar’s kingdom. Beowulf, an invincible warrior, believed that the monster would be no match for his strength and headed to Denmark
A hero is somebody who commits an act of remarkably bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character. (Encarta, 2009) Joseph Campbell has come up with eight of his own characteristics of a hero. Joseph Campbell is known as a scholar of mythology. There are several people in our times that are considered a hero. Whether, these heroes are fictional or nonfiction, they all portray some kind of heroic abilities.
Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn’t necessary to save the world from explosion to be a hero. The act of standing up for a friend can also be called a heroic act.
Beowulf also shows courage in all of his battles. His intelligence is far above any others. He used the sword made by the giants to kill Grendel’s mother. In lines 210-222, it describes how he was quick and saw the sword “hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic…and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through…”
Selflessness, one of the most difficult tasks, was displayed by Beowulf various times in the epic. Beowulf leaves “his far-off home…[because he] heard how Grendel filled the nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat… he would set sail across the sea to Hrothgar, Now when help was needed”(109-116). Though the imagery one can see Beowulf putting others’ needs before his own even when the people in trouble were not his own. He had no emotional connection to these people yet he put his own safety at risk for Hrothgar. Many people talk about being altruistic but