Beowulf is an Epic Hero

415 Words1 Page

In the epic poem Beowulf a hero emerges after the passing away of another. An epic

hero must undergo a dangerous journey and faces an enemy that threatens a nation or tribe

an epic hero also embodies and represents the most cherished values and ideals of a society.

The character Wiglaf demonstrates the characteristics of a true hero, and gradually emerges

as a hero through out the epic Beowulf. Through out the story Wiglaf proves himself to be

the successor of Beowulf by embodying various characteristics such as loyalty, devotion to

others, courage and bravery .

Wiglaf was the one and only one there for his leader in his time of desperation it

showed that he was loyal to his successor watching Beowulf suffering and remembering

everything he has done and gave to him , Wiglaf steps in and helps his comrade in a time of

need while Beowulf ‘s "brave and noble followers" ran off and left him . Wiglaf knew that

he owed it to Beowulf after all he has done for him instead of going and running off with the

rest of the Geats Wiglaf fights and defeats the dragon for Beowulf.

Wiglaf also showed the quality of devotion while all the other Geats who all claimed

to stand by their leader but in actuality at the first sight of "…a beaten warrior none of his

comrades came to him, helped him, his brave and noble followers they ran for their lives,

fled deep in wood, and only one of them remained…" . Wiglaf was devoted and when he

saw that Beowulf was struggling he stepped in and fought the dragon for his fellow successor.

If there is one quality that I believe embodies a hero it’s courage and that is an

essential characteristic of a hero and Wiglaf had tons of it, he didn’t follow the crowd as they

were running for there lives he realized that Beowulf was there for him and it was his turn to

return the favor and he risked his life.

Show More
Related

  • Beowulf Young and Old

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    As king of the Geats he has a reputation to maintain and the responsibility to protect his people. When the dragon attacks, he sacrifices his well-being for the safety of the Geats despite his justified forecast of his own death. It is apparent that the older Beowulf has much more responsibility in comparison to the young Beowulf. He not only has to...

    Read More

  • Religious Values In Beowulf

    1529 Words  | 4 Pages

    They see being loyal and having allegiance to family, leaders, and community as essential to their lifestyle. Characters in the poem introduce themselves as son of so and so, they are first judged on their allegiances, then they include their lineage. When Beowulf arrived to meet King Hrothgar he introduced himself and his men by saying, “we belong by birth to the Geat people and owe allegiance to lord Hygelac”. Then he includes, “my father was a famous man, a noble warrior lord named Ecgtheow”. Grendel’s family history was also included letting us know that he comes from an evil clan being a direct decendent of Cain. Perhaps Grendel’s lack of allegiances and lineage was done to show that he is not loyal to

    Read More

  • Beowulf The Hero

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf is shown as a hero with extrodinary strength. This is not what makes him a hero. By definition, a hero is a man of exceptional quality. However this term does not do Beowulf justice. His self-imposed purpose in life is to help others, and eventually sacrifices his own life in doing so. Beowulf’s battle with the dragon serves as a critique of the notion that Beowulf is a hero. The Dragon section displays many of Beowulf’s heoric characteristics. Beowulf establishes himself as a hero by fighting the dragon, exemplifing strength and courage when fighting the dragon, and sacrificing himself so that others can live.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of the Epic Poem, Beowulf - Bravery in Beowulf

    499 Words  | 1 Pages

    First of all, Beowulf came to help Hrothgar on his own free will. Hearing of the troubles that Hrothgar was having with a monster terrorizing Herot, his mead hall, Beowulf bravely offered his help not knowing what he was up against. When he arrived, Beowulf did not ask the king for either money nor fame. The only favor that he asked of Hrothgar was that he and his men were to fight the monster, Grendel. Coming away from one's homeland to help get rid of a man-eating monster and asking for nothing in return takes much courage and is an extremely brave deed.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Is A Hero Essay

    502 Words  | 2 Pages

    In England the poem of Beowulf was regarded as a fable and considered necessary to preserve civilization (Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith and Crawford, 2004). Beowulf changed the ideal of hero considering the acts of bravery he achieved. Unlike the common hero when Beowulf comes to be poisoned by the dragon he battled, the people that admired him abandoned the dying man. Sadly, Beowulf died with his friend and brother that he named his successor. Wiglaf, Beowulf’s friend and brother became king after his death (Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith and Crawford,

    Read More

  • Beowulf Heroism Essay

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Towards the end of Beowulf’s epic hero cycle and life as king, he had to take on one last monster, the Dragon. He commuted back to Geatland with his men. As he begins to fight the Dragon, his sword failed him, and Beowulf was left with no weapons. Then ten of the eleven men he brought fled in fear and Beowulf was left with only Wiglaf. They took on the Dragon together and successfully killed him only after being badly wounded in the neck. Beowulf then collapsed and passed on. This finished his cycle as hero and as

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Macbeth

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    The switch in roles exemplifies inverted gender and social roles during their era. After Macbeth discovers the Witches’ prophecy, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth about it. She reacts differently than one would expect a woman to act. She begins to mock Macbeth and ridicule his masculinity. By the conveyance of her speech, Lady Macbeth emphasizes that she is in charge and that Macbeth needs to follow her in order to achieve anything, as she states, “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness/To catch nearest way” (1.5.16-18). Shakespeare employs the rhetorical device of a metaphor to describe Lady Macbeth’s view on Macbeth’s personality. Her comparison between him and the milk of human kindness infers that Macbeth is kind and compassionate. Lady Macbeth believes due to Macbeth’s nature, he will not have the determination to go along with the plan and its consequence. The way in which Lady Macbeth speaks is ironic seeing as Lady Macbeth is a woman and she is calling Macbeth a coward and criticizing his role as a man. In cultural stereotypes, men were known to have control over the women by making all the decisions for the household without any different perspectives. Lady Macbeth seems to embody these male-like characteristics. On the other hand, Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as a feminine male

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Gun Control

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    For many years, America has witnessed mass shootings within it’s borders. In 2015 alone, there were 372 mass shootings (Oldham). The question most Americans are faced with is: do we need more gun control or is gun control the problem? With more gun control, it can be made mandatory that protective devices are used on firearms to prevent accidental harm. Gun control creates mandatory laws such as the requirement for an individual to pass a background check before he/she is permitted to purchase a firearm. Gun control has also been proven to prevent suicides due to the increased difficulty of obtaining a firearm. Those who believe that gun control is the problem claim that by removing one 's firearms, you are endangering them to threats that

    Read More

  • Beowulf is an Epic Hero

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Macbeth Essay

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    She is a woman, but desires to be cruel and monstrous like a man. In consideration of murdering King Duncan herself, she requests that the spirits “unsex [her there] / And fill her...Of direst cruelty 1.5.44-46”. This matches Shakespeare’s implication of masculinity, as Lady Macbeth feels that if she were a man, she would more easily be able to commit brutal acts without any feeling of remorse. It indicates that men are stereotyped by Shakespeare to be callous and ruthless while women are perceived as rather fair and harmless. Additionally, Lady Macbeth is a large cause of the brutal behaviours that Macbeth demonstrates throughout the play. She convinces Macbeth that if he slaughters Duncan, he will “Be so much more the man 1.7.56”. This continues emphasize that in order to be discerned as a man, one must be violent and cruel. Shakespeare’s ideas regarding theme of manhood are carried out uniquely to a massive extent, as ideas of masculinity are forced upon Macbeth primarily by Lady Macbeth, who is a

    Read More

  • Macbeth Character Analysis

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Oscar Wilde quotes, “Women have a much better time than men in this world: there are far more things forbidden to them.” This reference to the female stereotype contradicts to Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, as some female characters strive for power and some go beyond of their expectations. In fact, they step out of society’s gender expectations, this disrupts the natural order of hierarchy. As well, it affects certain of female characters mentally to the point where they lose their lives and/or vilified. As a result, Shakespeare shows that the natural order of hierarchy needs to be established. This essay will therefore examine the female characters by comparing the representation of unstereotypical women-Lady Macbeth and the witches and how Lady Macbeth demonstrates a typical woman while acting as a foil.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles- Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the old Shakespeare play Macbeth, women wear the pants, while the men wear the dresses, this is the theme throughout the play. It focuses on the marriage of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth takes the lead role, while she convinces her husband to kill Duncan. Shakespeare play concerning gender roles, shows the untraditional marriage in Scotland; what one sees is not what one gets. It also show how one starts is not how they end. The story of Macbeth shows power and betrayal. It shows power because it shows how one can take charge and get it done. It shows betrayal because he kill Duncan just to get the crown.

    Read More

  • Gender In Macbeth Essay

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity suggests that there is a distinction between “sex, as a biological facticity, and gender, as the cultural interpretation or signification of that facticity” (Butler, 522). Performing certain actions that society associates with a specific gender marks you as that gender. In this way, gender is socially constructed. Alfar defines the societal expectation of women as the “constant and unquestioning feminine compliance with the desires of the masculine” (114). Considering Macbeth from a modern perspective and taking this distinction into account, it is necessary to determine if the play is concerned with sex or with gender. Before the action of the play even begins, the audience is warned that “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1.1.11). The first scene of the play casts the world of Macbeth as a land where everything is opposite or disordered. This line at the very start of the play cautions audiences to not take the play at face value because things are not always as they appear to be. Because of this, “all the binaries become complicated, divisions blurred. Thus the binary nature of gender identities, male/female, is eliminated” (Reaves 14). In the world of Macbeth, the typical gender constructions are manipulated and atypical. If the play does not deal with sex, the qualities of Lady Macbeth cannot be applied to all women but rather, representative of society’s construction of gender, “the patriarch, and the limited, restrictive roles of women” (Reaves 11). Within this reading of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s examination and questioning of gender construction allows modern day readers to recognize the enduring relevance of

    Read More

  • Epic Hero In Beowulf

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is characterized as an epic hero by possessing qualities in which common mortals lack, battling for the common good, and displaying honor in every act. An epic hero is the central character in an epic, a long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a legendary hero in pursuit of a goal. According to Jankowski, “Understanding the significance of Beowulf 's acts requires an understanding of the key figures in the epic poem” (1). Epics have been used to preserve values and traditions. They are a rich resource for exploring the history and values of different world cultures. The epic hero character is a larger-than-life figure who is typically of noble birth. An epic hero uses his/her courage, skill, and virtue against

    Read More

  • Beowulf as an epic

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.

    Read More

More about Beowulf is an Epic Hero

Open Document