They are being attacked in their own sanctuary. Beowulf is the greatest of the heroes depicted in the poem not only because he has the greatest prowess in battle. He also perfectly fulfills his social obligations. He has the virtues of a civilized man, as well as the strength of the warrior. He looks after his people ... ... middle of paper ... ...im a true hero.
Beowulf is meant to represent the ideal warrior and king. As such, readers can infer that the Anglo-Saxons held his character traits in high esteem. As depicted in Seamus Haney’s translation of Beowulf, Beowulf’s strength, loyalty, and acceptance of fate are traits that were admired by his society. The time of the Anglo-Saxons was rife with tribal warfare. This meant that men had to be strong fighters capable of protecting and avenging their people.
The younger boys looked up to either their father that was a warrior or another warrior. They idolized these men because they received fame. The idea of jewels, clashing of metal hitting your foe painted great images in Angelo- Saxon boys. In their culture fame is the most important thing you can have. By reading Beowulf I realized that loyalty is sometimes more important to them than their religion.
Beowulf exhibited great courage by making the decision to face Grendel given the information he had concerning the great strength of this beast. Beowulf also showed exceptional courage when he declared ... ... middle of paper ... ...is fellow comrades did not exhibit the same loyalty he had for Beowulf. Wiglaf was loyal to Beowulf, and went to help him defeat the dragon. The Germanic people had a code they expected their kings and warriors to adhere to. Firstly, a great Germanic king must have courage.
The Importance of Honor and Virtue Two important characteristics for warriors are honor and virtue. Virtue is deemed to be the most important to a warrior's life and it means achieving your greatest potential as a human being. "The reward for great honor and virtue is fame (kleos), which is what guarantees meaning and value to one's life. Dying without fame (akleos) is generally considered a disaster, and the warriors of The Iliad do the most unimaginable deeds to avoid dying in obscurity or infamy. Other components of a warrior's heroic code is courage, loyalty, generosity, mercy, dignity, decency, honor, stoicism and strength."
Not only his strength but his faith in God guided him through his battles. He chose to protect first and as a young warrior fought to win. A great king is someone who must be for the people, must be liked by the people, kind, generous, brave, and a great leader who attract many followers. Throughout the progress of Beowulf taking over the kingdom these are all the qualities that made him the person that he was. He cared for the people even until his death, and fought the enemies so that his kingdom would be safe.
In the time of Beowulf the kings were of the utmost of importance. Without a king the country was sure to fall into ruins. The king's duty was to protect the country. He did this by keeping up with the wars of the surrounding country and finding warriors to protect the country. The king was highly respected and he had a very important job.
In Beowulf the poem, Beowulf is considered to be an epic hero, he is different than just a regular hero. At the time, except for the King, warriors were the most honored and respected. Throughout this poem the author expresses that Beowulf is a true epic hero. What makes an epic hero? An epic hero must undertake a quest to achieve something tremendous value to his nation, must be super-human, and protects his people and their ideals.
Throughout the story, Beowulf handles many tough situations in which he almost always comes out the hero, saving the lives of the citizens. Beowulf pays a lot of attention to the people, and in turn, becomes a strong king with many admirers. “…My purpose was this: to win the good will of your people or die in the battle, pressed in Grendel’s fierce grip.” (634-636) As you can see, Beowulf feels strongly about the people. From this point, you can tell that Beowulf will make a good king, because of his desire to please the people. According to him, it was his main focus of the battle.
Wiglaf perseveres through the arduous battle, determined to prevail and attest to his bravery. Without the divided effort of Hrothgar, Beowulf, and Wiglaf, the people of Herot would not have been saved from destruction. Each character, encompassing a unique trait, is crucial to success. When faced with evil, these characters willingly execute adequate effort in hopes of defeating this evil. The acts of dedication, heroism and bravery in Beowulf are critical to the victory of protagonists in the epic poem.