Beowulf, an Archetypal Hero An epic hero is defined as someone who seems larger than life, that exemplifies the cultural values of that time period. A piece of literature that revolves around the archetypal hero is the poem Beowulf. Beowulf is the oldest surviving piece of literature in the English language. Although the poem has historical elements woven into it, it is a complete work of fiction. The poem itself was originally untitled. Later on, the poem was named after its protagonist, whom the poem primarily focuses on. Beowulf accurately portrays the archetypal hero in several distinctive ways which include; being a great warrior, traveling over a vast setting, showing humility, and being of noble birth. Throughout all three battle scenes, Beowulf portrays the characteristic of a great warrior. Heroes during the Anglo-Saxon time period were able to handle themselves in battle and accomplish great feats of strength. For example, Beowulf fights Grendel, the terrible fiend, that had been terrorizing the people of Herot for twelve long years. Beowulf is the only man to have accepted the challenge of killing him. When Grendel came to …show more content…
Beowulf is not asked, forced, or coerced into helping the Danes. He simply helps the Danes because he has the ability to. This selflessness is reflected in many aspects of the poem. When Beowulf confronts the horrendous fiend Grendel, he still shows humility, stating "my hands alone shall fight for me." Beowulf does this because he wants to prove that he is worthy to fight against Almighty's foe. Most epic heroes have something separating them from the ordinary. This of course, is another attribute of the archetypal hero. Beowulf, like most heroes is of noble birth. It is stated in the poem that he is the prince of the kingdom back home. In the battle with the Dragon, Beowulf is king of
Many epics have been written and forgotten. Yet, the epic of Beowulf has stayed as one of the premiere examples of a heroic epic. This brings an inevitable question to mind. Why is Beowulf considered a hero?
This quote is one of many examples of Beowulf’s pride. Beowulf, a strong warrior, wants to fight Grendel, a malicious monster. Although his adventure is seen to benefit his honor and glory, he is thoughtful of others and gives his time, labor, and treasures to them. The Anglo-Saxons hold a high respect for pride and sacrifice. Beowulf’s lust for glory and pride is obvious he wants to be known and feared. But throughout the story there is an unspoken tone about his constant charity. When he fights a monster for
His bravery and physical strength needed to kill this evil being makes him a great warrior and an even better literary hero. When the Hrothgar’s men attempted to kill Grendel, they were unsuccessful. Although he saw other men die to this monster he did not let that scare him off. This is when Beowulf felt it was necessary for him to intervene and take charge. When Grendel came to attack Heorot Hall Beowulf was there waiting for him. Beowulf stood up for the Hrothgar’s men and accomplished what they couldn’t in order to make everyone safer. Although he faced a plethora of obstacles he did not give up he stood strong and saved many people by doing so. During the battle Beowulf wrestled Grendel to the ground. Beowulf proceeded to rip Grendel’s arm from his shoulder and hang it from the ceiling. Grendel then fled away from Beowulf into the wilderness where he then died. This proved to Beowulf that Grendel may be strong but he will never be as brave. Grendel was an evil monster who wanted nothing good to happen to the people and Beowulf prevented any more murders by Grendel from happening. He saved the lives of many people by accomplishing this heroic and honorable
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
Beowulf is going out of his way, "across the sea" to help a lord whom he is not obligated to. He is doing so out of choice to show his respect for Hrothgar, and to help the poor people threatened by Grendel.
The character Beowulf, “a man of great strength and bravery” (Magill 388), is a hero in the way he defends his neighboring country, Denmark. When the word that a hostile creature, known as Grendel, was killing tons in Denmark, Beowulf set sail to help defend the people and rid them of the hideous monster.
While I was reading the epic poem of Beowulf, I found that Beowulf himself seemed to be the hero archetype, which is most likely why the epic poem is named the way it is titled. Throughout the prose poem, Beowulf charms the reader with his alluring character and presents a variety of pleasant traits, such as honor, wisdom, superhuman strength, loyalty, and the courage to risk his life unselfishly in order to save the helpless people. Beowulf exemplifies an epic hero because of his good hearted nature and through his epic, heroic deeds he does to protect the people around him from danger, regardless of who they are. He is also a fair man, even to his worst enemies. He never lets anyone in battle have the upper hand, not even himself, which makes
Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery. These characteristics keep him set apart from all other character. He would take any risk to defeat his enemy and to gain glory. Even when he dies, he defeated his opponent and gained more glory to his name. In Beowulf, there are series of battles centered around the heroic figure Beowulf, who is an epic hero.
Beowulf isn’t a Dane, he is a Geat, and Grendel wasn’t necessarily affecting him and his people, but the moment he heard about how Hrothgar’s people were being tortured by this demon he immediately requested that a boat be fitted out for him. He didn’t have to go help them, he chose to, and not only did he kill Grendel, he did it unarmed. Modern day heroes fight with a sense of justice, and they care about ridding the area of evil forces and the safety of all the people. “Alone shall fight for me, struggles for life against the monster.God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip” (268-270). Here Beowulf is saying regardless of what happens, even if he loses his life in battle, he is going to try his hardest to defeat the beast. He put his own life before others, which shows how selfless he
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
After Grendel is successfully defeated and destroyed, King Hrothgar has suspicion about the arrival of Grendel’s mother. Beowulf shows a great amount of loyalty to the people of Heorot when he decided to battle, yet another, beast who was destroying them. Grendel’s mother shows that she is more powerful and angry than Grendel was. The mother has a definite reason as to why she wants to destroy the people, especially Beowulf, and that is because they just killed her son. Beowulf, without hesitation, agrees to take on this new enemy, simply to save the people. He sacrifices himself, for the second time, in order for the citizens to be free and protected. Beowulf says, “I guarantee you: she will not get away,// not to dens under ground nor upland groves// nor the ocean floor”(97). He accepts Hrothgar's plea and is ready to defeat Grendel’s mother. Beowulf shows dedication and promise to Hrothgar and his people. He shows through his actions that he will not leave them if they are still suffering or in danger. He illustrates to them that he will do anything in his power to guarantee their safety. Beowulf’s loyalty shows his role as a hero and how he will never turn his back on the people that he is helping. When he battles Grendel’s mother, he gives all that he has in order to be successful again. After he defeats her, Beowulf says, “I have wrested the hilt// from the enemies' hand, avenged the evil// done to the Danes; it
The story of Beowulf has captivated for many centuries because of Beowulf’s heroic qualities. Beowulf was the epic hero reflecting values and heroic ideals of the Anglo-Saxon society. He not only attained unbelievable strength, but also was honorable throughout Herot. He portrayed what an Anglo-Saxon leader should be---loyal, brave, and generous.
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
The epic poem Beowulf focuses on the hero. Throughout various generations and cultures, people have had an image of the archetypal hero. The Anglo-Saxon ideals of heroism were strength, bravery, and loyalty, which were exactly the qualities that Beowulf possessed. Beowulf, as a result, was an icon of his ancient Germanic heritage. He imitated the world around him by reflecting past traditions of heroes and mirrored their characteristics and actions. With him, his honor and pride made him not only a hero of his own time, but also a hero for generations to come.
Beowulf also contains an epic hero. The title of the poem has been named after our epic hero, Beowulf. In definition, an epic hero is someone that does larger than life deeds and is stronger and smarter than any normal man; and Beowulf fits this description as if the mold were made for him. He has the strength of thirty men and uses it as a major weapon against evil. This can be seen through Beowulf’s battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.