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Epics in Beowulf
Characteristics of an epic hero literary analysis essay beowulf
Discuss the character Beowulf as an epic hero
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An epic hero according to Anglo-Saxon literature is a hero who is larger-than-life; someone with self-confidence, great strength, and the qualities of loyalty, bravery, and honor. Beowulf can be considered an epic hero for multiple reasons throughout “Beowulf.” Beowulf is a character constructed on all of the Anglo-Saxon epic hero qualifications. For starters, Beowulf is seen as a noble character, that is willing to provide security for the people by risking his own life. As a character, Beowulf conducts superhuman strength, and can complete impossible tasks. These are only some among many other reasons and characteristics Beowulf can be classified as an epic hero. The story of “Beowulf” begins at a time where a great hero is needed. This is where Beowulf’s character takes the initial place of an epic hero. In the first story of “Beowulf,” Beowulf takes on the responsibility of destroying the great threat, Grendel. This immediately shows the courage, honor and bravery of Beowulf. When Beowulf sailed to the Danes to kill Grendel, he was not searching for money, he was simply putting the Geats lives before his own. Beowulf was not yet …show more content…
When the story begins, Beowulf has gone to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel for the people, not for the glory. Beowulf brings his own hand picked, group of soldiers with him throughout his battles, and refuses to allow help from others. Beowulf also tells the readers he will not use weapons unless necessary. Before the battle against Grendel, a Denmark officer states, “A chosen warrior who bravely does battle with the creature haunting our people, who survives that horror unhurt, and goes home bearing our love” (ln. 210). Also, when Beowulf’s men abandon him in the battle against the dragon, he does not choose to run in fear, but to continue fighting. In this moment much like in his past, Beowulf shows how honorable he really
Early in the poem, Beowulf hears accounts of Grendel’s destruction of Herot, Hrothgar’s majestic mead hall. Knowing his strength and military prowess, Beowulf immediately devises a plan, recruits men, and orders boats, thrusting himself into a battle that was not necessarily his to fight. Beowulf felt obligated to end Grendel’s reign of terror. Though he knew the death of Grendel would bring him fame and honor, the idealized Beowulf was able to set aside personal ambition in order to end the suffering of the Danes. Shortly after slaying Grendel, Beowulf again displays an awareness of duty when Grendel’s mother extracts revenge upon Herot, killing one of Hrothgar’s best men, Aeshere. Instead of leaving Herot in a state of frenzy, Beowulf comes to King Hrothgar’s side, pledging allegiance and service. Bolstering the defeated king’s moral, Beowulf boldly addresses the older King Hrothgar saying, “So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, not to dens under ground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to fall to. Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be.” Beowulf could not set aside his duty and obligation, though he knew full well the suffering and pain that might result from his actions. Thus, Beowulf is a portrait of
In an epic there important characteristics: it has to have a hero, involve a demonstration of superhuman abilities, have a large setting, includes supernatural beings that guide the hero, have an elevated style of writing, and is told by an omniscient narrator. Beowulf has all of these characteristics. The hero of the story is Beowulf and he possesses superhuman strength. His strength is so extraordinary that even King Hrothgar knows of it, “marvelous tales about him: a thane, they declared, with strength of thirty in the grip of each hand.” (379-381). He uses this strength to fight Grendel which was a feat that no other man could accomplish, “hand-to –hand is how it will be”(438). Just like most epics, there are supernatural beings that guide or hinder the hero. In this poem, God is on Beowulf’s side and Grendel is monster that Beowulf has to defeat. Unlike the Greek epics, Beowulf has only one God that helps the hero in his quest and that god does not actively participate in the hero’s quest. Hrothgar says, “Now Holy God has, in His goodness, guided him here.”(381-382). God has only lea Beowulf
At the beginning of the novel, Beowulf represents a savage warrior, displaying mostly his strength and bravery by defeating Grendel and his mother. However, as Beowulf ages, he begins to change into a different kind of hero. After becoming King of the Geats, Beowulf matured and took on more of a leadership role in the community, as opposed to a warrior. Even though Beowulf was still a hero, he began to lead an army of geats and acted for the good of the people. In both cases however, Beowulf was respected by others for his admirable
In every epic story, the center of attention will be on the epic hero. Usually all the epic heroes have some kind of special power, which keep them different from other characters. Later on, their epic journey these powers, help them to win the glory, which make them epic heroes. In Beowulf, Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery.
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
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.
What are the qualities of an epic hero? An Epic hero is a hero on a
An epic hero needs to perform heroic deeds, such as when Beowulf killed the dragon, Grendel and Grendel’s mother. These were tasks that no one would have the willingness to face, and Beowulf took on the deeds, and it used him beyond human strength to succeed with these deeds. Beowulf also has royal blood in him from his uncle Hygelac, who is kings of the geats, and later on, Beowulf becomes king himself. With Beowulf’s strength and bravery, this makes him an epic
According to the scholar J.R.R Tolken, the theme of Beowulf deals with ‘man alien in a hostile world, engaged in a struggle which he cannot win’...” This theme is revealed in the poem, not necessarily through Beowulf himself, but through the commoners that he fights for. Beowulf, being as powerful as he was, could make it through pretty much anything. He was a symbol of hope for the common people. However, there is a clear reason why the people clung to this symbol of hope. They themselves were not powerful enough to deal with the world in which they found themselves. This is shown through the enemies Beowulf faces, the decisions he must make, and the fear he must overcome.
He was the hero of all heros, People knew of him everywhere and knew how great and brave he was. Everybody wanted to be him, or wanted to know him. Beowulf was scared of absolutely nothing. “Telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, passing him for heroic deeds”(831-833). Once he makes a vow he always stands by his word, no matter what. He signifies the true heroic character because he is willing to risk his life for other people. In his youth, Beowulf was a tremendous warrior, characterized predominantly by his feats of strengths and courage. While he is young, he proves he is a brave hero by defeating not only Grendel but Grendel's mom also, who are both descended from the evil cain. Beowulf is a strong responsible leader. He once stated “I feel no shame with shield and sword and armor against this monster” (673-674). He was not scared at all while fighting grendel, he knew he would come out a winner like always. He felt the same way with grendel's mom and as always, he came out a winner. From the time he was young until he got older he was always strong and always put all his effort into everything he did. Beowulf matures as he grows up, gaining more heroic qualities. Everybody around him watched him as he grew, watched him gain knowledge. Beowulf says “They have seen my
Epic Heroes have qualities that mere mortals do not possess, such as astounding bravery, superhuman strength and intelligence, and a determination to succeed no matter how daunting the task. Epic Heroes often fight for the greater good or have an overall goal to accomplish. Moreover, Epic Heroes obtain their strengths by inheriting them, or having links to Gods or other Epic Heroes. In his epic poem, Beowulf displays like qualities such as courage, undoubting loyalty, and extraordinary strength.
An epic hero is typically described as a larger-than-life character, who displays skill, courage, and virtue against an opposing force. In the English epic Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, battles three brutally terrifying creatures: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a menacing dragon. The large amount of skill, courage, and virtue Beowulf exhibits during these three battles prove he is in fact an epic hero.
In the beginning of the story, a mythical monster named Grendel who is attacking King Hrothgar’s mead hall Herot. When Beowulf hears of this tragedy, he volunteers to go and fight the mythical beast. The author wrote, “So Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find the bravest and the best of the Geats, fourteen In all.” Once Beowulf arrives, he is given a feast and then decides to stay in Herot overnight to confront Grendel. Grendel then arrives and kills one of the Geats before Beowulf can get into the battle. Beowulf then goes hand-to-hand against Grendel and ends up tearing off Grendel’s shoulder. Grendel then retreats to his lair to die. This is only a mere example of why Beowulf is a hero.
An epic is a long poem, usually derived from ancient oral stories, describing the adventures and deeds of a legendary hero. Typically, most epics follow a pattern or hold certain characteristics. These characteristics are; a hero, a quest, valorous deeds, divine intervention, and great events. The hero is usually the protagonist which is sent on a quest. As the heroes proceed on their quest, they will exhibit valorous deeds or actions that show their magnificent abilities. Epics also intertwine great events to set the theme of the story. Some of these events develop from myths or cultural aspects. Lastly, the hero must undergo divine intervention, or the help from a person or supernatural force. One of the most well known Anglo-Saxon epics is Beowulf. The story of Beowulf contains all of these characteristics, along with the values of the Anglo-Saxons.
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.