Siegfried vs Beowulf

Because of their glorified heroic feats, they both become blind-sided, unaware that their acts subsequently level them to what one would consider an enemy. A hero is not supposed to be selfish in the least bit. These books fabricate these men as heroes, convincing readers that they use their superhuman abilities to protect society from violence; ultimately, they do this to protect their reputation and masculinity. Gunnar and Siegfried have all the physical attributes that lead readers to believe that they have the insurmountable ability to use them to better society; such is the definition of a hero. Heroes are thought to be more extreme and braver than the average human being.

Even though Beowulf is quite the hero, he is also illustrated as being extremely prideful. During the Anglo-Saxon period, character traits that were most common for a hero is a rather egoistical and boastful which Beowulf has. He is more interested in his honor as a hero that he is even willing to take on any task without a real fear of death. The poem explores his heroism in two separate phases, the younger Beowulf and the older one, and through three different, but increasingly difficult conflicts with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. These time periods in his life, correlated with two contrasting standards of integrity.

Through the death of Hector, who had compassion and saw people as more than warriors, Achilles’ ability to recognize the humanity of others is restored. In conclusion, both men are considered heroes by their people, but that fact can be easily forgotten due to the chaos for the opposing sides. Motives, moral code, and perspective others are consistently being switched and re-evaluated by these, sometimes, unstable characters. Despite that, their shared bravery, willingness to sacrifice, and value of another man’s humanity prove they have more in common than they would ever admit. Although doomed to remain foes until their fast approaching deaths, true heroism ultimately unites them.

Without his history of glorious deeds, he would see himself bereft of the very power which qualifies him to be a good King. Beowulf’s bravery never comes in to question, he does meet every challenge head-on, with deadly attention. The society which labels Beowulf as a legendary hero, recognizes his actions and his bravery as a integral part of his definition as a hero. Without the society to support th... ... middle of paper ... ...or a chivalric Knight embodies the battle of the righteous self against corruption. Gawain’s strength comes from his discovery of his own flaws.

His heroic image stands out notably because Beowulf is what could be called an active hero while Sir Gawain plays the part of a passive hero, but still a hero nonetheless. Beowulf has one duty: he must fight and win. If he succeeds, he is a hero; if he fails he is simply a failure (except when he fails at defeating the dragon because he has already proved himself and goes with honor, which is different from initially failing). In the last lines of the story the author clearly acknowledges Beowulf’s overall triumph, "Telling stories of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, praising him for heroic deeds, for a life as noble as his name." Sir Gawain on the other hand ...

Beowulf has many characteristics of a hero but he also has some defects that make me think that he wouldn’t be considered a hero in today´s world. A hero concept evolves with a culture, Beowulf has many things that the Anglo-Saxons viewed as heroism but he misses many things that are important for a modern hero. A hero has to go in a journey. He has to struggle throughout the story to grow as a character. They generally triumph at the story´s conclusion.

An Unconventional Hero According to Greek mythology, a hero is one who values glory above life itself and honorably dies in the battle during his prime period of his life. After the gods and demi-god of Greece, heroes probably are the most admirable figures in society. However, Odysseus seems to defy the conventional definition of a hero. He is overwhelmed with tremendous obstacles and difficulty, often beyond that a normal man could endure but he determines to stay alive rather than die young. Achilles states in Book 11 “I’d rather be a hired hand back on earth…, | Than lord it over all these withered dead”(Odyssey 11.510-512).

She believes that the more honourable man would have stayed and fought for her honour. Then in book six there is a scene with Hector and his family. In this scene we see that he really cares about his family . “Grant this boy, my son, may be like me, first in glory among the Trojans, strong and br... ... middle of paper ... ...ow of it.”( Line 303-305) Hector knows that he is going to die but he still wants to die with honour. Hectors desire to protect his people and only call upon the gods when needed is a very important quality that demonstrates his distinguished capability to be honour-filled.

They are the ones who takes the first steps in any battle or advancement. The text states, “A king must allow a man to grow famous, and his family rich, gives him land and towns to rile and delight in,” (1728). This means that a king must think of the good of others before they think about themselves. Like in Beowulf, at the final battle, Wiglaf, Beowulf’s right-hand man, shows the same bravery, loyalty and devotion that Beowulf showed during the entire poem. This loyalty is selflessness because Wiglaf ignored his own safety and showed bravery and his courage against the dragon and helps Beowulf (2694).

Death is better than having no honor. Men will easily give their lives without second thought to earn, and protect it. Honor’s role in “Thorstein the Staff-Struck” takes on several roles, but all of them are to achieve one common goal. The various roles take on the common goal of achieving honor itself. Thorstein’s nick-name “the Staff-Struck” is a strain on his honor because his masculinity is being questioned after his first bout with Thord.