Heroism In The Epic Of Beowulf

Of the many heroes in the Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature, Beowulf is a prime example of a hero. In the Beowulf poem written by the Beowulf poet, and in Robert Zemeckis’ film, Beowulf. Beowulf selflessly sacrifices his own life in the hopes of saving the lives of the Danes, who belonged to a whole different clan than his own. Beowulf is willing to give his own life for the betterment of another society, and with this he chivalrously saves many people. Even though Beowulf is portrayed as an ideal hero in the poem, and in the movie the audience is introduced to his flaws, they are both similar in their theme of heroism. Despite these differences, both the poem and the movie are able to reveal to the audience that one who takes risks, fights …show more content…
In the poem Beowulf kills the troll-wife, who is Grendel’s mother. The troll-wife is referred to as “a monstrous hag.” (814) and had been reeking havoc on Heorot hall and so Beowulf wanted to put an end to it. When he went into the swamp to seek out the troll wife, he was not attracted to her in any way, and was not attracted to her just as he had been told. With that he only held one goal in his mind, to kill her. Using a sword Beowulf “[Thrusted] at [her] throat, broke through the bone-rings; the stout blade stabbed through her fated flesh.’ (1055-1056) Once he had finished, he left to go and inform the others about his victory. It is evident that Beowulf was not attracted to the troll wife and did not display a sense of vulnerability towards her appearance; however, this is not parallel with the movie. In the movie when Beowulf goes to the swamp to visit the troll-wife, he is intrigued by her beauty, and when she promises that “[Beowulf] will forever be king, forever strong, mighty, and all powerful” (Zemecki) in return for a son, Beowulf accepts. When he goes back to Heorot hall, he asks Hrothgar, “Would you like to hear the story of my struggle against this monstrous hag?” (Zemecki). Hrothgar knows that she is no hag and then realizes that Beowulf was not being honest, and infers that he was indeed seduced by the troll-wife. It is here …show more content…
Beowulf is not a normal person, and his actions seem almost supernatural. In both the poem and the movie a swimming contest that he had with Breca is mentioned, and although Beowulf lost the race both competitors came very close. Beowulf explained how they swam “For five nights long” (416). During the race Beowulf wore a byrny which is made of metal and is very heavy. Having to overcome numerous obstacles throughout the five days and still come very close to his competitor is quite impressive. Specifically regarding the poem, when Beowulf goes to seek out the troll-wife, “Nigh unto a day he endured the depths” (990) For a complete day he held his breath which seems superhuman, giving him an advantage over others. In the movie it becomes apparent to the audience that Grendel is Hrothgar’s son with the troll wife, and that the dragon is Beowulf’s son with the troll wife. The same reason that Hrothgar was so sure that Beowulf was lying about killing the troll wife, is because he too was seduced by her and committed the same sin that Beowulf did. The only difference is that Beowulf fought the dragon himself, which is his monster. Beowulf dealt with the consequences of his own actions, as opposed to Hrothgar who is a coward and asked others to fight his monster. Towards the end of the