The Characteristics Of Heroism In Beowulf As An Epic Hero

An epic hero is often described as the big hero in a story or reading and is also the main character. They often illustrate great qualities including strength, determination, and bravery. Heroes are said to always have a quest, sometimes more than one, and they most likely have helpers or assistants helping them through these quests. During these quests, the evil characters always seem to be after the hero. They must show the qualities of a hero or they would not be able to accomplish their quests thoroughly. In the story “Beowulf,” Beowulf was able to prove himself as an epic hero. He was able to show his heroism through many different battles, including the battle with the dragon, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf is treated …show more content…
During the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf was knocked down numerous times, but he was able to pull himself back up. This shows heroism because even though he gets knocked down several times, he’s able to show strength because he got right back up to start fighting. Beowulf did not have any weapons, so he swam to the bottom of the lake to get one of Grendel’s mother’s weapons to use against her. “A heavy sword, to be managed only by the best warriors, was within his reach” (GRENDEL’S MOTHER 1). Beowulf used this sword to cut Grendel’s mother’s head of off and kill her. Before actually leaving, Beowulf also cut Grendel’s head off to take back to the people of the Danes. Beowulf was granted many treasures for defeating them, and he also made sure that everyone in the Danes knew Grendel would not longer be tormenting them. (GRENDEL’S MOTHER 1) Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother shows he’s a hero because he brings back the head of Grendel and assures the people of the Danes that Grendel will no longer be bothering them. He also shows heroism because he defeats Grendel’s mother without using his own weapons he brought. Beowulf instead he uses a different weapon, therefore he still showed heroism by using other resources available to …show more content…
In this battle, Beowulf faced a dragon. He believed he was the only one who could possibly defeat this dragon. Beowulf let out a loud battle cry signaling he wanted to fight the dragon, and he was not scared to do so. Although he had to use a different weapon, he still showed heroism by using other resources that were around him. This shows Beowulf is fully aware of his surroundings. While fighting the dragon, Beowulf’s weapons started failing on him. His shield was burning, and the sword he was using broke because of the dragon’s tough skin. Since Beowulf’s weapons failed him, the dragon had the chance to fire back at Beowulf and nearly killed Beowulf. Beowulf was not the only character who was able to show heroism throughout this poem. When he nearly died, all of his followers fled, except for one. His name was Wiglaf. He never left Beowulf’s side while he was dying. While the dragon was firing at Beowulf, Wiglaf was waving his sword on the side to help distract the dragon for a while. Although it did not work, he had the bravery and determination to stay and attempt to help save his king. Wiglaf wanted to help his King and repay him for everything Beowulf had done for him in the past. Although Beowulf dies, Wiglaf was able to stay by his side through it all and make his death a less stressful