Beowulf Heroism Essay

Hero Beowulf is a long and intriguing poem that keeps you interested and makes it easy to follow each line. I chose the word hero for this poem. The word hero is used many times throughout the poem and the whole poem revolves around the hero Beowulf himself and all his heroic deeds. Heroism is the most important concept in Beowulf. Beowulf is a fierce and strong warrior and feels obligated and responsible for defending his people as a hero would do. He carries out his heroic actions with determination and with bravery. Beowulf is brave, strong, wise, and skillful. He also has great instincts and is intelligent although he does have his faults like any hero would. Beowulf is also a confident in every battle like a true hero. Beowulf proves that he is a hero in three battles throughout the poem, he first battles …show more content…
They provide their people with a sense of security and they always display honor. Beowulf is willing to put himself in danger, and he accepts the challenge of fighting the monster, Grendel, to help the Geats and to honor his father who pledged his allegiance to Hrothgar after a feud between them had been resolved. "Living his life-days, his Lord may face, and find defense in his Father’s embrace!" This act shows Beowulf's strong sense of duty, which is yet another heroic characteristic.
Beowulf is a strong, courageous and loyal human being, which is why he is indeed an ideal hero. One reason that fits the traits as an ideal hero and why the word hero is significant in this poem is because he leaves his homeland to protect King Hrothgar and the people of his kingdom from Grendel. Beowulf is not called, begged, or summoned to help Hrothgar; instead, he makes the heroic choice of his own to help the king of Denmark rid his country from a horrible demon. The only king if person that would go and face a demon creature, destroy it, and give peace of mind to a king is an ideal