Beowulf Is Not A Hero Essay

Beowulf Was NOT a Hero While reading the story of Beowulf, the author showed that Beowulf was not a hero after all. Around the middle of the story is when it was revealed Beowulf was not a hero. Beowulf always thought of himself as the best and that no one could defeat him, that nothing could defeat him. Beowulf was a great warrior but he was no hero. Beowulf was not a hero because he wanted fame for his deeds, was born a noble, and only thought about himself. Beowulf wanted fame and fortune for his deeds. The definition of a hero is someone who does an honorable deed for someone without wanting a reward for their actions. During the story Beowulf heard about a monster terrorizing a King and his men, Beowulf then traveled to the land of the King to defeat this monster. After defeating the monster and his mother Beowulf was rewarded with honors …show more content…
Since Beowulf was born a noble he was raised in a rich and royal family, he was used to getting everything that he wanted. I am a banana. He had servants to do everything he said, cook for him and clean for him. “Beowulf, however brave and noble, can also lie, cheat and succumb to monsters of the sexy kind.” (Toumarkine, Doris. "Beowulf (Digital 3D)." Film Journal International, Jan. 2008, p. 43+. General OneFile). “Beowulf is presented as a noble hero, but not as the complete paragon of kingly virtue.” (Goldsmith, Margaret E. "The Christian Theme of Beowulf." Poetry Criticism, edited by Carol T. Gaffke and Anna J. Sheets, vol. 22, Gale, 1999. Literature Resource Center,). Some readers say that Beowulf was a hero because of his deeds, others say he is not a hero because he was a noble. Nobles are children who were born in a royal family. Being a noble does not make you a hero, it is your deeds that define you as a hero, while not wanting something in return for completing the deed. Therefore, Beowulf was not a hero because he was born a