Beowulf the story of a brave soldier who fought off the evil monster Grendel and his mother. This warrior is Beowulf, a hero of Herot. Along with being a hero Beowulf shows many of the characteristics of what many would call a hero. He is generous and strong, and shows ingenuity just to name a few.
Beowulf is very muscular and almost supernaturally strong. In lines 776-818 it is described how Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off. (Raffel, 35) Ripping someone’s arm off is no easy task, especially a monster the size of Grendel. In lines 984-988 the book states that Grendel’s claws were as sharp as steel and that his skin has so hard and tough that no sword could have cut through it. (Raffel, 42-43) This section of the book makes it apparent that …show more content…
He devises a plan to lure Grendel into Herot and into a specific place so that he can then defeat him. He also made the choice of abandoning his weaponry. When he realized that swords could not cut through Grendel’s skin he decided that it had to be done a different way. He decided to grip Grendel’s arm and twist it off.
Beowulf is also willing to sacrifice himself. He sailed to Herot and offered to defeat Grendel completely by choice. He knew that there was the possibility of dying. He had heard the stories of Grendel snatching up people and eating them, but chose to come to the aid of Herot anyway. He told the king “When we crossed the sea, comrades knew and I, I already knew that my purpose was this: to win the goodwill of your people or die in battle, pressed in Grendel’s fierce grip” 632-636. (Raffel, 29)
Overall, Beowulf shows many characteristics of a hero. He is brave, smart and humble. He demonstrates this throughout the book Beowulf. Although today’s version of a hero might be someone who flies or can jump over tall buildings in a single bound, the characteristics of a hero have not changed very much. Today’s literature still shows common hero characteristics from
Beowulf is very muscular and almost supernaturally strong. In lines 776-818 it is described how Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off. (Raffel, 35) Ripping someone’s arm off is no easy task, especially a monster the size of Grendel. In lines 984-988 the book states that Grendel’s claws were as sharp as steel and that his skin has so hard and tough that no sword could have cut through it. (Raffel, 42-43) This section of the book makes it apparent that …show more content…
He devises a plan to lure Grendel into Herot and into a specific place so that he can then defeat him. He also made the choice of abandoning his weaponry. When he realized that swords could not cut through Grendel’s skin he decided that it had to be done a different way. He decided to grip Grendel’s arm and twist it off.
Beowulf is also willing to sacrifice himself. He sailed to Herot and offered to defeat Grendel completely by choice. He knew that there was the possibility of dying. He had heard the stories of Grendel snatching up people and eating them, but chose to come to the aid of Herot anyway. He told the king “When we crossed the sea, comrades knew and I, I already knew that my purpose was this: to win the goodwill of your people or die in battle, pressed in Grendel’s fierce grip” 632-636. (Raffel, 29)
Overall, Beowulf shows many characteristics of a hero. He is brave, smart and humble. He demonstrates this throughout the book Beowulf. Although today’s version of a hero might be someone who flies or can jump over tall buildings in a single bound, the characteristics of a hero have not changed very much. Today’s literature still shows common hero characteristics from