Exploring the Heroism of Beowulf F. Scott Fitzgerald once penned, “Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy,” and, in the case of Beowulf, this stands true. Known as the “Mother Poem of England,” Beowulf was written between 700-1000 AD by an anonymous source. It most likely originated as an oral tradition, and was passed on from generation to generation. Throughout the reading of the tale, the reader learns that the namesake character is essentially an act of divine providence – he is a gift from God, bestowed upon the Danes in their time of need. From his entrance into the story, Beowulf exhibits many quintessential characteristics of a hero: he possesses unequivocal strength, is impossibly fair, and embodies the entirety of the Anglo-Saxon society during this time period.
In any case, one of the chief heroic features of Beowulf is his brute strength in battle. He has no obvious flaw, and when first introduced, he receives the praise of being “…a good man among the Geats.../ he was of mankind the strongest of might in …show more content…
This work reflects the time period in which it was written, when the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons was hardly complete. Although the text of Beowulf is riddled with Christian references, there is almost no sense of a loving, merciful, Christian God in the poem. The Christian ethic of forgiveness and altruism is hardly praised in the work, and God becomes synonymous with wyrd, the pagan idea of fate. Though some would use these as interchangeable words regardless, definitively, this is not possible. This combination of competing beliefs from Anglo-Saxon society in Beowulf make him a hero, by allowing each member of the audience (at least at the time) the chance to relate, or better understand him as a character. This is not an easy task to conquer as an author, and makes Beowulf more of a round, than a flat
In any case, one of the chief heroic features of Beowulf is his brute strength in battle. He has no obvious flaw, and when first introduced, he receives the praise of being “…a good man among the Geats.../ he was of mankind the strongest of might in …show more content…
This work reflects the time period in which it was written, when the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons was hardly complete. Although the text of Beowulf is riddled with Christian references, there is almost no sense of a loving, merciful, Christian God in the poem. The Christian ethic of forgiveness and altruism is hardly praised in the work, and God becomes synonymous with wyrd, the pagan idea of fate. Though some would use these as interchangeable words regardless, definitively, this is not possible. This combination of competing beliefs from Anglo-Saxon society in Beowulf make him a hero, by allowing each member of the audience (at least at the time) the chance to relate, or better understand him as a character. This is not an easy task to conquer as an author, and makes Beowulf more of a round, than a flat