Heroic Beowulf Essay

Improved Essays
Heroic Beowulf Society defines a hero in many different ways. Heroes stretch from firefighters to cancer survivors. Being a hero can mean different things to different people. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, a hero is defined by his courage and strength.
In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf show's heroic courage in the epic poem through his Bravery. He demonstrates his bravery in three ways throughout the poem. First, he saves the Geats by defeating the monster Grendel, who is described as "grim and greedy, brutally cruel," in weapon less battle. After, He then goes to the lair of Grendel's mother and decapitates her. Years later, when Beowulf is an old man, he goes head to head with a dragon that is terrorizing his people. This battle
…show more content…
In Beowulf's battle with Grendel, Grendel's tough armor "blunted every mortal man's blade," but Beowulf uses his incredible strength to rip off Grendel's arm, with only his hands. Beowulf's strength is also shown when he picks up a sword "so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length." He then uses the sword to cut Grendel's mother's head off. After chopping the head off, it takes four men to carry the head back to Herot. Beowulf, showing his heroic strength, took the head and tossed it on the table for the Danes to see. Beowulf carried the head that took four men to carry before him. Beowulf uses his strength to protect the weaker people that attribute makes him a hero to the Angle-Saxon's community.
In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffle, Beowulf has many qualities that contribute to his being known as a heroic figure. Beowulf is described as a courageous fighter and a man of great strength. He is brave and has confidence in himself. Beowulf’s journey of heroic battles make him look like a hero, but does he have the most moral

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Heroism In Beowulf Essay

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages

    In a world that is constantly evolving, the traits and actions of a hero adapt over time. What constitutes as heroism in one culture could be cowardice in another. In terms of literature, Beowulf has stood the test of time and has consistently been regarded as the epitome of heroes. While the character for whom the epic is named after performs a few daring deeds, what sets Beowulf apart from others is the exploration of his heroism in two distinct phases. The beginning of the tale starts with Beowulf in his youth; he is strong, brave, quick to volunteer to do what needs to be done.…

    • 2325 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Heroes In Beowulf

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A hero is someone who’s loyal to his men, his followers and kingdom. Beowulf’s loyalty is demonstrated when he is willing to risk his life for the safety of his kingdom and his warriors. ”As his words ended, He leaped into the lake,” by Beowulf jumping into the lake and being gone for hours on end his kingdom and warriors thought he was definitely dead. This lake was not normal the kingdom described…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The epic poem Beowulf tells a story of a hero coming from a different land to lift the shroud of evil off Herot. Hero’s in an epic poem must exemplify traits of bravery, strength, courage, and the want to achieve immortality through heroic actions and deeds. In the poem Beowulf the main character Beowulf exemplifies all of these traits. Bravery, all epic heroes possess this trait especially Beowulf. The beginning of the story, Grendel travels into Herot and kills thirty people.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Beowulf Hero Quotes

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Prompt one I believe that Beowulf Is a hero because unlike cowards he stands up for himself as well as others. Beowulf shows that he upholds about 5 ethical codes varying from bravery to strength, all because of his heroic actions. Beowulf is called on in a town to come and save everyone from Grendel and the dragon.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dad vs. Beowulf My dad and Beowulf are both examples Heros. What it means to be a hero is to have courage, bravery, selflessness, humility, patience and caring. The definition of hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Superhero In Beowulf

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beowulf has traits of a superhero. Superheroes have been around for years and they show traits of Anglo-Saxon heroes for example loyalty, valor and larger than life strength. A lot of people say Superman is the first superhero but I would say Beowulf an Anglo-Saxon hero who shows so many traits of a superhero. Some people opinion is that Beowulf was the first superhero. Beowulf was made around 1000 AD, nine hundred years before the golden age of superheroes.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf is an epic poem revolved around the theme good versus evil and how Beowulf is considered a hero. To begin with an epic poem is a narrative about heroic deeds. Beowulf demonstrates this by Going on the hero's journey. He is brave and skilled warrior that once hearing of Grendel's destruction goes to slay him. In the narrative Beowulf, warriors follow the heroic code: having strength, courage, generosity, and honor.…

    • 1757 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, Beowulf was depicting true heroism for his country and to the people by slaying the dragon. Beowulf searched for problems however real heros allow problems to find them. The heroic trait in beowulf only sought out problems because the people that looks up to him in his country would die if he didn 't. Beowulf is considered as an epic hero all of his action were for the sake of his people. However, all his goals and…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf is a poem of epic proportions. Beowulf came from his homeland to Herot to help the Danes and king Hrothgar avenge the terror of Grendel. Beowulf had superhuman strength and used his power to gain money and glory from other people. He shows great power and courage when he is dueling with Grendel after, he realizes that weapons are impenetrable to Grendel and his mother. Therefore, the only way he could defeat him was in a hand to hand battle.…

    • 844 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Beowulf, Beowulf, the main character, is regarded as a hero. He is known throughout the Land of the Danes and the Land of the Geats as fearless and courageous when he comes to their aid to help slay Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and a Dragon. Beowulf’s heroism is exemplified in two phases: the first is youthful heroism and the second is mature heroism, once he is crowned King. Throughout his life, Beowulf helped not only his own people, but also those in other lands. People look up to him for his great strength and the ability to never back down from a challenge, even when he knows fate might bring him to his death.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proverbs are short sayings that offer a general truth or good advice. Joseph P. Kennedy said one proverb that is quite significant: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This phrase simply means that strong people do not give up when a challenge arises, but rather, they will work harder to overcome it. Beowulf epitomizes this maxim during his battles with Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In, Beowulf, we follow the story of the Hero, Beowulf. Beowulf is a classic hero, he is strong, mighty, selfless, and driven to do good. He chose the path of Heroism for the majority of his life, and he only swayed right near the end when greed and self confidence corrupted his way. In the beginning of his story…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    His inclination to want to aid others and his commendable reputation makes him the embodiment of an idol for his people. Beowulf exemplifies the qualities of an epic hero due to his immense bravery,…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Human Traits In Beowulf

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages

    His willingness to sacrifice his life for his people is yet another characteristic of an epic hero. The first major example of Beowulf’s bravery is presented to the reader when he decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands saying, “I have heard, / too, that the monster’s scorn of men/ is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I” (166-169). In this instance, Beowulf presents his bravery by stating that he refuses to fight Grendel with a weapon, simply because Grendel would not be using one. Beowulf knows that there is a possibility that he could get hurt, or even worse die, but his bravery and willingness to protect others overpowers those thoughts.…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays