Michael Gormley
10/7/2014
British Literature
Mr.Rogai
Beowulf Beowulf is the embodiment of the typical hero. Strong, well-spoken, confident and successful. Beowulf enjoys success in all of his life, and should be seen as a willing hero. When examining Beowulf against Vogler’s types of heroes it’s obvious that he would be classified as a willing hero. Beowulf shows commitment, braveness and motivation throughout his encounters with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. When Vogler talks about a “willing hero” the main qualities he talks about are: commitment to the adventure, rarely, if ever, doubting himself, braveness and self-motivation. Beowulf shows all these qualities at many different times throughout the story’s plotline. The first encounter Beowulf has is with Grendel. Grendel, descendent of Cain emerged early in the plotline as the archetypal enemy. Grendel appears once the mead hall, called Heorot was built. When Heorot was built, and the Bards began to sing songs about the creation of the earth Grendel was angered. Grendel attacked Hrothgar and his town, and absolutely slaughtered over 30 people the first night. For over twelve years Grendel wreaked havoc on Heorot for over twelve years. After these long years, Beowulf, nephew of Hygelac, the Geatish king arrives to assist Hrothgar. Even in the first few lines when Beowulf is introduced you can see how confident he is. When Hrothgar’s men see Beowulf and his band who are “so fearless” and so confident
A hero can be defined in several ways. Someone can be considered a hero by the qualities he or she displays. The epic poem Beowulf, written by an unknown author, describes the most heroic man and role model of the Anglo-Saxon times. This hero Beowulf has all the qualities and traits that a true hero expresses. Beowulf, as depicted in the epic Beowulf, is the prototype of the epic hero, a larger-than-life figure who embodies the virtues and ideals of his culture.
Beowulf faced an overwhelming obstacle when he faced Grendel. Beowulf faces Grendel in the hall Heorot. Grendel is a man eating monster that killed many people in the nights before. Grendel is an overwhelming obstacle because he wasn’t able to be defeated even by groups of elite soldiers and Hrothgar combined. Also, Grendel was capable of committing mass murders in minutes. He fought with Grendel one night without a sword. Grendel ate a guard during that
Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.
Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they
Beowulf is a hero because of his actions in the novel. Heroic traits includes determination, physical strength, courage, loyalty, and leadership, which Beowulf demonstrated throughout the story. A quote from Beowulf shows an example of his determination, “…Fought with fate against him, with glory/ Denied him. He knew it, but he raised his sword/ And struck at the dragon’s scaly hide,” (Beowulf-Translator). Beowulf realized that there was a chance he would not win the battle, however his determination did not stop him from trying. Another quote from Beowulf shows his courage, “Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/ Against the monster,” (Beowulf- Translator). Beowulf fought against Grendel without any weapons, just his
Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.
Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in
Throughout the story, Beowulf displays many attributes of a hero. In the story Beowulf shows many characteristics of hero such as strength, courage, and intelligence. In the story, Beowulf displays these qualities of a hero in battles that he is involved in during the story. The battles Beowulf is involved in is how Beowulf earns his fame and gains these characteristics. In the story, Beowulf fights and defeats monsters around the different kingdoms in the story protecting the other humans in the story which leads to him being king.
A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.
Real hero knows how to communicate with people and gain their respect. Great example of true hero in the article, “Beowulf and Teaching of Leadership” by the authors Tom Loughman and John Finley. Beowulf represents a significant example of leadership. Being a hero does not require only physical strength, but it also need smart, humble person who can protect his people from any danger. Beowulf can be descried as perfect model of leadership. He had very strong personality physical appearance but he was humble with his people. His technic allows him to gain people’s respect. I realized after reading Beowulf story that not anyone can be a leader. There are too many requirements to be successful leader, which it appears in Beowulf personality. Beowulf teaches us important lesson about leadership, his character illustrates that strong leader must be fearless, wise, has strong confident personality and humble to get people’s love.
Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.
In the story Beowulf, the character, Beowulf shows a lot of characteristics of a hero. The story Beowulf is a story that has been told for generations. The story is about a brave warrior who slays monsters other mythical creatures with his bare hands. Throughout the story, Beowulf shows many signs of being a heroic person, such as his bravery, his strength, and his confidence and humbleness.
Beowulf had all the qualities that a hero has in every aspect. In the beginning of the story Beowulf arrived to Denmark where he met his new enemy. The people of Denmark were being attacked by a monster named Grendel. Their only hope was that Beowulf the fearless and honorable warrior in the universe would come to their rescue. Beowulf was the only man that was fearless of anything that came his way, and that included Grendel as well.
A good hero can be hard to find considering that there are many characteristics in being a hero. Someone willing to save others lives with no questions asked even if no reward is given. In the story Beowulf he is the stories main hero. He honors great strength and skill not only in battle but in himself.
He shows this right out of the beginning by offering to go to fight Grendel. Beowulf “heard how Grendel filled the nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out”. Beowulf proclaims that he only wants his men and him to fight the monster. He also says that he will not fight the monster with weapons, only his bare hands. When Grendel's mom attacks Beowulf is the only person to go down to her cave and fight her.