Is Beowulf A Hero Or A Monster?

Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.

Countless people have tried to say that Beowulf represents the qualities required of an epic hero, but many people also suggest that Beowulf does not show any of these qualities. While Beowulf shows heroic characteristics in all of his acts, both pride and greed motivate his actions. The story of Beowulf contains all of the information needed to show this, but people do not notice that which they do not want to see.

Beowulf’s cruelty is never seen as such (except by Grendel’s mother), and that leads him to become an undefeated hero in the eyes of the people

Beowulf killed Grendel, and his mother to save the Geats. “Beowulf carried the head of Grendel / to King Hrothgar and the returns gift laiden / to the land of the Geats, where he succeeds to the throne” (Beowulf 666-668). Beowulf successfully saves the Geats from monsters terrorizing them, and he was throned for his accomplishments. Ultimately Beowulf was killed in his last fight against the dragon, saving his people one last time, and he is forever honored for that. “ Then twelve of the bravest Geats / rode their horses around the tower / ,telling their sorrow, telling stories / of their dead king and his greatness, his glory / ,praising him for his heroic deeds, for / a life as noble as his deeds” (Beowulf 830-835). Beowulf’s legacy will forever live with his people. Beowulf’s accomplishments molded his everlasting legacy he has among his people.

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 in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious

The next example of Beowulf being a hero, are his acts of friendship. Beowulf is able to relate to the people more through his friendship. He shows this when he talks to the king and the king says, “Beowulf you’ve come to us in friendship, and because of the reception your father found at our court” (Beowulf 222-223). This shows that the king was very grateful that Beouwlf made the journey and as a result the king saw Beowulf as a great friend. Beowulf shows his trait of friendship by coming to save the people of Hrothgar even though he did not have to. He wanted to because the people of Hrothgar are his friends and wanted to get rid of Grendel. All of these characteristics and examples show that Beowulf is a true hero by showing his trait of friendship.

Yes Beowulf was a “hero” but he didn’t have to kill someone in cold blood. When he felt the wrath of Grendel’s mother that was the pain and anger caused by him from killing Grendel. He could have banished him or blockaded him from the town. There were numerous things they could have tried to keep him from killing people.

A town called Herots is being attacked by a devilish monster named Grendel. Though they have defenses they need a hero to save them. This hero’s name is Beowulf. Son of Edgetho. A mighty man, greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world. Would come to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of Herots.

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.

In the book Beowulf, Beowulf, the main character, is a man of great strength and ability. He is depicted as a man of wisdom, and that he is a prince that comes from a kingdom that is well respected. He fights many battles, and is seen as a hero with glory to his name, but this does not mean that he is as flawless as he seems to be. Beowulf is a man who desires to help those in need, however, he is greedy for the glory and treasure that he will receive in thanks of his success. He is truly confident, but because of this he is impulsive, never questioning his ability to take on a task. He is also brave, he has almost no fear, but this tends to make him reckless. He is a hero to many, but he believes in himself in such a way that he acts foolishly, and it will eventually be the death of him.

Heroes are everywhere in human history. From modern examples such as Superman, The Avengers, to early history such as Hercules, or Ulysses. Beowulf is a great example of one of the early heroes written about. But what is a hero? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a hero as: "an object of extreme admiration and devotion; a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability." Beowulf has many of these characteristics including great strength, and is portrayed as a legendary figure by those who look up to him. Through the entire poem, he is the epitome of a hero and displays many heroic qualities. In the poem, it states: "He worked

Beowulf, an epic hero, is significant and glorified because of the heroic endeavors that he performs in. The poem stated, "They extolled his heroic nature and exploits and gave thanks for his greatness, which was the proper thing for a man should praise a price whom he holds dear and cherish his memory..." (II. 442-445). After defeating both Grendel and Gendel 's mother Beowulf was praised for it and defined as a true hero. The character, Beowulf, terminated a dragon who was woken by a goblet and was later wounded, threatening his life. For his everlasting bravery, the people of Geats and Danes admired him for his superhuman actions. Beowulf was noble to his people, so everyone set him out to be a

What others deem impossible, a hero makes possible. There are only a few great heroes that come about in this time and Beowulf is definitely one of them. He is a great warrior and leader, a perfect description for him. Heroes only came along once in a while in this culture but it was well known when they did.

Although boasting and bravery are strong qualities, you also need to have a little bit of a warm heart to be a hero. Beowulf is selfless, a important word to signify that he would do anything to protect others. The first quote to show of Beowulf’s selflessness is, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting Flames, stand till fate decides Which of us wins.” (638-639). This means that Beowulf is standing his ground until fate takes its course, which is selfless because he is giving his life up if that is what fate decides in order to rid of the dragon. Another notable text from the book is, “A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel. Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dance doubted the Victory.” (404-408). It can clearly be inferred that the people of the land were in ‘grief’, ‘sorrow’ and were ‘suffering’ because of Grendel. But, because Beowulf defeated him that grief and sorrow has been eased. Beowulf wants fame and fortune, but to also help the people who need it.