He is prepared and ready to fight the creature who threatens his new friends army. Ultimately Beowulf defeats Grendel and his name is praised forever in the land of Hrothgar and his people. This fight is clearly not over for Beowulf and his men. The next night an even worse creature emerges and kills a very esteemed member of Hrothgar’s society. Beowulf is disturbed from rest to come help Hrothgar again.
The three heroes discussed here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur, are heroes for different reasons. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation is different than then other two. To Sir Gawain personal honor and valor is what is important. King Arthur, Sir Gawain's uncle, is naturally the quintessential king of the medieval period. Though all men to a certain extent share the same qualities, some are more pronounced than in the others.
His tragic flaw is evident throughout the novel thinking he can win them all. Beowulf defeats the evil monster Grendel and his mother with ease. However, when it is time to battle the dragon, his pride causes him to be defeated. Beowulf is portrayed as a classic epic hero and, like many other heroes of the time, has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to his demise. Beowulf possesses many of the traits of an archetypal epic hero; he is strong, humble, and willing to fight to death if necessary.
I swam In the blackness of night, hunting monsters Out of the ocean, and killing them one By one (153-158) Beowulf proves fearlessness; he can defeat any possible rival that faces him. When stating his past experiences in battle, Beowulf exemplifies how he can take down five enormous giants one by one, even with the darkness of night. Being able to defeat five large giants shows that Beowulf can handle the unruliness, terror, and power of only one savage, Grendel. Along with the quality of fearlessness, a warrior must
He is finally able to make meaningful use of his heroic abilities when he gets the call for adventure. The first call is made evident when Beowulf hears of the troubles in the hall of Heorot in Denmark. An angry beast by the name Grendel has been entering the hall in the middle of the night and taking the lives of many men. The hero’s acceptance to this adventure is purely willingly because Hrothgar, the king of Denmark, once did a favor for Beowulf’s father. The second call for adventure comes from Grendel’s mother who is seeking revenge for the death of her son.
Beowulf shows bravery in line 158 “… Death was errand.” He states that he will fight to his death. He will not back up from his fight with Grendel even if it might cost him his life. Beowulf also shows courage in line 154 “… I drove five great giants into chains.” By Beowulf’s statement he shows how he is not afraid of fighting anyone. Beowulf shows courage which makes him fit the image of an epic hero. Beowulf is also considered to be a leader.
This epic poem illustrates the journey and hardship of one Anglo-Saxon warrior named Beowulf, who because of his journey became known as one of the respected heroes of the Anglo-Saxon times. Throughout his journey, Beowulf stumbled upon endless battles with ferocious monster trying to terrorize his king and kingdom. Beowulf was one to never give up on anything or anyone no matter the circumstances. Beowulf is an authentic hero according to the code of Anglo-Saxon times because he is courageous, loyal, and determined.
This truly exemplary feat is pictured to us when the book says, “[Beowulf] stopped those claws/ In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel/ Closer.”(50) In addition Beowulf also swims for hours to find, battle, and kill his enemy that was Grendel’s mother. Here, the hero had to lift a Giant-made-sword off the wall to kill the beast. Any lesser man would surely have been defeated and never seen again. Swinging the sword, Beowulf beheaded both Grendel and his mother, ending them forever. Finally, Beowulf even manages to find courage greater than other men when he faces down a full-blown dragon in his old age in order to save his kingdom.
This gives him the false sense of security that he so willfully stands behind. Macduff and Macbeth get into a long, vicious sword battle that nearly ends when Macbeth has the opportunity to kill Macduff, but he doesn’t kill him because he decides against it. Macduff tells him that he wasn’t borne from a woman, and they start to fight once again. When Macduff finally kills Macbeth, he puts Macbeth’s head high into the air and exclaims, “Hail, king! for so thou art: behold, where stands/ The usurper’s cursed head: the time is free:/ I see thee compass’d with thy kindom’s pearl, / That speak my salutation in thei “Blood is thicker than water,” because Macbeth and Lady Macbeth could never successfully r minds; / Whose voices I desire aloud with mine: / Hail, King of Scotland!” (5.8.4).
Beowulf has come to Hrothgar’s kingdom to kill Grendel, who has been haunting the kingdom and no warrior could defeat him. Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all. Beowulf’s battle with Grendel was a great one, he fought Grendel with nothing but his bare hands and emerged victorious by ripping off Grendel’s arm, “so hard, they all said, that not even the sharpest of swords could have cut it through, broken it off the monster’s arm and ended its life, as Beowulf had done armed with only his bare hands.” Beowulf’s strength is a key part to is heroism; After Beowulf killed Grendel he went to battle his mother because she was seeking revenge for her son’s death. Beowulf succeeds in slaying Grendel’s mother by chopping off her head, he then carries her head back with ease while it takes four regular men to lift her head.