First, Beowulf crosses the sea to help king Hrothgar during an incredibly powerful storm. Many common men and even many other great men would have succumbed to Mother Nature’s fury, yet Beowulf makes it to his destination unharmed. Also, again one looks to Beowulf’s struggle against the monster Grendel. Not only does Beowulf fight and beat the monster, but he does so on his own and without any weapons, shields, or armor. 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.
The two inferior men endeavored many hardships throughout because of their loyalty to others. Courage, bravery, and determination are the key factors to following out Beowulf's and Wiglaf's plan of loyalty. Beowulf's theme centered around loyalty, thanks to the two superior characters who classify the true definition of what it means to be
The fact that not all thanes could be as courageous and have so many heroic achievements for their countries and rulers is why Beowulf seems so ideal and extraordinary. Beowulf's many achievements told throughout the story gives him the appearance of the most faithful of thanes, who has climbed the social ladder not because he has meant to do so, but because he wishes to protect his country and others and give all the credit to its rulers. This sort of behavior gives him a kind and generous nature that can be traced to a kind of chivalry. Chivalry can also be considered a very important role in the creation of a thane's reputation and popularity. Through Beowulf's chivalry, generosity, friendship, and popularity, all of his kingdom and of others knew him for his heroism and loyalty.
Noel Mendez Mendez 1 Mrs. Hinton English 3Period 2 August 31, 2012 Epic Hero Beowulf achieved many quest of tremendous value to himself and society. In the Epic From Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf did something that many people aren’t capable of doing. Beowulf proves to be a man of courage, leadership, and power and he can fit the image of an Epic hero in many ways. Beowulf was considered courageous during his lifetime because of everything he accomplished. Beowulf shows bravery in line 158 “… Death was errand.” He states that he will fight to his death.
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.
''And the riches he and Wiglac/ Had won from the dragon, rings, necklaces/ancient, hammered-all/ The treasures they'd taken were left there, to/ silver and jewels buried in the sandy/ground (849-854)''. This quote shows how much Beowulf values his treasures so much that he must be buried with them so that he could stay with them forever and so that no one else could possess
“Then Wiglaf went back, anxious to return while Beowulf was alive, to bring him treasure they’d won together. “ (45) 791. Even when Beowulf died, he still got treasure for the victory over the dragon, and another reward he got for his achievement was a holy ritual (funeral). An epic hero doesn’t have to be a superpower hero. But most heroes tactics, weapons, and courage to become heroes.
Through Beowulf’s characteristics, actions, and reputation, Beowulf displays many generic values of a hero. Some of these values include bravery, loyalty, strength, courage, and desire for fame. When it comes to exemplifying the values of the Anglo-Saxon culture from which he comes, three main traits stand out; bravery, loyalty, and strength. For a hero to show
Beowulf embodies the ideals of conduct that are highly admired in the Anglo-Saxon culture. His characteristics, traits and ideology are viewed as worthy of imitation by the Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf is physically strong, fearless, religious, and is fiercely loyal to his king. In the Anglo-Saxon culture great strength was something that people envied. The warrior Beowulf is “the strongest of the Geats … stronger than anyone anywhere in this world…” Beowulf’s strength is obvious to Grendel during their battle.
"A Selfless Hero" Many people recognize Beowulf as one of the greatest Heros of Anglo-Saxon times. And with his amazing accomplishments and feats of amazing strengths, this is not hard to believe. However, the epic, Beowulf, illustrates to great lengths what the character had to go through to succeed. Beowulf did everything in his power to win the fight, leading him to become one of the greatest Heros in Anglo-Saxon literature. A closer look at Beowulf's morals, thoughts, and actions will prove this opinion to be accurate.