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.
One of the best examples that I can think of is when Beowulf fought Grendel and won. He stood bravely infront of the monster Grendel, and fought gallantly to victory. Without that time of terror, Beowulf’s true colors of Heroism would not have shown. To sum up everything that I just said, I think that Emerson would consider Beowulf a hero due to all of the battles that he fought gallantly and won. Not once in the story did Beowulf show a sign of weakness, even without any armor, he still fought bravely and
Beowulf possesses many of the traits of an archetypal epic hero; he is strong, humble, and willing to fight to death if necessary. One of the most obvious heroic traits of Beowulf’s is his strength, which is a vital feature in Anglo-Saxon heroes. Beowulf had the strength of thirty men and is blessed with strength beyond that of an ordinary man. Although strength is a key characteristic in defining an epic hero, it alone is not enough to define an epic hero (Greenfield 3). Along with strength, one must have other distinguishing traits to be considered an epic hero.
We can see that Beowulf shows courage when he is going to go fight Grendel. Beowulf gains leadership when he leads his men to victory over Grendle. He shows that he has power because he defeated a monster that nobody could defeat. Although Beowulf was undefeated, he came back one hundred years later to fight a dragon, but he failed and died. This can relate to many people in our society.
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one of the main characters, Gawain, goes against the typical qualities of a hero. Heroes are stereotypically thought of as brave strong men who fight for their stance on a presented issue and also save the day by their actions. However, Gawain goes against this stereotype by making the poem feel like a lighthearted comedy about heroism as he faces hardships. In addition, another character that faces challenges as a hero of modern world is Shrek. Unlike the difficulties Gawain faced, Shrek has managed gaining his house back and fighting for the woman he falls for.
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.
Loyalty Through the noble deeds performed in Anglo-Saxon originated epic, the ideal of loyalty is portrayed through the main character, Beowulf. Since he is the ideal thane, the failure of other knights to be as extraordinary as Beowulf makes him seem even more faithful and noble. Beowulf was loyal to all of his kin, kingdom, king, country, and his subjects. With this and courage he was a model thane, as well as king, for he was portrayed through the epic as the perfect warrior, and the most idealistic knight of his time. As described in the story, Beowulf is fiercely loyal; he has allegiance with all that are not enemies.
Mayra Vargas Period 3 Can’t Be Replaced Monster’s that can’t be harmed by a mortal’s weapon, or a battle against a fire breathing dragon; can you handle this alone? With your bare hands? Beowulf in many words is the archetypal epic hero in 4 characteristics. Beowulf is one of the very lucky, not only by being prince of the Geats but his story is being told from generations. A hero in a quest to fight for glory and the greater good of society.
First of all, the heroes demonstrated values that were considered important not only during fights, but also in daily life. Warriors in 700 A.D. were not known for their social etiquette, they were known to be rough and undisciplined. Epic poems were recited on long journeys to the warriors in order to modify their behaviours towards each other. Values such as courage, glory, generosity, loyalty and obedience were taught to them through the heroes talked about in the poems. In Beowulf, the hero Beowulf demonstrates all these values and more.
One of these customs was fighting everyone in sight. A king's power was not hereditary; it depended solely on his ability to win battles and so gain land, treasure, and slaves to give his supporters. He was obliged to fight and keep fighting. If not, he would find himself out of a job or deprived of his life, or both. Succession from father to son was never a foregone conclusion.