This paper will tell examples and reasoning of why Beowulf is all of these things. An epic hero is one that stands out among all the rest. Even after hearing many stories of Grendel’s wrath, he still planned to fight the best without any hesitation. The reader would believe this is an example of a very brave fighter. Beowulf shows his abilities and proves brave enough as he resolves to kill the “lady monster”, (excerpt page 40).
Compare and Contrast Essay Is every epic hero the same? Beowolf is one of the greatest epic stories I have ever read. This story talks about a great warrior that wasn’t scared anything. He lived for the new challenges the world would bring him. His goal was like every epic hero at the time, the goal; was to fight, help people, and get rich and famous.
Beowulf depicts the traits of an ideal hero. He can be described as a fearless fighter with tremendous strength and an honorable man willing to risk it all. The strength of Beowulf is similar to the almighty power of thirty men. For example line 111 quoted, “And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world.” Beowulf was easily compared to superheroes only seen on TV! He is brave, and he has confidence bordering on absurdity.
He had help by means of his followers and the princess. Nothing like William Wallace, Gilgamesh fought the monster by himself. Gilgamesh fought to save his friend and became famous for that. Their challenges were successful because they meet their goals. William Wallace was wrath at the British for killing his wife.
He knew that he may have died, but he lead his men into battle anyway. He also showed bravery when he crossed through the strait because he knew he was risking being killed by Scylla and Charybis. "‘Friends, have we never been in ... danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had!
In Beowulf, Beowulf sails over and kills Grendel. When he attempts to kill Grendel’s mom, they think he has died because the water turns red. The only men who have unwavering faith in Beowulf are his soldiers. Beowulf swims up with the head of Grendel and the sword of the giants, proving all the doubters wrong. “Wordplay” has some of the same similarities when it comes to belief.
Beowulf could slay the greatest monster of all, Grendel. Beowulf killed Grendel; Grendel had never come to such a match among a stronger person "That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder". This shows the physical strength that Beowulf embodied. And Beowulf also shown honors of a warriors when he defeated Grendel. Beowulf was fearless of all opponents and fought to defend his fame and glory.
In the battle with Grendal’s Mother, Beowulf’s mortal sword was also unsuccessful in killing this beast. However, prior to the battle, Beowulf was able to use a sword that had been made by Giants. This “blessing” on the sword is what abled Beowulf to defeat Grendal’s Mother. Lastly, in the fight with the Dragon, the fire from The Dragon melted Beowulf’s shield. Thus, leaving him with no protection.
Each battle is a representation of good vs. evil. He fights Grendal who is a hideously gruesome monster that would feed on the people of Denmark. He battles Grendal’s mother who kills the king’s closest friend for revenge, and the dragon was guarding a treasure and would kill any man who dared to pass. Another example of how the battles are similar is that Beowulf cannot kill his enemies with normal weapons. In the fight with Grendal, his men’s swords could not penetrate Grendal’s skin.
Beowulf was a powerful, noble man. His strength was great, and so was his knowledge of battle. He was the only man on earth that had any chance of killing Grendel. He decided to set up an ambush at the Great Hall and wait for Grendel’s next attack. Grendel had no idea that Hrothgar had called upon Beowulf to slay him.