In Beowulf, the hero is referred to as "prince of the Geats" and "master-friend." This is not without reason: in the times of the epic, if you had the power, the spoils were yours. Therefore, those who wanted to be a skilled warrior had to demonstrate a leader's qualities as well as expertise in combat. As for the knights, they had their appointed ruler (King Arthur), and none thought of challenging him. Neither did any of the knights classify himself as a general; all of their feats were done single-handedly.
He does not reveal this fact, but uses it as an advantage, as get to increase his reputation and also seem more courageous than he actually is. Beowulf, withholding the true reason he chooses not to use a sword presents Beowulf’s character as a gloryhound. Because Beowulf chooses not to use a weapon during his man versus man physical conflict with Grendel, the reader gets to experience an unadulterated and fair battle between good and evil (theme). The reader witnesses the battle between Grendel’s claw, which embodies the suffering and terror of the Danes, and Beowulf’s fists. The completely level battlefield reinforces the good versus evil theme, as darkness goes face-to-face with its most powerful adversary yet.
He travels far and wide, telling tales of his exploits and undertaking new challenges in the name of his king. Beowulf is a hero because he puts himself in harm's way for the benefit of others. Beowulf's first heroic exploit is his selfless defense of Heorot from the rampages of Grendel. Although Heorot is not his own hall, Beowulf is willing to protect its people and possibly die in the attempt. Upon arriving in Heorot, Beowulf announces, "And so, my request...is that you won't refuse me, who have come this far, the privilege of purifying Heorot.” (Lines 427-431).
Beowulf satisfies the idea in which Ambrose Redmoon recognizes, “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”. Sitting awake in uncertainty, Beowulf decides to fight the hideous creature, Grendle, in order to aid the terrorized Danes. Prior to the battle with Grendel, Beowulf declares, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting/Flames, stand till fate decides/Which of us wins” (l. 637-639). Beowulf faced the dragon bravely even though “[He] did not know when he challenged the dragon how his end would come” (Ogilvy and Baker 70). The poem recurrently gives evidence to Beowulf‘s extraordinary strength.
David defeats Goliath In “David and Goliath”, David’s will to survive is based on his faith that God has plans for him, and his people. David’s will to survive is shown by the actions he takes to help his tribe survive. He steps forward to fight Goliath when no one else would. David, a shepherd boy, volunteers to fight Goliath saying, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (“David and Goliath” n.pg.). In the quote the weapons that Goliath has represent the true physical danger involved.
Although they don’t know much how to pronounce the words, they are good at grammar and writing composition. This result still affects me when I learn English in the Unites States because of my habit. I feel feared to pronounce something wrong that make the people will laugh at me so I decide to use writing to express my thoughts. The relationship between reading and writing is a strong and important connection. Without reading, you can’t become a good writer because you don’t know how to gather your ideas in words.
The green knight appears to be arrogant and challenges the king and his companions to take his challenge. The green knight is clever because he plays on their pride to get them committed to his game. King Arthur promises to take the game even if he doesn’t know what it is yet. This is the story of Sir Gawain first adventure as a knight who takes a challenge that he is not very sure about. At this point in the story, Sir Gawain who is also Arthur’s nephew asks the king to allow him to take the challenge.
Gawain's adventure demonstrates the medieval idea that man should strive for perfection even if he can’t reach it. Beowulf, however, is victorious. He is able to defeat the monster and save his people, even if at the end he loses his life. In these two stories, Beowulf is perfect and god-like. Though sir Gawain can’t reach perfection, but it’s more
During these time periods, a hero was usually a great a warrior who sacrificed oneself to protect their king and kingdom. In addition, culture, religion, chivalry, and traditions played a vital role in the work of these early heroes. This was seen numerous times in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where both characters frequently prayed and followed the Code of Chivalry. In contrast, a hero today would portray few— or none— cultural or religious elements. Usually, present-day heroes would acquire the label by depicting some sort of supernatural, phenomenal, or superhuman trait that a normal person would not obtain.
If that doesn't sell you, then consider the fact that Arthur manages to command exceptional loyalty from his knights so much so, in fact, that even when Arthur attacks Launcelot's castle, Launcelot declares himself unwilling to do battle with the king who made him a knight. Arthur wouldn't command all this loyalty and respect if he weren't doing something right. It's certainly not that he's a great fighter. True, he leads his troops into battle without hesitation. And yes, the guy is totally brave and polite.