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.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a true hero? To be the one to earn the respect of others by having valor, or maybe by even having tons of courage by having the ability to do something that frightens you the most? b. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows these qualities of a true hero through his actions 2. Body paragraph 1- courage c. Topic sentence- how does Beowulf show courage d. Explanation- (the ability to do something that frightens someone) he shows it when he fights monsters and isn’t afraid to die e. Example- fights Grendel, fights Grendel’s mom, fights the dragon at the end, that effectively ends his life f. Analysis- but it could also be argued that it is not courage, just him trying to achieve a higher status and fame and to further inflate his ego.
Briana Period 5 Beowulf Essay The Great and Mighty Beowulf sailed his way to Hrothgar’s kingdom to help fight off vengeful beast terrorizing his kingdom, little did he know of the adventures ahead of him. Each battle he fought glorified his strength and being. For Beowulf opening up one door always meant a new quest. From dragons to sea witches Beowulf’s fought for the greater good of his people. Through out his battles the great and mighty Beowulf not only grew physically, but at mind as well.
Luke Molnar Beowulf Is Beowulf really a hero, or is he an over confident boastful fool? In the epic poem Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, the reader reads about an intelligent, confident, strong, and courageous man who is also quite boastful in some instances. Beowulf defines an epic hero by possessing supernatural strength, courage, and his will to fight for what’s right. A characteristic of a hero is the character must have an ability no one else in the story has. The reader sees how Beowulf possesses unbelievable and supernatural strength because Beowulf claims he can defeat Grendel with his bare hands.
Beowulf is no longer fighting for his safety, he is fighting for golf for his people. This shows he is maturing because he no longer cares about the good of himself, he now cares mainly about the good of his people. The battle he is next faced with is a dragon, which is a huge step for him considering he is only used to fighting smaller creatures. Beowulf is now maturing and just before entering the cave he tells his men “my heart is firm, my hands calm: I need no hot words. Wait for me close by, my friends“ (2530).
A true hero does not take all the pride in a heroic act instead a hero should be humble not cocky. A modern audience would consider him a monster because of all the attention he seeks, but a medieval audience considers this heroic because he puts his own life at risk to save everyone. The responsibility Beowulf had for killing Grendel became pushy and too far and taken in a gruesome way. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother was even more monstrous than the battle between Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf took a sword to the water cave where Grendel’s mother lived.
Inigo is the likeable drunk and the entertaining sidekick who has been trained as a swordsman in order to avenge his father. Lastly, Fezzik is the brawny giant that was hired as the muscle of the kidnappers. He is not very smart, but he is entertaining in his use of rhyme and generally sweet nature. Wesley must defeat each of these men in order to save Buttercup. He will be faced with three epic battles: the battle of skill, with Inigo; the battle of strength, with Fezzik; and the battle of wit, with Vizzini.
In his trials, Gawain faces a moral battle throughout the text. “True to the chivalric code, Gawain has not betrayed the lord; however, he feels guilty about keeping the green scarf” (Sir Gawain 83), this statement points out the moral trials and battles that Gawain faced, instead of the physical ones Beowulf did. In the outcomes, Beowulf kills his monster, however Gawain chops his monster’s head off but doesn’t kill him, “The knight did not falter or fall, but at once he sprang up on his strong legs and jumped into the crowd and snatched up his head by the hair and held it high for all to see” (81). Gawain isn’t able to kill his monster but later, destroys his monster with his morals. The monster being his pride and selfishness.
Ender also ponders his change when he purposely isolates his team member Bean, as a means to strengthen him later on. Ender himself is the dragon, as he is both wise and becoming increasingly more powerful with each promotion the adults bestow upon him. Ender also, similar to the dragon; symbolizes a major change; as he is the one destined to save mankind. Ender is also above the adults and humans who reason away their manipulative and violent actions behind a façade of morality. Ender only uses excessive force at times he deems completely necessary and is hesitant to engage in violence otherwise.
Wiglaf displays loyalty as he assists Bewoulf fight off the dragon. Beowulf is losing his magic touch as a leader and he knows that this battle between him and the dragon is going to end in his death. " Beloved Bewulf, remember how you boasted destroy your flame: fight to keep it, now, he strong and brave, my noble king, protecting life and fame together. My sword will fight at your side!,"(2663-2668). Wiglaf knows of the many triumphs Beowulf endeavors, and sees it as an encouragement.