...Hero: a four lettered noun; the dictionary definition of the word 'hero' states that a hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character. Most times when people think of the word hero, the first thing that comes to mind is superhuman fictional heroes such as Superman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman, but a hero does not need supernatural abilities to be considered a hero. There are two types of heroes, fictional or nonfictional, and there are a plethora of different heroes in each category. Greek mythological heroes like Achilles and Oedipus Rex would be an example of fictional heroes and Vietnam War Veterans and Holocaust victims and survivors would be an example of nonfictional heroes. Although the two differ in realness,...
Words: 673 - Pages: 3
...hands. Beowulf, a classic heroic epic story from the Anglo-Saxons about a Geatish warrior who defeated three creatures: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon, was almost destroyed. Only one manuscript survived during that era, which was nearly burned. Thankfully, numerous translations and adaptations of this story have been created to make this influential epic a widely spread influence that has impacted future pieces of literature. Seamus Heaney made a translation of the original Old English poem into literature that is accessible to the contemporary English reader. The most recent adaptation was director Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf, which starred actors such as Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. Using “performance capture technology”, the movie uses digitally enhanced live action to make a world that looked animated. The movie stays faithful to the old story with the characters and events, but there are many differences that separate the film from the book. King Hrothgar is depicted not as a noble king, but a miserly man full of guilt. Rather than being portrayed as a noble hero, the Beowulf in the movie is a flawed character who succumbs to his desires. Grendel’s mother is a seductress who tempts Beowulf with promised wealth in Zemeckis’s version, and was originally a ferocious creature akin to Grendel. Compared to Seamus’s literature version, director Robert Zemeckis’s film Beowulf introduced humanistic flaws of sin and guilt through his portrayal of Hrothgar, Beowulf, and...
Words: 1559 - Pages: 7
...Hero A hero is one who places himself or herself at great risk while performing acts of courage. Not only is Beowulf a hero because of his physical strength, but rather than basking in the resulting glory, he gives the glory to God. Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life on the line for an entire kingdom. Beowulf's heroism can be seen when he takes 14 of the bravest in his land to go help Hrothgar. Hrothgar was Beowulf's father's close friend who had been plagued by attacks for twelve years that threatened an entire kingdom. Beowulf did not have to offer Hrothgar's kingdom help, but does so because he wants to uses his God given strength to the best of his ability. As soon as Beowulf heard of the troubles in this land he set sail immediately. Beowulf continues to show his thankfulness by thanking God for giving them safe travel across the sea. Beowulf is lead to Hrothgar and offers him is services. Beowulf is asked by the warriors to tell of his past defeats while eating in Hrothgar's palace. Beowulf is already a hero to the people of this land for he is about to rid them of their enemy. As an ultimate hero, Beowulf decides, to be far, he will not use weapons in his battle against Grendel since Grendel reputedly does not use them. "I do not consider myself a lesser fighter than Grendel does himself; therefore I will not kill him with a sword, and deprive him of life in that way.... No, this night we two will abstain from swords..." That night...
Words: 1233 - Pages: 5
...Beowulf and Heroism When the word hero is spoken or read the understanding is one of bravery and admiration. However, when one speaks of an epic hero, the definition is just a little different. An epic hero is legendary, may be of noble or divine lineage, is usually superhuman in strength, and intelligence. This is the hero of Homer and Ovid, and many ancient poets. This hero is also the image of the main character in the epic poem Beowulf. While Beowulf is of the epic hero of the poem, he is not the only hero for the term hero in early English had many values. Heroes could be kings, noblemen, or commoners, and could be male or female. The hero was one who had the virtues needed to be admired and adored. The main virtues of all heroes are strength, courage and loyalty, but add the superhuman strength and lineage and you get the epic hero. Beowulf, from the very beginning of the poem, is seen to be super human, and is known by Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, and the man Beowulf has come to help (Helterman 2; Sharma 251). It is understood that Beowulf is of noble lineage, and his father Ecgtheow had come to the aid and sworn allegiance to Hrothgar when Beowulf was but a child (Beowulf 372-373). It is because of this allegiance that Beowulf has come to lend his own warriors to the protection of Hrothgar. It is in this same point that the strength of Beowulf is said to be “the strength of thirty/ in the grip of each hand” (Beowulf 380-381). While this beginning shows...
Words: 1316 - Pages: 6
...Beowulf is introduced as a courageous and powerful warrior and hero. He is greatly admired and looked up to by many. This traditional story is about Beowulf coming to help Hrothgar king of the Danes to rid his kingdom of the wicked beast, Grendel. As the text says in lines 61-62, “Herot stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar”, that is until Beowulf came. He defeated Grendel but shortly after had to kill Grendel’s mother as well, for she was killing to avenge her lost son. Then many years pass and Beowulf is back in his homeland and has now been crowned the king. King Beowulf’s kingdom is peaceful until a dragon awakes and terrorizes his kingdom and Beowulf must battle one more time. Unfortunately, Beowulf...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...I consider Beowulf to be a hero because he has three fights, which Beowulf is either protecting or avenging his fallen comrades/villagers. The first being a brawl for the freedom or release of always being attacked and killed by the son of Cain (Grendel). As for the brawler the ruler of Heorot heard stories of a hero who had won in many battles and sent for Beowulf the great warrior of the Geats. Beowulf responds to Hrothgars call by showing up and throwing a party. The noise from the Viking party attracts Grendel who falls for the ambush set forth by Beowulf and his men. “Then he stepped to another still body, clutched at Beowulf and was instantly seized himself.” Beowulf never once picked up a weapon and fought earnestly with his hands...
Words: 771 - Pages: 4
...King Hrothgar was devastated when Beowulf left. So King Hrothgar went to Geats to visit Beowulf. He commanded his warriors to go get a ship ready for his journey to Geats. His ship was filled with bunch of food and water for his journey. After two days, King Hrothgar had finally reached Geats. He had heard that Beowulf was king now. Hrothgar was so proud of Beowulf. Hrothgar was so happy to see Beowulf after fifty years, but Beowulf was about to do something extremely dangerous. Hrothgar was worried, he had drops of tears trickling down his face, because Beowulf was about to go fight the Dragon in Geats. As a payment to the kings of Danes. Hrothgar said “Beowulf I am going with you to fight the dragon. Beowulf said “No it’s too dangerous,...
Words: 359 - Pages: 2
...The key character in the poem Beowulf, is a heroic and a legendary character whose actions are embodied to the Anglo-Saxon culture. As a hero he has the accepted and the most ideal characteristics that are accepted in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The tale revolves around these characteristics to make up an epic tale. Beowulf is moulded to possess the virtues, traits and beliefs that were highly respected and requires in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Therefore, is displayed to have these virtues in his own actions and words during different circumstances in the tale. Reading Beowulf brings out lots of similarities with many pieces of literature from the Ancient Greek and the Modern literature. The Beowulf carries is similar to many Greek dramas that focused on a protagonist who was turned out to be a tragic hero. There was an element of belief in the gods who had super- human powers and had unique and ultimate special skills of their own, and overcame unsurmountable problems. However, in Beowulf, there is no Greek or Roman gods, but there are other supernatural beings defined as monsters that exist and are difficult to win over. Beowulf is extra-ordinarily strong, agile, and super intelligent. He is portrayed as one who overcomes many obstacles and was able to kill Grendel and his mother and the others in the sea. In addition, the wide character list and meaningful names is similar to those of other types of literature of the early eras. The story of Paradise lost opens in hell. Satan...
Words: 2659 - Pages: 11
...Heroic literary characters are often an idealistic representation of what is valued in a civilization. These characters allow insight on the standards of the time in which the works were written. By exploring such roles, one is able to reach a deeper understanding of what heroism meant to those in the past. Beowulf, a medieval epic, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem emerging from the mid to late 14th century, exhibit protagonists that mirror the idealistic persona of their respective ages. Beowulf, in his namesake epic, steps up to face every challenge he is presented and performs a flawless display bravery and strength. Sir Gawain is a flawed, more human character, yet continues to strive for glory and the greater good. As a reflection of the ideal hero of their periods, Beowulf and Sir Gawain differ in their values, noble qualities, and the motivations behind their achievements. Beowulf establishes a clear-cut vision of the Anglo-Saxon heroic ideals- devotion to bloodlines, demonstrating one’s valor in battle, and accepting the spoils of war with...
Words: 2043 - Pages: 9
...Beowulf portrays many characteristics that are shown throughout his actions in the story. There are many different archetypes that can be used to represent Beowulf, but hero is by far the most prevalent archetype he shows. He endures many daring quests which back up the hero archetype, such as when he left his own land to protect the Danes and kill Grendel or when he slayed Grendel’s mother. Grendel was an evil monster who was hated by all of the people under king Hrothgar. Slowly Grendel started killing the common people of the Danes because of the rage he felt toward them for refusing to accept him into their community. They feared Grendel because he was a fiend out of hell (line 99-101). Eventually, Grendel started to construct his own types of raids on the mead...
Words: 643 - Pages: 3
...• The narrator tells us that a clan called the Spear-Danes, in "days gone by" (that's the past, to you) had some awesome heroic kings. • The first of these hero-kings is Shield Sheafson, who is basically awesome because he could rampage and pillage with the best of them—both on the battlefield and in the mead hall, if you get our drift. He is an orphan, but he eventually becomes king and then subjugates other nearby clans, making them pay tribute to the Spear-Danes. • Shield's son is Beow, a wise, prudent, valiant prince who sympathizes with the hardships his people have endured. • Shield dies in the prime of his life and is buried at sea in a ship loaded with wealth and treasures, according to the custom of the Spear-Danes. It sails off and nobody knows what happens to it. • Beow becomes king and rules long and well. He is succeeded by Halfdane, a warlord who has three sons, Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga, and one daughter. Halfdane's daughter isn't given a name in the poem, although we assume that she had one, but we do learn that she marries Onela, the king of the Swedes. • Halfdane's son Hrothgar is fortunate in battle and gradually amasses the most followers and wealth of any of the princes, so he becomes king after his father. • To consolidate his power, Hrothgar builds a grand mead-hall, Heorot Hall, which does dual duty as a throne room and a hangout for the powerful members of his "court." Okay, we say court, but it's really just a bunch of tough barbarians in grimy...
Words: 2117 - Pages: 9
...Taylor Armendariz Mr. Ryan English 4 9/20/17 Beowulf The epic Beowulf is by an unknown author. It is an epic about a warrior named Beowulf, who helps king Hrothgar defend his land against an ogre named Grendel. Another story by an unknown author is the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is a romance about a green knight who goes to a dinner party and desires to play a game. Both Beowulf and sir Gawain show bravery, courage, and strength in all that they do. Beowulf’s bravery is certainly not in question throughout this epic. From his victory over Breca in a swimming contest, to his final fall as a glorious king defending his kingdom, we see that bravery is an important aspect of his life. We see some of this bravery when...
Words: 690 - Pages: 3
...Boastful Hero An epic hero is a narrative poem telling the heroic deals of a legendary hero. An epic hero is a hero who fights many battles and loves to brag. In order to be an epic hero they have to have courage, loyalty, and boastfulness. First in the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf was courageous because he fought demons and monsters that many people would be afraid to fight. Beowulf showed courage when he fought three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. He proves that he is courageous by protecting his people no matter the consequences. He gave up his life when he was fighting the dragon because he wanted to protect his people. The epic hero fought the monsters and demons with no weapons; he only uses his strength, because...
Words: 375 - Pages: 2
...In the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, by an unknown author, “wergild,"(man price) is used throughout the story to illustrate the battles and deaths that take place. Commonly in the story, after a death, a wergild is demanded by a family member or friend of someone who was killed. The man price is owed by the one who caused the death. Wergild is crucial part of the Beowulf, allowing the story to progress on with it’s victories and loses of the epic hero himself, Beowulf. One of the first wergilds in the story is owed after Edgetheo killed a member of the Wulfing tribe. He would have had to face retribution if he did not pay his wergild. Edgetheo had to give something that was valuable enough to compensate for the man’s death. However, he did...
Words: 874 - Pages: 4
...literature, and his name was Beowulf. There are three overarching characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon heroes within the epics written of the time, and those are the hero’s boast, the hero’s superhuman abilities, and lastly the hero’s selflessness and bravery. I believe that the Anglo-Saxon characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero are shown through Beowulf, and he displays his glorious boasts, his amazing superhuman abilities, and his heroic moments of bravery and selflessness, because of his efforts shown in the text against his times of opposition. Anglo-Saxon heroes were known for their infamous boasts, Beowulf being a prime example of such. In the beginning of The Coming of Beowulf, Beowulf arrives before the king of the Danes, Hrothgar, and as such he must prove himself worthy to take on the task of defeating Grendel. Beowulf boasts of his accomplishments to that very king. Beowulf speaks of himself defeating the race of giants and driving five into chains, diving into the ocean at...
Words: 859 - Pages: 4
