...English 2210-006 1 March 2011-Revised Beowulf as an Epic The Anglo-Saxon tale Beowulf was most likely written by a single poet from a Christian background. The poem as a whole exhibits the poet’s empathy for epic heroes like Beowulf, and for how they lived and died without the hope and consolation of the Christian faith (“Beowulf” 30-31). Beowulf is an epic poem that describes various characters and events from the sixth century, in particular the story of a brave warrior named Beowulf, his many heroic adventures, and his ultimate death. This poem originated from both legends and myths from other cultures that originally were passed down orally from generation to generation and then eventually recorded. By definition, an epic poem is a “long narrative poem in an elevated style that celebrates heroic achievement and treats themes of historical, national, religious, or legendary significance.” Some common characteristics of an epic that are obviously evident in Beowulf are the use of specific types of figurative language, the fighting of heroic battles against supernatural creatures, the unusual behavior of god-like heroes, and the array of geographical settings which are often included in a long journey (“Epic”). One characteristic of epic poems is the use of certain types of figurative language. One type of this elevated language is an epic simile, “an extended simile often running to several lines used typically in epic poetry to intensify the heroic stature of...
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...indication of an epic hero was found in the literary piece “Beowulf”. An epic hero is defined as a larger - than - life figure, who pits his courage, skill, and virtue against opposing, often evil forces. Beowulf is clearly the epic hero in “Beowulf” because he displays bravery and strength, as well as demonstrates that he is a smart Anglo-Saxon leader. The first trait that Beowulf showcases that makes him an epic hero is bravery. Driven by honor, Beowulf confronts Hrothgar with a proposition to fight the monster...
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...Willis 4/22/13 Beowulf: Epic Heroism There are many answers people will give if they were asked the question what makes a good hero. If myself were asked what makes a good hero, my answers would simply say courage, morality, honor, strength, unselfishness, and loyalty. Reading all of the works this semester; analyzing the characters traits of heroism, without a doubt the poem Beowulf displays the most epic heroism of all the works from reading this semester. David Aaron White said it best in his article; “In the poem Beowulf, one's value as a hero is built on what he has done, and what he will do or the good of other people” (Literary analysis: Heroism as portrayed in Beowulf). Compared to the others the character Beowulf, he represents the true qualities that myself look for in a hero. It’s not even close to me; also his faith in God and knowing that he is in control shows his tremendous character that a lot of people would love in a hero. Beowulf defines heroism, from his bravery, honor, strength, and unselfishness to put others lives before his, and in terms of positive morals he fits that description perfectly. In the epic poem Beowulf, “Much of this epic poem is dedicated to conveying and exemplifying the heroic code which values such attributes as strength, courage and honor.” (Beowulf and the Heroic Code). Beowulf heroic ways in the story cannot be ignored he had several amazing heroic displays in the story. Beowulf’s first display of epic heroism is his unselfish...
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...The movie and epic where both a must read/watch, to begin. On everyone's to-do list. The theme of both the poem and film had to do with courage and you can do anything you put your mine too but shows it different ways. I would like to quote a great man that really lived up to the theme, Dr. Martin L.King, Jr. that really reminded me of the theme of Beowulf”Life is not worth living until you have found something worth dying for”. An example in the epic of Beowulf he was not scared of anything and always won and killed terrifying sea monsters. even when time got tough he had the courage to go through the task even though he could’ve lost his life in the progress. In the movie, it was similar he was never scared not even of Grendel when he fought...
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...An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character that is admired for great achievements and known for being a warrior (dictionary.com). There have been plenty of heroes over the course of time, but many believe the most popular Anglo- Saxon hero, Beowulf, most perfectly fits into this category and truly defines what it means. At all times, Beowulf is never afraid to put his life on the line for the sake and protection of his people, which helped him gain approval from the people of his area. Throughout the course of the adventure and journey, Beowulf exemplifies what it means to be an epic hero showing loyalty, courage, intelligence, and selflessness in his efforts to save his people and achieve immortality. Beowulf proves that he is a great Anglo-Saxon epic hero through his loyalty. Loyalty was held paramount by...
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...Beowulf is a great representation of what an epic hero is. Throughout the story, Beowulf is painted as a very brave and courageous hero. He is able to slay many monsters that most men in his world cannot fathom. In the poem of Beowulf, he is introduced as a brave, determined, and loyal hero, and it is shown through the heroic deeds he displays throughout the poem. Beowulf has shown readers his bravery by losing his life to fighting a dragon when many have cowered at the thought. He has willingly put himself in danger to protect his people.”I sold my life for this treasure and I sold it well”.(pg.59 ).This proves Beowulf as an epic hero because it is selfless to give one’s life to protect a city. Would an ordinary person give his life to save...
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...Is Beowulf An Epic Hero? Beowulf, an epic hero came from Geats to the rescue of Hrothgar. The Mighty king of Danes whose kingdom was getting ruined by an evil monster, Grendel. Beowulf eventually defeats Grendel by cutting his head off. He shows his strength and brut by killing grendel with his bare hands. However, beowulf ends up meeting grendels mother. They fight in her underwater lair. Beowulf amazingly holds his breath for one whole day. Grendels mother was on a war path to seek revenge which ended for her by beowulf finding a sword giants once used and slays her. He stabs her in the neck. After beowulfs victory he returns home to Geats, 50 years pass. Beowulf finds himself in one last battle.There is an evil dragon that threatens to destroy the people Beowulf was sworn to protect. Beowulf fails at first.. He finds a lone servant , Wiglaf to help him battle the dragon. Wiglaf gets the dragon into the cave and kills it. Beowulf gets...
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...Beowulf, even before his epic journey, his name was very well known. Some knew him because of his father, a great warrior, and others knew him because of the victories he had won. These were great victories that had proven Beowulf to be a great man and a warrior. There was even a time Beowulf had lost a challenge, but was seen as a better man for it. Beowulf was in a swimming race with his friend Breca, he let Breca win because there was a storm and without Beowulf's help Breca would have died. Beowulf was known for this, but he was not known as a hero. It was not until Beowulf went to his calling, a calling to be a hero that his name went down in history. The Call The wrath of Grendel was known far and wide and so was the payment for...
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...Do you have a hero or role model that you look up to and strive to be like? In Beowulf’s time, he was the hero to many of his warriors and the type of person each of them wanted to be similar to before the end of their lifetime. Heroes like Beowulf had to be willing to face any challenges thrown their way and risk their lives for their people. Beowulf displayed all of these traits while still being respectable, kind, and intelligent. Beowulf was a true epic hero because of his bravery, loyalty to his men, and his strength. Beowulf was viewed as a hero by many because of his super strength and appearance. For example, in lines 109-113, the quote says “In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s follower and the strongest of the Geats – greater and...
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...Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Risking one's life is only one of the many traits of the heroic code. Both Beowulf and American soldiers have put their life at risk to help protect the safety of others. The main character, Beowulf, from the story Beowulf has all of these. He is the ideal hero, and is very comparable to our American soldiers. These heroes possess bravery, honor, courage, and strength. One does not outshine the other because they both are performing incredible tasks and putting themselves in danger. The traits that define a hero have not changed since the time of Beowulf to today’s heroes. Beowulf seems to fit into every category of defining a hero. He is strong, loyal, courageous, honorable, generous and the list could go on. All of these traits help define an epic hero. He left his home to seek out danger and help save his neighbors from Grendel. He did this not because he had to, but because of his generosity. He prepared to fight a creature no one before was ever able to defeat. His courage when going out and facing extreme danger made him a hero to the Danes. He not only fought Grendel, but he also fought with the swamp hag and the dragon, and he won both battles....
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...In the Old English epic, Beowulf, the book’s namesake, (Beowulf), is seen maturing from a young hero, to a wise king, and it is through this progression and growth that the old English bards developed Beowulf’s ultimate goal of eternal glory. From impressively defeating Grendel and liberating the Danes, to the revenge killing of Grendel’s mom, and even later by saving his nation through self-sacrifice, Beowulf captures the heart of those of the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian world to ultimately go down in history forever. Firstly; however, Beowulf had to start as the equivalent of a nobody to us, (the reader), and the world. All that is known is his quest to slay Grendel on accounts of its attacks on the Danish mead-hall, Heorot. “ ‘I come...
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...Throughout the history of human existence, scholars have wondered what characteristics found in ancient literature exemplified in their corresponding ancient societies and how these classical works influenced said cultures. One way to answer these questions is to look at famous literary works and the epic heroes that comprise them. Characteristics of epic heroes such as those found in Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Iliad, and the Odyssey often reflected traits that were seen as favorable within the societies in which they were written, which, in turn, led to these archetypal heroes greatly impacting surrounding societies. When comparing and contrasting epic heroes such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Hector, Achilles, and Odysseus, it becomes evident that...
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...Beowulf Essay Before the integration of written text, stories were transmitted exclusively through word of mouth, and, consequently had a short lifespan. Beowulf is a striking departure from these faltering stories, even as such it did not reach us unaltered. Beowulf edited by M.A Roberts, as a modern text, has obtained many attributes from the people who relayed the story, possibly so much it barely conveys the original authors intent. These unoriginal attributes are present throughout Beowulf’s epic hero journey, manifesting themselves within his resurrection, restitution and hubris. In the location and time where this story emanated from, Christians were oppressing and attempting to convert pagans, who were, in the Christian mind, a great evil, sometimes even thought to be a manifestation of the devil himself. Enter Beowulf’s conquering of an apparent evil, the dragon. Beowulf willingly sacrificed his life to spare and avenge humanity from the damage afflicted by this wretched worm who was aggravated by a sinful peasant. This Relates to Jesus dying on the cross freeing all people from their sins. As Beowulf dies he instills the dragons hoard upon Wiglaf. “’Now go quickly and gaze upon the hoard beneath the white rocks, beloved Wiglaf, now that the worm lies low in sleep’”(Roberts 86). This is Beowulf’s resurrection, reaching his low point when his liegemen abandoned...
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...Beowulf is a complexity to say the very least. This is one of the few recorded narratives that contains two clashing themes. The main reason why this happens is due to the small matter of two authors helping create the final product we have before us. The scop’s purpose when originally orally told was to inform society about its collective beliefs and its shared history. Hundreds of years later a Christian monk recorded this oral epic onto text with noticeable alterations to fit his purpose of spreading Christianity’s beliefs and values to society. This gap between the two author’s purposes is made even more blatant due to the egregious amount of time between the original oral poem and the altered version of the poem that was recorded by the...
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...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...
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