Beowulf Is An Epic Hero Essay

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Beowulf, is considered as an epic hero in literature, but what exactly makes
Beowulf, so great? He is brave, ambitious, charming and strong. Even though Beowulf has many great characteristics of a hero, some may not consider him a hero at all.
Beowulf did many contradicting things that would make modern people not acknowledge him as a hero. Beowulf killed Grendel, and that was his greatest kill, but he lied about the amount of monsters he has killed. Beowulf boasted multiple times, and that made him sound a bit egoistic. It seemed like Beowulf killed Grendel and Grendel’s mother because he just wanted to achieve something so, great that no man would ever think is possible. I firmly believe Beowulf is not an epic hero, and no one should
recognize …show more content…
Later in the story, he changed the number of monsters he had slain in the sea.
Beowulf boasting about his great achievements throughout the story does not seem heroic. “When we were young boys Breca and I boasted that one day we would test our strength at sea;and we did when we spoke in our youth” He literally admits to boasting. Beowulf boasts about his many achievements of killing monsters, especially
Grendel’s death. “Then Beowulf son of Ecgtheow, spoke, recounting the details of his battle with Grendel. Unferth,too, was present, but he made no more boastful speeches, now have seeing the monster’s dismembered hand with its steel- like claws”.
Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother and gives the king part of Grendel. “Behold of this token of victory. I nearly perished for the great sword Hrunting proved ineffective in my struggle against the fiend, but at last I saw an old and mighty sword hanging on the wall, and with this sword I slew the enemy. Her blood melted the great sword’s blade, but the hilt I have carried away as a sign that henceforth your men may sleep peacefully sleep in Herot”. This shows how Beowulf acknowledges Grendel’s and Grendel’s

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