Beowulf: The Qualities Of An Epic Hero

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In the Anglo Saxon time period, an epic poem, Beowulf, was written by an anonymous Poet. The Protagonist, Beowulf, presents a phenomenal epic hero example throughout the adventures he embarks upon. The epic hero traits audaciously represented in Beowulf’s loyalty, superhuman strength, devotion to duty, and bravery.

Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, all of which are heroic deeds that no one else was able to surmount or willing to take on. The foes that beowulf fought were all beyond superhuman strength and capabilities. Beowulf performed these deeds for the good of others which can be seen as other qualities of an epic hero. In the poem, Beowulf presents himself constantly with the thought of him being brave. “I’ve never known fear, as a youth i fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but i will fight again, seeking fame still.” (ln 607-610 pg 62). As a typical trait of a hero, Beowulf is concerned with his reputation, and thus volunteers to terminate Grendel for nothing more than the glory of doing so. Beowulf states, “this was my determination in taking to the ocean../that i should once and for all accomplish the wishes/of your adopted people, or pass to the slaughter, / viced in my foes grip.” (632-636) Even with the enormous amount of confidence Beowulf possesses, he understands that fate will work its magic no matter what and he could be killed at any point in his life. He faces that reality by showing no fear and preparing for a positive or fatal outcome. Beowulf has a strong devotion to duty, he does not fail his people, even at the …show more content…
The value of his authority, then, is at least as great as any social contract that we might have today; it is one in which the ties are bound by a need to survive and are drawn from a deep mutual love and

Beowulf: The Heroic Qualities Of An Epic Hero

Beowulf is set in an historical period where the magnitude of the men is demonstrated by their strength in battles and their courage, instead of by money and beauty like today we are sadly used to. During the Anglo Saxon time period Beowulf was known as a phenomenal epic poem written by the Beowulf poet. All the characteristic of an epic hero: strength, loyalty, bravery and devotion of duty are envisioned in the protagonist, Beowulf. The physical description of Beowulf allows the reader to see how…

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Essay Beowulf and Epic Poem

What Makes a Hero Epic? What is a hero? What does it take to become a hero? It can be said that there are as many answers to these questions are there are heroes. The dictionary defines a hero as, “A person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualities”. Hero’s have long been the subject of many genres in literature. One of the most revered epic poems is Beowulf. But what makes this poem epic? In the Beowulf unit module from Georgia Virtual School an epic poem “must…

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Heroism In The Epic Poem 'Beowulf'

Noemy Cazares Ms. Radovicich English IV 18 September 2017 Heroism Beowulf is an epic poem that was written during the 11th century. “Beowulf”, is the protagonist’s name whose actions define him as an epic hero. His qualities consist of his showing of bravery and responsibility. Bravery The text starts off introducing Beowulf as great warrior. “So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns” (1). It presents…

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Examples Of Heroism In Beowulf

Beowulf promotes his role as a heroic protagonist by having the willingness to sacrifice his own life for the greater good. In doing this, Beowulf uses the characteristic such as bravery, honor, and superhuman physical strength to take down Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. A hero is someone who is looked up to for their courage, abilities, sacrifice, and noble qualities that are rare or not usually seen in others. Beowulf travels great distances and uses his own bare hands to defeat the…

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Herot Vs Beowulf

two versions of Beowulf there are many similarities, but also some captivating scenes that differ and alter the comprehension of Beowulf’s true qualities. The book portrays this brave man as a classic epic hero with outstanding courage and determination to obtain eternal glory. While the movie does identify his braveness and willpower to save Herot, in this film Beowulf becomes more realistic, showing signs of weakness when he surrenders to sinful actions, thus making him a tragic hero. In…

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Who Is Beowulf An Epic Hero

Who is the epic hero Beowulf? Matter of fact, what makes Beowulf the person we read about today? The hero like no other man, but still relatable as a person. What makes him so relatable is his courage, confidence, and wisdom. That’s just to name a few of his many more quality traits. They may not be a lot, but these are the most important human qualities of Beowulf. Thinking back to Beowulf’s most courageous act was the fight between him and the dragon. Before this battle, Beowulf always had a army…

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Flat Characters In The Epic Of Beowulf

Battle after battle, Beowulf fights off evil for his people. Beowulf has three encounters in this poem. Those encounters are Grendel, Grendel's mom, and the dragon. Each time he fights he seems to have a different motive, it could be that he starts to realize his impact when he fights. Grendel is a man eating demon and Beowulf is the hero. Although these two characters sound so different, their motives are alike. These two characters did not change throughout the whole story, which is called a flat…

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Beowulf's Quest

English 12 5 March 2024 The epic “Beowulf”, an oral product Translated by Burton Raffel, is about an epic hero who is seeking glory. Beowulf is a hero who goes on quests looking for glory. During these quests, he fights powerful evil monsters who harm others. Beowulf's immense valor towards finding glory in his quest is the reason why he's a legendary epic hero. Beowulf is a hero of mine. Being a hero is a good trait to have, especially when people depend on you. Beowulf travels far to help others…

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What Makes Beowulf An Epic Hero

An Epic Hero is the best thing you will ever read. The epic hero that we will be talking about is called Beowulf. It's about a man who goes and fights monsters to win fame. His name is Beowulf. He has all these great qualities to him that make him a hero. Like having Comitatus or traveling to where you need to go. Being a hero is difficult. Beowulf will make it seem like it is easy, but it's not. Beowulf is a good warrior, shows good comitatus, is boastful, travels near and far, and is also a wise…

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Beowulf and Anglo-saxton Epics Essay

Beowulf: Three Characteristics of An Anglo-Saxton Epic Ethan Hibbs October 22, 2012 Period 5 Beowulf: Three Characteristics of an Anglo-Saxton Epic The story of Beowulf teaches many characteristics of Anglo-Saxton epics. Three of those characteristics in Beowulf are: making the hero look larger than life, over exaggerating their story, and revenge. Knowing these qualities, one can get some understanding of Anglo-Saxton epics. Over exaggeration is key in Anglo-Saxton poems. If not…

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