Beowulf The Epic Hero Essay, Research Paper
Beowulf the Epic Hero
What does it intend to be a hero? Like anything else in this universe, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may state that a hero can be inactive, that is if he or she refrains from making a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would reason that to be genuinely heroic the character must ne’er turn tail and ever face the obstruction caput on even though he or she may decease in the procedure. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great heroic poem hero, but his illustriousness comes merely from his blade and non from his head.
In order to be a hero in an heroic poem verse form there were certain qualities you had to possess. First of wholly you had to be a male. It is rare to see any adult female in heroic poem verse forms taking on the function as hero. Womans were normally merely minor characters who are frequently non even named. Second of all you had to be a adult male of baronial birth. Meaning that the hero had to be either a male monarch, prince, knight or some other high-level individual in society.
Beowulf satisfies all of these demands. He is the nephew of the male monarch of the Geats, and boy of a great warrior. As was common in literature up until late, Beowulf s female parent was non named every bit good as Grendel s female parent. The slave character was non named excessively, which in my head would bespeak that adult females had little more position than slaves or belongings during the times of the Vikings. Fittingly plenty, Beowulf s blade even got a name, for it is by his blade that he earns his ageless celebrity and glorification. However, besides the fact that Beowulf was of baronial line of descent and that he was a great warrior, he has some other baronial qualities.
On the plus side for Beowulf we can state that he was a pious warrior. Although he was from being a modest warrior, for he was anything but modest when it came to his great workss of heroism on the battleground, he did recognition Jesus for every success he has come across. This is non truly a radical thought for heroic poem heroes, as we see the heroes of the
Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aenied invariably praying to the Gods for glorification on the battleground. The chief difference is that they are heathens, and Beowulf is a Christian, which does non even truly do sense because he was a Viking warrior and the Vikings were non Christians.
Regardless, he ever paid court to Jesus before and after every undertaking he accomplished. When he defeated and killed Grendel and his female parent he said that it was Jesus who gave him the strength to get the better of the two monsters. Subsequently on, when he is already around 50 old ages old, a Geatish slave arouses an ancient firedrake by taking one of his pieces of hoarded wealth. Like most heroic poem heroes he is fated to decease, but non before Jesus grants him one last great act of illustriousness to see him that his name will populate on forever.
In a warrior type of society, physical art on the battleground was praised more than any other characteristic you can perchance hold, more than intelligence or piousness. This is truly Beowulf s strong point after all. Early in the narrative he summoned by the old and wise Danish male monarch Hrothgar. Hrothgar has a job with a despicable animal named Grendel who stalks his people by dark, slayings them and so eats them. With the assistance of merely twelve Geatish warriors, Beowulf leaves the land of the Geats to travel and confront the deathly Grendel.
Beowulf is so great a warrior that he feels it would be unjust for him to contend with Grendel utilizing a arm, so he challenges him manus to manus. In my head this is another case of his over con
fidence. He does in fact face Grendel and rend his arm clean off his organic structure, but non before one of his work forces are devoured by the animal. Shortly thenceforth, Grendel s mother comes to Hrothgar s land in hunt of retaliation. After observing his first triumph, the male monarch asks for his aid one time once more. Bing the glorification hungry hero that he is he accepts the challenge and goes to the foul barter in hunt of Grendel s vile female parent.
Once once more we see that because Beowulf is such a great hero and beloved of Jesus, he can make the impossible and dive into the swamp and practically swim like a fish. He has no demand for air he is a hero. However, he does come across some problem in the signifier of Grendel s female parent. For a female warrior, in respects to what the poet says about adult females, she is peculiarly barbarous and determined. Once once more Beowulf turns to his savior Jesus to assist him happen a manner to get the better of this about unbeatable animal, and he answers by demoing him the manner to the giants blade, which Beowulf uses to destruct Grendel s female parent.
After this triumph King Hrothgar gracefully and dutifully thanks Beowulf for his Acts of the Apostless of heroism and wagess him with great hoarded wealth. Hrothgar, who we are told by the poet was a wise old male monarch, says that Beowulf would do a great male monarch in the hereafter and for such a immature warrior, he is around 20 old ages old, he is really wise. However, the male monarch knows that he will likely ne’er see Beowulf once more and weeps at his going. He must hold known that Beowulf s quest for everlasting glorification would take to his ruin.
After many events in the land of the Geats, Beowulf becomes king. To his recognition it appears that he was a good and merely male monarch. He was non an aggressive male monarch who was invariably seeking other lands to take over, nor was a he a pushover that other male monarchs would easy get the better of. From what we can see his was a really good male monarch, likely better than his uncle and cousin, possibly the best king the Geats of all time had. Unfortunately, like all great heroic poem heroes he was fated to decease. After a dramatis personae out slave comes across a firedrake s den and steals his hoarded wealth, Beowulf s old ages of repose comes to an terminal. Beowulf, who is now 50 old ages old, and non about as strong or fast as he was when he was 20, undertakes the deathly mission.
Beowulf knows that this may really good be his last heroic quest, nevertheless he does non inquire his work forces for aid. Why? Well Beowulf is reasonably much a glorification pig, if he kills this firedrake, even if he dies in the procedure, he will decease a epic decease and will be remembered for all times. In my head, the smarter and wiser thing to make would be to piece a group of immature able-bodied warrior and have them cover with the firedrake, come to a realisation that he is non the same adult male he was when he was 20 old ages old battling Grendel and Grendel s female parent. However, he does fight the firedrake and finally kills it with the assistance of Wiglaf, but non before the firedrake lays him a fatal blow.
So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, I believe he is. He proves his heroicness on the battleground a infinite figure of times over the class of his life. Besides his art as a warrior we see that he is a reasonably wise male monarch who does non go excessively avaricious for wealths or power. However, in my head he does hold one defect that is associated with greed, his greed for everlasting celebrity. It is because of his great demand for celebrity that he dies at the custodies of the firedrake go forthing behind the Geats in a province of close pandemonium and terror. A responsible hero would hold thought about something like that before seting his life on the line for glorification.
