Beowulf: The Ultimate Hero Essay, Research Paper
Beowulf: The Ultimate Hero
A hero is one who places himself or herself at hazard for another by
executing great workss of bravery. Often in our society today, jocks are
looked up to as heros. Brett Favre is an first-class illustration of a modern twenty-four hours hero.
He is looked up to by many for his strength, leading, and success. While on
the football field, he is willing to put on the line his & # 8220 ; life & # 8221 ; by running the ball in when
there is no 1 else to travel to. Favre besides gives all of the glorification to God.
Whenever he has conquered another squad, or made the victorious drama, all congratulations is
given to God. In the verse form Beowulf, translated by Constance B. Hieatt, Beowulf is
an heroic poem hero. An heroic poem is a & # 8220 ; drawn-out narrative verse form which genealogizes and
embellishes the beginning of a folk or state & # 8221 ; . ( Edward A. Bloom ) Not merely is
Beowulf a hero because of his physical strength, but like Favre, gives the glorification
to God. Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life on the line for an full
land.
Beowulf & # 8217 ; s gallantry can be seen when he takes 14 of the bravest in his
land to travel aid Hrothgar. Hrothgar was Beowulf & # 8217 ; s father & # 8217 ; s close friend who had
been plagued by onslaughts for 12 old ages that threatened an full land.
Beowulf did non hold to offer Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s kingdom aid, but does so because he
wants to utilize his God given strength to the best of his ability. Equally shortly as
Beowulf heard of the problems in this land he set canvas instantly. Beowulf
continues to demo his gratefulness by thanking God for giving them safe travel
across the sea. Beowulf is lead to Hrothgar and offers him is & # 8220 ; services. & # 8221 ;
& # 8220 ; -Now sit down to the banquet, and, in due clip, listen to ballads of warriors & # 8217 ;
triumphs, as your bosom may motivate you. ( 15 )
Beowulf is asked by the warriors to state of his past lickings while eating in
Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s castle. Beowulf is already a hero to the people of this land for he
is about to free them of their enemy. The warriors are dying to here what he
has done and what he plans to make to Grendel. Here Beowulf & # 8220 ; puts on his running
places & # 8221 ; and runs through his conflict program mentally merely as any great jock would
make before a large meet. As the Banquet continues, Hrothgar thanks Beowulf, and
promises him great hoarded wealth if he succeeds in get the better ofing Grendel.
As an ultimate hero, Beowulf decides, to be far, he will non utilize arms
in his conflict against Grendel since Grendel reputedly does non utilize them.
& # 8220 ; I do non see myself a lesser combatant than Grendel does himself ;
hence I will non kill him with a blade, and deprive him of life in that
manner & # 8230 ; .No: this dark we two will abstain from blades & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 19-20 )
That dark, even after hearing of all of Beowulf & # 8217 ; s heroic lickings, the warriors
still experience that no adult male on Earth will be able to stand up to the evil Grendel
carries. Beowulf will either get the better of Grendel or decease in the procedure. & # 8220 ; Let me populate
in illustriousness & # 8230 ; and bravery, & # 8221 ; he says, & # 8220 ; or here in this hall welcome & # 8230 ; my death. & # 8221 ;
Beowulf awaits the reaching of Grendel so goes on to get the better of him and sends him
back to the & # 8220 ; fen & # 8221 ; to decease.
Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s address to Beowulf is more than an look of thanks. For
he states: & # 8220 ; Let me take you to my bosom & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; do you my boy excessively & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; When a
heroic title is done such as Beowulf has done, it is common pattern for them to
accept you into their household. Once once more, the influence of Christian religion shows
in Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s address to Beowulf. It was the & # 8220 ; Almighty & # 8221 ; who sent Beowulf and it
was & # 8220 ; with the Lord & # 8217 ; s assist & # 8221 ; that Beowulf was able to get the better of Grendel. Hrothgar
wants to do it known throughout the universe that Beowulf is the strongest adult male
alive and is a proved hero. It is the features of agelessness and
dedication that sets him apart from the other warriors, and makes him a truly
epic person.
Beowulf may hold defeated Grendel, but his combat yearss are non yet
over. For Grendel & # 8217 ; s Mother is about to seek retaliation.
Another one of Beowulf & # 8217 ; s epic workss of kindness is seen when he goes
after Grendel & # 8217 ; s fuss even though that was non a portion of the original & # 8220 ; deal. & # 8221 ;
Hrothgar is beside himself. & # 8220 ; Anguish has descended on the Danes. & # 8221 ; ( 36 ) The
king begs Beowulf to assist him one time once more. Hrothgar is highly upset by the
decease of his friend Aeschere. His address to Beowulf shows how injury he is.
& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; the gray warrior, was sad at bosom when he knew that his head thane
ballad lifeless, that his dearest consideration was dead & # 8221 ; . ( 36 )
Beowulf & # 8217 ; s epic repute is more apparent than of all time when he consoles Hrothgar
on the decease of his friend. He offers his & # 8220 ; services & # 8221 ; one time once more by offering to
kill Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent. Hrothgar, Grendel, and a few warriors set out and follow
the monster & # 8217 ; s paths until they reach the lake where the monsters live.
& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; they encountered Aeschere & # 8217 ; s caput on the waterside cliff. & # 8221 ; ( 38 )
There, drifting on the H2O, they see the remains of their friend, Aeschere.
& lt ;< p>Beowulf prepares to travel in and look for Grendel’s female parent. He tells Hrothgar that
if he dies in the lake, he is to take attention of his work forces and direct his hoarded wealths to
King Higlac, his & # 8220 ; hometown & # 8221 ; king. Here Beowulf one time once more shows the traits that
makes him a true hero. That is, the consideration of others, generousness, and
although apparently impossible, his ain mortality.
Unlike past conflicts, there is no reference of God & # 8217 ; s assist. Beowulf, in
this conflict, is trusting on his ain bravery. When Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent appears to
have they key to Beowulf & # 8217 ; s decease, God interrupts the conflict. It seems as if He
was watching wholly along, as He does, waiting for the right minute to demo whose
side He is on.
Following the banquets of jubilation of the decease of Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent,
Beowulf and his military personnels set canvas for their fatherland. Beowulf is greeted with
banquets and great shows of gratitude once he arrives back place to the Geats.
Beowulf nowadayss Higlac with the hoarded wealths he earned while contending for Hrothgar.
After Higlac dies and his boy Herdred is killed in conflict, Beowulf is given the
throne and would govern over the Geats for the following 50 old ages. As Beowulf & # 8217 ; s
regulation nears an terminal, he will hold to contend heroically for his state one more
clip.
Once more Beowulf will turn out his heroicalness when he fights a firedrake
even though he knows there is small opportunity that he will be winning. As
Grendel threatened the people of Hrothgar & # 8217 ; s land, so does the firedrake demo his
choler while Beowulf is king. Like Grendel, the firedrake merely strikes at dark,
firing down all the houses so that nil is spared, non even Beowulf & # 8217 ; s hall
or throne. Because of his character, When Beowulf finds out that his house has
been destroyed, his first idea is that he did something to anger God, and he
feels guilty. As Beowulf prepares to contend the firedrake, he looks back at his
young person and his conflicts against Grendel and Grendel & # 8217 ; s female parent.
& # 8220 ; He who caused the problem to get down with, a downcast prisoner, was the thirteenth
adult male in the troop: he had to demo hem the topographic point humbly. & # 8221 ; ( 63 )
The stealer who stole the firedrake & # 8217 ; s cup leads Beowulf and his work forces to the firedrake & # 8217 ; s
cave. As Beowulf run & # 8217 ; s the conflict through his head, he one time once more looks back on
his epic life. He realizes that he & # 8217 ; s non every bit strong as he was when he fought
Grendel and the hazard of deceasing is inevitable. Though Beowulf & # 8217 ; s old age has
taken away his physical strength, his heroic bravery still allows him to believe
like a hero. The & # 8220 ; pre-game & # 8221 ; address that Beowulf gives before this conflict is
different from old 1s. Now that he is an old adult male Beowulf & # 8217 ; s & # 8217 ; s assurance
in himself has decreased.
As a hero it is Beowulf & # 8217 ; s occupation to carry through the impossible, and as an
old adult male he still wants one last minute of glorification.
& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; as an elderly male monarch, I shall still seek conflict and do glorious workss, if the
wicked ravager will come out of the Earth hall to run into me. & # 8221 ; ( 65-66 )
It is Beowulf who starts the conflict, by waking the firedrake with his conflict call.
during the first few seconds of the conflict, the firedrake & # 8217 ; s fires melted Beowulf & # 8217 ; s
shield. Here Beowulf realizes that his destiny is here. That does non maintain him
though, from striking the firedrake dead with his blade. Beowulf manages to hit
the firedrake but non fatally. This blow to the firedrake upset him in a heartfelt way and
responds by covering Beowulf in a great ball of fire. Sing the fire of the
dragon the warriors run off, believing merely of salvaging there ain lives. To them,
salvaging themselves has become more of import than giving Beowulf the self-respect that
he deserves. These actions are illustrations of what separates a hero from a great
warrior. Like an jock, Beowulf has the doggedness to lodge with to the terminal,
even if he is the lone 1. Beowulf is able to complete off the firedrake but in the
procedure looses his ain life. The response of the warriors shows how rapidly the
values of the universe are altering. Without the doggedness to maintain with it, even
though the though times, they will convey upon themselves at that place ain devastation.
The definition of a hero is one who places himself or herself at hazard
for another by executing a great title and Beowulf had necessarily earned this
rubric. Beowulf & # 8217 ; s gallantry is apparent by: *Taking 14 of the bravest work forces to travel and
aid a adult male who was his male parents near friend.
*To be just, he would non utilize arms in his conflict against Grendel.
*Goes after Grendel & # 8217 ; s fuss even though that was non portion of the trade.
*He battles a firedrake even though his decease would be inevitable.
Beowulf can be called the ultimate hero because he put his life on the
line for an full land. Even though Beowulf had hoped that his people would
benefit from all of the hoarded wealths he had stored up, we are taught, the stuff
things that one earns during one & # 8217 ; s life can non halt what is God & # 8217 ; s will. For
everything in life must come to an terminal and that clip is ever unsure, even
for a hero.