Beowulf the Epic Hero

A detailed Summary of Beowulf the Epic Hero

What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.

In order to be a hero in an epic poem there were certain qualities you had to possess. First of all you had to be a male. It is rare to see any woman in epic poems taking on the role as hero. Women were usually only minor characters who are often not even named. Second of all you had to be a man of noble birth. Meaning that the hero had to be either a king, prince, knight or some other high-ranking person in society.

Beowulf satisfies all of these requirements. He is the nephew of the king of the Geats, and son of a great warrior. As was common in literature up until recently, Beowulf's mother was not named as well as Grendel's mother. The slave character was not named too, which i

After this victory King Hrothgar graciously and dutifully thanks Beowulf for his acts of valor and rewards him with great treasure. Hrothgar, who we are told by the poet was a wise old king, says that Beowulf would make a great king in the future and for such a young warrior, he is around 20 years old, he is very wise. However, the king knows that he will probably never see Beowulf again and weeps at his departure. He must have known that Beowulf's quest for everlasting glory would lead to his downfall.

n my mind would indicate that women had little more status than slaves or property during the times of the Vikings. Fittingly enough, Beowulf's sword even got a name, for it is by his sword that he earns his eternal fame and glory. However, besides the fact that Beowulf was of noble lineage and that he was a great warrior, he has some other noble qualities.

Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aenied constantly praying to the gods for glory on the battlefield. The main difference is that they are pagans, and Beowulf is a Christian, which does not even really make sense because he was a Viking warrior and the Vikings were not Christians.

Once again we see that because Beowulf is such a great hero and beloved of Jesus, he can do the impossible and dive into the swamp and practically swim like a fish. He has no need for air he is a hero. However, he does come across some trouble in the form of Grendel's mother. For a female warrior, in regards to what the poet says about women, she is particularly vicious and determined. Once again Beowulf turns to his savior Jesus to help him find a way to defeat this nearly invincible creature, and he answers by showing him the way to the giants sword, which Beowulf uses to destroy Grendel's mother.

After many events in the land of the Geats, Beowulf becomes king. To his credit it appears that he was a good and just king. He was not an aggressive king who was constantly seeking other lands to take over, nor was a he a pushover that other kings would easily overcome. From what we

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Approximate Word count = 1370
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels