The Heroic Ideal

A detailed Summary of The Heroic Ideal

Heroic qualities have always been debatable but historians tend to agree that the qualities of a hero are a reflection of the values of the society. Augustus and Beowulf are two individuals revered as heroes during their own time. Both sustained their share of criticism but still managed to come out on top. Augustus was responsible for uniting Rome and creating a society that influenced every single society that followed. Beowulf's success was in keeping the peace for the Geats with the surrounding kingdoms. Through comparing the ideals and values of Rome in the first century and Britain in the eighth, a definite parallel can be drawn connecting these values with how the people viewed the heroes of the time: Beowulf and Augustus.

Despite criticism that Augustus used bribery and intimidation to force his way into power, his successful leadership of Rome during the first century B.C. made him one of the greatest leaders of all time. Augustus was thought of as a powerful man and he always had the good of Rome in mind and never took his power for granted. Obviously, Augustus was proud of his leadership and even said as much in his Res Gestae Divi Augusti. His tone did not seem to be bragging, but merely stated the facts of

In addition to his brilliant military mind, Augustus was also known as a great politician. He preached to the people about restoring Roman traditions and how he would "[refuse] to accept any office offered [him] which was contrary to the traditions of [his Roman] ancestors" (WRW 56). Augustus refused to become a dictator but "attained supreme power by universal consent" (WRW 58), which assisted him in gaining the support of the people and prevented political uproar like Rome had experienced in the past. Augustus obviously failed in his declaration that he would restore Roman traditions because the government and empire he built was a monarchy, something Rome and the world had never seen before. He had tremendous success in the Roman empire he created because a monarchy was something Rome needed to avoid all the civil wars it had been plagued with under its previous form of government. A monarchy allowed one person, Augustus, to have supreme power where it was virtually impossible to try an upheaval. Until that time, several people in the Roman government had enough power to organize enough support to try to take over. Augustus's main success in his Roman empire was leaving behind a legacy that every society since then has been influenced by.

The Romans put forth their faith and support in Augustus and continually gave him bigger and better titles. After he ended the Roman civil wars, the senate voted him the name Augustus, which means "exalted." Augustus refused to name himself a dictator of Rome and called himself princeps civitatis, or "First Citizen of the State." He was eventually given full tribunician power along with the titles of prince, chief priest of the state, and emperor. The people believed he was there to restore the traditions of their Roman ancestors. The Romans even came to view him as a God.

Beowulf acknowledged that he was a great warrior and how extraordinary his accomplishments were. When he first addressed Hrothgar, king of the Danes, he said "[his] countrymen urged [him] to visit...King Hrothgar because they knew of [his] vast strength" (Beowulf 36). Beowulf then goes on to say that he "emerged from a fight in which [he] destroyed an entire family of giants...and now [he] mean[s] to deal single-handed with the monstrous Grendel" (Beowulf 36). Beowulf relied on the immense strength he was given by God to defeat his enemies and protect his kinsman. He was so confident in his strength that he fought Grendel without the aid of his weapons. He typically left his troops behind and fought his foes alone.

Beowulf survived many battles and "of all kings he was the gentlest and most gracious of men, the kindest to his people and the most desirous of renown" (Beowulf 101). Beowulf accomplishments include killing nine sea-monsters and freeing the Danes of Grendel's wrath. He also killed Grendel's mother when she declared vengeance against the Danes. When Heardred died, Beowulf became king and a Dragon started reeking havoc on Beowulf's kingdom bec

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Approximate Word count = 2026
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History