Beowulf Hero or Villian
When people think of Beowulf, they think "hero", but is that entirely true? It's an easy argument to make about Beowulf being heroic. Describing him as non-heroic is a little more of a challenge. He is trustworthy, generous, inspiring, and brave on several accounts in this classic story. For example, he promises to help the Danes and rid them of their problems. He succeeds in doing so by defeating Grendal, and later, Grendal's mother. By doing these feats, he receives tremendous amounts of treasure, which he promptly gives to his king. This generosity aids Beowulf in securing his image as a hero. He inspires men all around him by his very actions. In his final battle with the Dragon, he is fighting a losing battle, and yet, he continues to vanquish the evil that is the Dragon. This action inspires Wiglaf to take up arms with his king to battle the mighty Dragon. Beowulf's bravery is apparent every time he enters battle against seemingly impossible odds. He has strength comparable to no other living man. He has survived great ordeals, from sea monsters to demoni
c monsters. He cares deeply for his people and thinks of them even as he is dying from a battle that he fought for them. How could a man with all of these heroic traits not be a hero? Selfish. Greedy. Conceited. Boastful. Overconfident. If you look closely, you can see the many flaws that make up the person we know as Beowulf, the hero of epic proportions. As the prince of the Geats, he should have a substantial amount of wealth, yet he accepts treasure from a country that has just experienced great losses. Beowulf is exceedingly selfish, where he must be the one to kill every monster, allowing no other person to take any credit for a heroic kill. At every chance he gets, Beowulf brags of his great accomplishments in life and how he is the "strongest man alive." His overconfidence is apparent whenever he walks into battle alone. Why must one man defeat a monster where ten would have a much higher chance of success? His overconfidence eventually leads to his demise, as is seen in his fight with the Dragon. A very large fault in Beowulf's character is his obsession to seek fame. A hero
Some common words found in the essay are:
Grendal Beowulf, Boastful Overconfident, Grendal Grendal's, Beowulf Hero, Dragon Beowulf's, beowulf hero, cares deeply people, heroic deeds, deeply people, cares deeply, human life, grendal beowulf, final battle,
Approximate Word count = 736
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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