William Shakespeare 's ' Beowulf '

In Beowulf, selflessness is a big part of the story, Beowulf goes out and helps the people of another place. He doesn’t have to do it because he doesn’t live there so if he didn’t defeat Grendel it wouldn’t affect him either way. He does it though and not only defeats Grendel but also Grendel’s mother because she came after the people when her son was killed. Beowulf knew that if he didn’t kill her the people would still live in fear. That’s what makes him selfless. He does things that need to be done for others and not so much himself.

Beowulf is an ancient English poem that tells the tale of a young, brave warrior and the victories he obtains throughout his lifetime, up until his death. He is widely regarded as a hero throughout the lands and honorably puts his life on the line multiple times. Throughout the poem, Beowulf’s reasoning for being a hero changes. He begins his journey wanting to be a protector of people, a savior of humankind, but as the poem progresses, there is a distinct change in motivation for Beowulf, becoming more about craving glory and victory over his opponent as opposed to out of pure kindness. Beowulf conveys through this change that while it is worthwhile risking his life and being a hero in order to save his people and carry out his family

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they

The most heroic of traits within Beowulf is that he is not afraid to die. He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. “…and if death takes me…send to Hyglac the best of war clothes that protects my breasts, finest of male shirts. It is a legacy of Hrethel, the works of Weland. Fate always goes as it must.” He is aware of the heroic paradox; he will be glorified in life or death for his actions. He knows that when he fights an enemy like Grendel or Grendel’s mother he will achieve immortality as the victor or the loser. “I resolved when I sat down in the sea-boat with my men, that I should fulfill the will of your people or else fall in slaughter. I shall achieve a dead of manly

Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in

Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.

Beowulf displays pride in himself and through his battles. We quickly learn this when he first enters the epic reciting his kenning, “. . . They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove five great giants into chains.” (Carol Jago, Deborah Appleman, Kylene Beers et al.) However, before he leaves for his homeland to fight the dragon, Hrothgar foreshadows that Beowulf entering the dangers that are involved with hubris. Beowulf ignorantly does not take Hrothgar's advice into account and eventually dies for fame and fortune, the main things in his life. From an Anglo-Saxon standpoint Beowulf’s downfall is seen as an heroic and loyal act to the Anglo-Saxons because of his ultimate sacrifice. During the greatest challenge in Beowulf’s life, that being his fight with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf and his ego are blown up tremendously. This is because he is faced with his toughest opponent that could not be killed with bare hands, instead he had to use a specialized sword to slay the she-demon. This shows that Anglo-Saxon culture valued bravery and loyalty as having utmost importance. Through the epic you find that the morals of the people in Anglo-Saxon society was not only to help themselves but also to help others through anything they were to

Beowulf shows valor for willing to fight a vicious beast in order to bring peace back to Herot. This shows his natural kindness for

However, it is not only feats of physical strength that make Beowulf a hero. He also shows moral strength by being a champion of the values of his society. Beowulf's boasting is shown as a good thing; he is showing everyone his qualifications for being a leader and is building up his fame in a world where fame is the only thing that lasts. He also shows himself worthy of heroic status by displaying generosity in giving much of his treasure to his followers. This makes him the opposite of the dragon, who is a villain precisely because it keeps all the treasure for

Although boasting and bravery are strong qualities, you also need to have a little bit of a warm heart to be a hero. Beowulf is selfless, a important word to signify that he would do anything to protect others. The first quote to show of Beowulf’s selflessness is, “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting Flames, stand till fate decides Which of us wins.” (638-639). This means that Beowulf is standing his ground until fate takes its course, which is selfless because he is giving his life up if that is what fate decides in order to rid of the dragon. Another notable text from the book is, “A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel. Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dance doubted the Victory.” (404-408). It can clearly be inferred that the people of the land were in ‘grief’, ‘sorrow’ and were ‘suffering’ because of Grendel. But, because Beowulf defeated him that grief and sorrow has been eased. Beowulf wants fame and fortune, but to also help the people who need it.

Beowulf was an epic written more than twelve hundred years ago. Women characters are presented, and every woman has one-of-a-kind attributes. The women in Beowulf are depicted as hard working people, each of whom has a role within the poem. Throughout the epic, distinctive women do things such as serve mead, give speeches, and take care of the mead-hall. This shows how important women were to this culture.

Given, the current high profile debate with regard to dating the epic poem Beowulf, it is quite surprising that some scholars go as far as placing it during the Vendel era around 550 - 793 CE. Eventhough it is considered as a kind of folk tale, many are those who believe it happened towards the early Vendel era. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be?convincingly argued?that this period is also referred to as the Germanic Iron Age. Moreover, this era saw the rise of Norse mythology, which is very fatalistic in nature; it focuses on a world coming to an end in a great cataclysm. Along with this fatalism comes the willingness to die. That?s why warriors would go to fight in battles and combats. Surprisingly enough, not only the heroes

Epics consists of benevolent or disastrous intervention from the supernatural world, and the superhuman capabilities that the heroes and antiheroes occupy. Tales like these represent the characteristics of what heroes are considered to be during the time they were written; however, they follow a specific formula, namely that the Gods intervene in the lives of the hero and, that the hero is burdened with a tragic flaw. In Virgil’s Aeneid, it is Aeneas’ dangerous disobedience to the ordinances of the Gods that kills him. In Oedipus Rex, it is Oedipus’s inability to control his temper which proves a mortal flaw. Yet, In Beowulf, despite Beowulf’s heroism and his preoccupation with honor, he operates with free will and without the burden of a character flaw.

Given, the current high profile debate with regard to dating the epic poem Beowulf, it is quite surprising that some scholars go as far as placing it during the Vendel era around 550 - 793 CE. Eventhough it is considered as a kind of folk tale, many are those who believe it happened towards the early Vendel era. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be convincingly argued that this period is also referred to as the Germanic Iron Age. Moreover, this era saw the rise of Norse mythology, which is very fatalistic in nature; it focuses on a world coming to an end in a great cataclysm. Along with this fatalism comes the willingness to die. That’s why warriors would go to fight in battles and combats. Surprisingly enough, not only the heroes die but so do the Gods. Therefore, the central value of this culture is glory and heroism. Having considered the fundamental premises upon which the Poem Beowulf took ground , it is also reasonable to look at the epitome of this epic poem which starts with a tale about the ancestors of the Danish king, Hrothgar who wins great fame and wealth in different battles. Therefore, he built a Mead-Hall called Herot, to commemorate his victories. The Mead-Hall took its name from a popular drink, mead, being fermented liquor which was drunk at banquets and celebrations. Herot is also a place intended for peace and community.The Mead-Hall is also a place where Hrothgar rewarded his followers for their loyalty. Evidence for in support of this opinion, can