Beowulf, The Hero And Title Character - 1177 Words

There are always two sides to every coin. Everything has an opposite left and right, up and down, good and evil. Every virtuous act has a sinful underbelly that exists. As human beings we know the difference in both are feelings and actions whether something is right or wrong, good or evil. Pride is a feeling of pure contentment or satisfaction resulting from ones own self-achievements. When a person accomplishes there goals pride comes as a very natural feeling. Pride is not an evil sensation but it can sometimes conflict or interfere in making the right choices. Throughout history human kind has proven many times that pride can take hold of you and every now and then bring you down. It’s only when pride leads to egoism that a person begins to develop an exaggerated arrogance about their individuality. In the epic poem Beowulf, the hero and title character Beowulf has so much pride he develops a god complex. Although Beowulf’s pride is impartial in the beginning of the story it quickly converts into a self-destructive motive by the end. Beowulf’s vanity consumes him mentally until it ultimately leads to his overall downfall. In Danes the legendary King Hrothgar oversees his kingdom and his mighty mead hall of Heorot where his people, the Danes, conduct their celebratory activities. However, recently his land has been under attack by the monster Grendel who scourges and gorges at night on the citizens of Heorot. Hrothgar tired of seeing his people be senselessly murdered byShow MoreRelatedBeowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight897 Words   |  4 PagesAges, two poems, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight embody heroic figures. Beowulf, who demonstrates all the characteristics of an ideal hero, is faced with physical and moral challenges that no other man could face during his existence. Beowulf was not only looking to become a hero, he wanted to reveal the importance of establishing identity. However, Beowulf was not the only hero during this time period. Sir Gawain also participates in challenges that define his character. Sir Gawain wasRead MoreBeowulf Monster Vs Hero Essay1557 Words   |  7 Pagesperson gain the title of â€Å"hero†? From acts of defeating monsters, to defending a distressed village against a powerful plague, many are then considered heroes, yet when someone considered a monster does something heroic, does that cancel out their villainy? And vice versa? While Beowulf exhibits a multitude of heroic attributes, his undermining beast like qualities are hard to miss, and essentially pose the question to the reader: What is the relationship between monster and hero, and is there anRead More Compare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesdefine what a hero is a myriad of answers emerge. This phenomenon is not unique to today’s society; the definition of a hero is something that is constantly under revision and debate. An example of this can be seen in two older pieces of English literature: Beowulf, written circa 750-900, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written circa 1375-1400. These stories both have a main character that possesses heroic qualities, many of which are very similar. Gawain’s identity as a hero is not clearlyRead MoreBeowulf: an Epic Hero983 Words   |  4 PagesNate Gauvain British Literature Beowulf Essay 9/22/04 Beowulf: An Epic Hero According to Abrams, the heroic poem is a long verse narrative on a serious subject, told in an elevated style, and centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race. Beowulf fits Abrams description of an epic, exhibiting all of the characteristics listed throughout the book, thus defining Beowulf as a hero and making the book an epic through itsRead MoreBeowulf Archetypal Hero1431 Words   |  6 Pages2 11/12/12 Beowulf: The Man, the Legend, the Hero Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actionsRead MoreBeowulf Hero Analysis757 Words   |  4 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Joseph Campbell a hero is an individual who is able to depart from his or her ordinary life for the sake of helping others in an opposite world. Campbell portrays his idea of a hero by utilizing the title character in Beowulf. Beowulf demonstrates many of Campbells stages of a hero through his strategic actions, his love for justice, and most importantly through his extraordinary strength.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The hero Beowulf, is the â€Å"strongest of the Geats-greater/ And stronger than anyone anywhere in thisRead MoreAn Analysis of Beowulf1608 Words   |  6 PagesThe Old English epic Beowulf is built around the archetype of the journeying hero. Beowulf exemplifies a classical hero, one who is not immune from hubris, but who channels his strong will into judicious endeavors. Thus, Beowulf dies with the honor and glory befitting a king. His story is one of distinct binaries between good and evil. On the side opposite to Beowulfs goodness is the gruesome Grendel. Grendel is a monster, and the original epic poem does nothing to introduce moral ambiguity thatRead MoreIs Grendel Truley Evil? Essay1135 Words   |  5 PagesCircumstance? : How humanity has a tendency to put labels on people they don’t really understand. In the epic of Beowulf, one of the warrior’s biggest adversaries is a creature from the swamp named Grendel. Although the character of Grendel is present for only a short portion in the story of Beowulf, Grendel signifies one of the important messages in the text about humanity. In Beowulf, Grendel is called a ‘monster’. However, if observed closely, analyzing the meaning behind the story, it is easyRead MoreCivilizations and Heroism in the Epic Poems of Gilgamesh and Beowulf624 Words   |  3 Pages The literature of Mesopotamia and Western Europe is a prime example of this. Beowulf, an Anglo-Germanic tale and The Epic of Gilgamesh, of the Sumerians, demonstrate perfectly, the ability of civilizations to convey the values and customs of their society through their literature. The setting for Beowulf is Scandinavia, before the time Christianity had spread its course. Beowulf, the title character is the hero in this tale. He possesses many of the typical heroic traits such as strength,Read MoreThe Characteristics Of A Hero In The Epic Of Beowulf746 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf Essay A hero in the modern world is hard to define and in some places even harder to find. Stories such as Beowulf are continually told in order to help define what a hero should / could be. Heroes in these stories possess traits such as bravery, great strength, or great cunning. However, while a true hero needs some of these traits they don’t define that person as a hero. What defines someone as a hero is daring to go and do what ordinary men wouldn’t in order to save innocent lives, knowing