Beowulf as a Hero Essay - 754 Words

The poem, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, depicts Beowulf as a perfect hero. Beowulf is the mythical son of Edgetho and later becomes the king of the Geats. In the poem, Beowulfs shows heroism in two different phases of his life, youth and old age. Throughout the poem, Beowulf faces three difficult conflicts with Grendel, Grendels mother, and the dragon. Throughout the novel Beowulf is a noted and respected warrior from Geatland. During Beowulfs youth, he is considered to be a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery. Beowulf begins his legacy in Denmark with an evil monster, Grendel. Grendel is ruining King Hrothgars kingdom and is ritually tormenting him. The monster breaks into the castle and eats as many of†¦show more content†¦He kills Grendels mother by cutting of her head. When the fight is over Beowulf swims back to through the lake to his men. The men rejoice with Beowulf and they all go back to Hrothgars battle hall. When they arrived back Beowulf shows, Grendels headÂ…dragged across the floorÂ…. They stared in awe. It was an astonishing sight (113). Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with gold and important advice about being a king. Beowulfs defeat of Grendel and Grendels mother certifies his reputation for bravery and establishes him as a full hero. When Beowulf returns to Geatland the narrator focuses on the very end of his life. In Beowulfs later years he is crowned King of Geatland, and considers himself to be both a warrior and a king. When Beowulf encounters the dragon, the responsibilities of being king are shown. He must act for the good of the people and not just for his own glory. During Beowulfs ruling a runaway slave finds a hidden tower in Geatland. An evil dragon lives in the tower to guard the golden treasure. The slave steals a golden cup and a dragon on the prowl from the steep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow where he guarded a hoard... (151). The dragon leaves the tower and the next night the dragon begins b urning villages, people, and Beowulfs castle. Beowulf hears about the dragon and meets him with many of his warriors by his side. He fights the dragon but is losing because he has gotten older. Wiglaf, one of his warriors, runs toShow MoreRelatedBeowulf Is A Hero Of Beowulf1017 Words   |  5 PagesIn the movie and book Beowulf, Beowulf represents a hero. Beowulf is like our modern day heroes, firefighters, policemen, military men, doctors and EMT’s. All of these men do the same thing as Beowulf did in the movie. The fight the villains and protect the innocent. Beowulf had super strength to help him defeat the villains and protect the innocent. 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