Beowulf The Perfect Hero English Literature Essay

Beowulf The Perfect Hero English Literature demonstrateWhat is a shooter. Directly defined from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a attack aircraft is a mythic or legendary figure often of divine descent indue with great strength or ability. A great display of resolution and what it truly means to be a gun opus was captured in a long numbers, Beowulf, which was close to being lost during a fire in 1731 in the Cotton Library ( cherish). All of the attri onlyes in which a hero should dedicate are possessed by Beowulf, such as loyalty, fortitude, and strength. Beowulf presents a journey of a warrior that transforms himself into a unforgettable hero. The heroical of Beowulf completedly captured and coat the demeanor for solely heroes.The inaugural attribute to a good hero is being loyal to the people around you, no matter the circumstance. In the very beginning of the poetry we bump into the low gear signs of loyalty when Beowulf sails for pull vanquish of the Danes. T he family ties between that of Hrothgars family and Beowulfs is enough for Beowulf to go with his men and risk his life to care (Foster). Not only does this support and testify how Beowulf was loyal but it shows us the mind coif of how people thought in that time period. These morality and values which you begin to earn in Beowulf also reflect more or less of the ideas and beliefs of Anglo-Saxons England, the time period in which Beowulf is believed to be place in (Foster). one(a) time he arrives on the shore of Denmark he announcesWe belong by exclusivelyiance to the Geat peopleAnd owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac.In his day, my father was a famous adult male,a noble warrior-lord keyd Ecgtheow. (260-263)Loyalty emerges again when Beowulf prepares to contradict Grendel, Edward Foster writes Beowulf confronts that physical evil and, bolstered by lineage and loyalty, r bys the inimical force with which all people essential contend (Foster). What Edward Foster is saying is , Beowulf needs to mollify loyal to Hrothgar as well as protect his families reputation Beowulf essential go through with his flake and castigate Grendel. After Beowulf had defeated Grendel he speaks to Horthgar in lines 1826-1829 sayingIf ever I hear from across the marineThat people on your borders are threatening battleAs attackers have done from time to time,I shall land with a thousand thanes at my backThis musical passage continues to show Beowulfs continued loyalty to Hrothgar even after defeating Grendel and his mother. Jacqueline Vaught wrote in her criticism Beowulf The Fight at the Center, In a tidingsg so obviously concerned with social loyalty, the fact Beowulf is alone when he enters the mere is one of the largest signals that his experinces there are central to the meaning of the poem (Vaught). Hrothgar isnt the only person in the poem in which Beowulf s go ins loyalty to. Richard Schrader wrote in his analysis of Beowulf, never indicating that he wants to tak e over and his stressing his loyalty to Hygelac upon return to his root (Schrader). Even towards end of his life, coincidentally towards the end of the poem, Beowulf shows loyalty to his people. When a thief steals the goblet guarded by a genus Draco it begins to terrify the people of Geatland. In return Beowulf, much older now, suits up and sets bulge come on to defeat the dragon. The men with Beowulf refuse to go in to fight the dragon, all but one, whom shows loyalty to his leader. Loyalty, a recurring theme in this poem pushes the devil men to defeat the dragon at the expense of Beowulfs life.A nonher, quality that contributed to Beowulfs heroism is his braveness and lack of fear. One instance where Beowulf displays his courage was during the smooth match in lines 530-580. Not only was he swimming for quintuplet days and five nights but during the race he decides to stop and fight sea monsters as stated in lines 559-5641Time and again, foul things attacked me,lurking and stalking, but I lashed out,gave as good as I got with my blade.My flesh was not for feasting on,there would be no monsters gnawing and gloatingOver their cattle ranch at the bottom of the sea.When is was time to fight Grendel, a descendent of Cain, Beowulf refused to wear equip or use any weapons because Grendel himself did not wear armor or have any weapons. The poem goes beyond belief to share the point that Beowulf was truly afraid of nothing even making him come out godlike in a way. When the time comes to fight Grendels mother must separate himself from society to the cave in which she lives in (Vaught). Essentially in his epic adventure in being the perfect hero, Beowulf needs to man up and become a monster himself (Vaught). The final act of courage displayed by Beowulf was when he was at his weakest, weakened by old age. With a bunch of cowardly men as described in lines 2596-2601No abet or backing was to be had thenfrom his highborn comrades that hand-picked flock broke ranks and ran for their livesto the safety of the wood. But in spite of appearance one heartsorrowed welled up in a man of worththe claims of kinship corporationnot be denied.No matter the circumstance Beowulf, even with the feeling of death among him, he went out on the quest to destroy the dragon terrorizing his people. He along, with Wiglaf, were the only two men with the courage to face the dragon and kill it for their peoples protection.The whole epic poem is a timeline of the development of a perfect hero. Each of the ternary battles contributed to the creation of the perfect hero. When he prototypic comes Beowulf is a war tempered warrior but still needs to prove and make a name for him self. In the first battle with Grendel, Jacqueline Vaught does a great job pointing out Beowulf does not fulfill his quest as the hero-precisely because he is still within society, literally inside the walls of Herot and the circle of his men (Vaught). What you can take absent from that is, although Beowulf wanted to even the playing field per say by fetching off his armor and fighting Grendel bare handed, he still had home court advantage and still had all his men within Herot Hall. The real(a) test came in the next great battle of Beowulfs against Grendels mother where he had to venture to a new undiscovered and unknown place. This is where you begin to see Beowulf grow as a hero and a character because for the first time he is really challenged. His transformation here was put better by Vaught when she wroteAs he enters the mere, Beowulf makes his journey inward. Rapidly he discovers that incomplete society nor even his own physical strength can foster him in this internal battle. But when he stands, he also finds the concern of himself, the strength of his unyielding will (Vaught)Still though, Beowulf relies on a sword made by giants to defeat the monster. Taylor Culbert summed it up best when saying Whereas the first two battles revealBeowulfin the role of youthful warrior, the dragon fight displays his exemplary behavior as a mature king (Culbert). The conclusion dragon he defeats is where the perfect hero is born and at the kindred time killed. It was when Beowulf knew he wasnt going to make it yet willed himself onward to help defeat the dragon that the perfect hero was made.Family and lineage was an important fixings when determining whether or not someone could be a hero in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Throughout the poem, before Beowulf would speak, it would refer to him as Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. This shows the importance of lineage along with other things. For example after the watchmen, Wulfgar, told Hrothgar of Beowulfs lineage, Hrothgar sends the solventMy lord, the conquering king of the Danes,Bids me announce that he knows your ancestryAlso that he welcomes you here to HerotAnd salutes your arrival from across the sea. (391-394)The hero in Anglo-Saxon culture is expected to carry roughly revenge in honor of fami ly and to show loyalty (Foster).Some may have a different visualise of Beowulf and may see him as an arrogant character that only cares about glory. This is a valid point, but regardless Beowulf put the people first and protected them during all his fights. During his fight with Grendels mom Beowolf had no audience to see him defeat her, this shows that although he may care about being remembered, he cares more about his loyalty to Hrothgar and his people. Another relative point can be made during the fight against Grendel. During this fight the poet only regards Beowulfs point of ruling in four passages, as pointed out by Charles Moorman (Culbert). Also it is sporting to point out that it was selfish of Beowulf to try and defeat the last dragon when he was old of age. But if it were not going to be Beowulf to defeat this dragon, who else would have? Clearly everyone else was afraid of it as was pointed out above during the passage in which all his cowardly men left him to go in alone with Wiglaf. The dragon would have continued to terrorize the people and set villages on fire. It was a necessary sacrifice to go and die for his people.The qualities of loyalty, courage and nobility all play key factors into the development of a perfect hero in Beowulf. In this epic poem he takes a journey to unknown lands and displays these characteristics in many ways. He was loyal to the Danes and helped them during a time where they lived in fear for their lives. He was courageous and didnt back down from any fight, even risking his life at times to give his resistivity a fair fight. Beowulf proved to be a noble man and represent his lineage with great pride. The epic of Beowulf perfectly captured and paved the way for all heroes. As he was dying in the cave with Wiglaf by his side, Wiglaf refused to take Beowulfs treasures (Schrader). Being the only one of Beowulfs kinsmen to go in with him this man, Wiglaf, is set up to be the next perfect hero. Beowulf proved to be a legendary figure and displayed his ability of great strength many times, transforming himself into one of the greatest heroes of all time.