Beowulf: An Epic Hero Essay

Heroes can come in many different forms. Some can fly and have super powers, while others are just extraordinary people who are braver than others. Beowulf was the type of hero mad from his bravery. Burton Raffel tells Beowulfs story in an Old English poem entitled Beowulf. This heroic tragedy takes one on the journey of Beowulfs rise and fall as a hero. Beowulf is an epic poem because it features a central hero, various forms of conflict, and a lesson in morality.

When Denmark was in need of a hero, the brave Beowulf was brave and became their hero. Defeating many enemies and losing his life in the defeat of one lead to Beowulfs rise to the position of the central hero in this poem (117). In most of Beowulfs battles he faced the monster alone showing his heroic bravery and great skills (103). Beowulf single-handedly defeated a monster named Grendel that had been defeating armies in Denmark, proving that he was the greatest of all the heroes of that time and the most significant (37). But like all great heroes, Beowulf earned his respect and title of central hero through the defeat of multiple enemies.

Earning any great title with one conflict is almost impossible; Beowulf took part in various conflicts to earn his. One of Beowulfs great victories was Grendel. Grendel had been terrorizing the Danes when Beowulf came and in one night Beowulf had ripped off the villains arm and left him for dead (43). The defeat of Grendel lead to Beowulfs battle with Grendels mother (56). Beowulf tracked her down and killed her in her own swamp lair after her dreadful appearance in Herot (70). As years went by, Beowulf found himself in combat with a dragon. Being the only man brave enough for the task, Beowulf found himself abandoned even though he had brought an army with him (105). The dragon was the end to Beowulf but not before Beowulf defeated it (115). Beowulf had a long list of victories before he gave up his life protecting his people.

Beowulfs courage and bravery in his battles left people in the past, present and future with lessons in morality. He taught people to not be afraid to stand alone and to be there when others are in need. Beowulf faced almost all of his enemies on his own and never was afraid to do that. Wiglaf, one of Beowulfs soldiers, was following Beowulfs example of sole bravery when alone he went to help Beowulf defeat the dragon in his last battle (110). Beowulf was also very helpful to the Danes in their time of need. He went to defeat Grendel without being asked to with the purpose to end the terrorism Grendel brought to those people (14). A single small voice spoke up to protect many people, and in doing so that small voice became known as Beowulf, a legendary hero.

Through Beowulfs many victorious battles, he became a hero, and through becoming a hero, he was able to teach important life lessons. Even though he is not the most well-known hero, Beowulf was still a hero and has valuable lesson for people to learn. Beowulf was able to rise to the challenges he faced and overcome them. Burton Raffel was able to tell the story of a hero that was made from bravery and not from his superpowers in his epic poem Beowulf.

Bibliography

Raffel, Burton. Beowulf. New York: Signet Classics, 2008. Print.