Beowulf: Characteristics Of An Anglo-Saxon Hero

530 Words3 Pages
A quote by Christopher Reeve: “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Beowulf possesses all of the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero. Beowulf shows loyalty, courage, trust, honor, and displays great strength physically and mentally. Beowulf exhibits these characteristics throughout his journey from the Geats to the Swan’s road and back. The first characteristic Beowulf shows is loyalty. “A relationship based less on subordination of one man’s will to another than on mutual trust and courage” (Beowulf 23). Beowulf shows great loyalty towards the king Hrothgar, by traveling across the ocean to give the mead hall, the king, and the Danish people a rest from the monster Grendel, showing the king…show more content…
Oh, cursed is he who in time of trouble had to thrust his soul into the fire’s embrace, forfeiting help; he has nowhere to turn. But blessed is he who after death can approach the Lord and find friendship in the Father’s embrace (180-188). Beowulf shows his loyalty towards God first by giving him the highest praise; Beowulf credits Him for his goodness and for what he has done. Beowulf was a strong believer and he believed strongly in fate. With that, Beowulf’s courage is shown through words, actions, and simply just mannerism. When Beowulf arrived at Heorot, he showed great courage when he spoke to the watchmen. Beowulf demonstrated courage when he spoke to Unferth, Hrothgar, and everyone around him. “The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen and courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere” (590-594). Beowulf knows he is courageous because of the way he spoke to Unferth with authority and high standards for himself. In all, Beowulf had outstanding

More about Beowulf: Characteristics Of An Anglo-Saxon Hero

Open Document