Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Hero Beowulf It is very common that a favorite tale told to a small child before he goes to sleep is actually a great epic story that has lived on for many centuries. The tale of Beowulf is just that. Beowulf was written during the Anglo-Saxon era, when heroic deeds and loyalty to one’s leader were traits of a person that lived on forever, by means of poets and writers. Beowulf tells the story of a hero: one that faces many great battles with many great enemies, conquering one after the next only to finally face his death, in his battle against the dragon. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. Beowulf, through the years, has lived on as a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as though he were immortal. However, his mortality is exposed by his death, the same death that makes him a superhero, working and fighting evil for the people, and as a person. Beowulf, by all means, is a hero. A hero fears not, death, nor destruction of his own being, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. In the time of the Anglo-Saxons’ reign of England it was noble and expected for a person of high honor to be more than loyal to his king. In fact, it was considered noble to be loyal to anything that was significant to humanity. In Beowulf, Beowulf is loyal to Higlac. "Higlac is my cousin and my king†¦(142)" says Beowulf in his preparation to do battle with the threatening monster, Grendel. Loyalty to the Anglo-Saxons was heroic; however, the tale of Beowulf has lived on so many years for a greater reason than Beowulf being a loyal individual. Heroes today, as well as heroes of yesterday, such as Beowulf, all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their attempt to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Beowulf knows that there is a chance that he may die in his great battle against Grendel when he says, "No, I e xpect no Danes will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins. And if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac†¦"; yet he is still willing to attempt to conquer Grendel. Beowulf says, "My hands alone will fight for me, struggle for life against the monster.