Beowulf Short Essay

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“Beowulf” Short Essay
Explain two specific ways that King Beowulf is heroic. Does he live up to the expectations of the Warrior Code Preview the document his society embraces?
Every epic hero demonstrates certain attributes that render them heroic. The epic poem “Beowulf” details one of the greatest heroes of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is a hero who lives up to the expectations of the warrior code preview the document his society embraces. The two specific ways that King Beowulf is heroic are his bravery and his willingness to risk his own for the benefit of others or a greater good. He begins by demonstrating his bravery when he slays Grendel and her mother and later on he shows his love for the society and that he is a just leader to just the people by sacrificing his own life and slaying the dragon that was threatening them (Heaney 3102). His farther shows his strength and bravery when called upon to fight the monster Grendel and declares that he would to do so with his own bare hands and would not use any weapon. He says: “I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelacs’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and he shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board; hand-to-hand it will be, a life-and-death fight will be the fiend.” (Heaney, 4022)
Considering the elegiac tone and the conclusion of this epic poem, do you think the poet intended for Beowulf to be revered? Is Beowulf’s life an ideal to copy? Is this written as a warning? Perhaps is it a bit of both?
The poem “Beowulf” has an elegiac tone, and thus it is a heroic-elegiac poem.

The poet intended to portray Beowulf as an ideal copy and one that can be embraced. He is a hero to many, and he exhibits the qualities of a great king, one that puts the needs of others before his own needs. He is indeed selfless and opts to protect other people, an act of great loyalty and generosity to the people he serves (Heaney, 2052). Beowulf portrays the virtues of not only a good warrior but also those of a great king which when combined create his definition of courage. Therefore, Beowulf is ideal to copy and more so the major traits that the character Beowulf portrays. These traits include bravery, generosity, and undoubting devotion and loyalty. He has proved that he is ideal to copy through his personal deeds as well as his excellent performance in the battle. He is introduced to the audience as “of heroes then living he was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble” (Heaney 1802). The poem continues to detail many of these deeds of heroism that Beowulf does to prove that he is a great hero and one to be looked up to.
Work Cited
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition). Alexander books, 2000.