Hotspur represents the side of putting honor above all else. He is a fiery and rebellious warrior, who takes an immense amount of pride on his military valor. Before he even appears in the play, King Henry IV associates Hotspur with Honor: Yea, there thou mak’st me sad, and mak’st me sin In envy that my Lord Northumberland Should be the father to so blest a son: A son who is the theme of honor’s tongue . . .
He risked his existence, his wealth, and his men. Beowulf did not think of the safety of his men, he was not aware of others' lives, but instead focused on his own victory. Through his thoughts, one may see how far Beowulf would go to be successful, and can see his selfish ways. As for modern Christian values, pride is seen as a deadly sin, in which Beowulf seem to be doomed to hell if judged on twenty-first century ethics. Excessive pride is frowned upon as for the sinner only sees himself and leaves no room for God.
During the Anglo-Saxon Period. Both warriors who fight evil and delivering good to all those around them. Beowulf, a man who fights evil and helps the helpless. Sir Gawain, a knight for King Arthur who holds its honor when facing the Green knight, keeping his promise. Both also commit sins (According to Chivalry) by not honoring women.
He is a good character who works for and with God to defeat evil creatures. “Now he (Grendel) discovered… what it meant/ to feud with Almighty God.” This quote shows Grendel, an evil monster, having to face judgment at the hand of Beowulf who represents God and the forces of good. Also without the help of God Beowulf would not have been able to defeat these evil beasts. “He’d have traveled to the bottom of the earth…and died there…and Holy/ God, who sent him victory, gave judgment/ For truth and right.” Beowulf’s complete and total faithfulness to his king is a virtue that is valued in the Anglo-Saxon culture. “My lord Higlac/ Might think less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to.” Beowulf does not want to bring shame upon his country or king by not fighting fair.
This describes him as a god-like figure that could not possibly be pierced by any blade. Smaug is so arrogant that he turns over to show off the magnificence of his scales, and to prove that his chest is not soft and vulnerable, unaware that he just revealed the unscaled patch on his left breast. Gandalf is also manipulative when he forms a plan before they meet the Carrock. He commands, “The somebody I spoke of, a very great person. You must be very polite when
| Yes | He fights Grendel and he makes sure the humans are protected and the humans love him. | I do believe that Emerson made Beowulf a heroic character in the story. He doesn’t come out and say it, but if you read the lines and think about it you’ll notice a lot of evidence supporting Beowulf as a hero. He clashes with evil and beats it. Heroes are selfless and they speak the truth.
Not only were there people that had faith in Beowulf, Beowulf had faith in himself and God. He was confident in the task that lay ahead of him, “That I, alone with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall.” Beowulf knew if he stayed self-assured and positive he could defeat the beast; however, his confidence and faith in himself came from a faith in a higher being. Because religion was such a big part of Anglo Saxon culture, Beowulf the mighty warrior, put his fate in the hands of God. Right before one of his big battles Beowulf exclaimed, “God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grin” (Beowulf, 40). He ultimately knew that whatever was to happen was up to God.
Luke Molnar Beowulf Is Beowulf really a hero, or is he an over confident boastful fool? In the epic poem Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, the reader reads about an intelligent, confident, strong, and courageous man who is also quite boastful in some instances. Beowulf defines an epic hero by possessing supernatural strength, courage, and his will to fight for what’s right. A characteristic of a hero is the character must have an ability no one else in the story has. The reader sees how Beowulf possesses unbelievable and supernatural strength because Beowulf claims he can defeat Grendel with his bare hands.
The community around him has welcomed him and it is not his duty to protect them, Beowulf and the civilization he was protecting knew he was capable of being king, but Beowulf seemed to be searching for validation of his morality, validity that he was doing right. I feel the main part of the text is his failure with the sword, “, the shining blade refused to bite. It spared her and the man in his need.” (105, line 1523), he now is in some sense cornered as to what to do. Being the warrior and the man that he is “he never lost heart.” (107, line 1530), and something bigger than himself came to help the warrior, Beowulf then knew something above him was on his side. It was as if then at this point he was secure in what he was doing and comfortable to move forward, not only in the battle but in his soon ruling the land.
Enkidu represents the power of the common man. Raised from the earth and initially tamed by woman’s hands, Enkidu is inherently a gentlemen, he is instinctively chivalrous. Enkidu takes up arms to protect the shepherds who first give him food, and he travels to Uruk to protect the people from their uncontrollable king. Enkidu, with no formal education or extensive power, through sheer primal instinct, was able to achieve reputable status throughout the land for his selflessness. With the major male character of Book I described the emphasis is then placed on the female characters.