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Essay / Epic Hero: Beowulf - 757
In every epic story, the center of attention will be on the epic hero. Usually, all epic heroes have some kind of special power, which differentiates them from other characters. Later on their epic journey, these powers help them gain glory, making them epic heroes. In Beowulf, Beowulf is truly an epic hero, due to his wisdom, strength, and courage. The first thing that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his wisdom. In this epic poem, Beowulf fights with many people bigger and stronger than himself, but Beowulf wins all these battles because of his wisdom. Most of the time, Beowulf fights for glory, so he is always looking for a battle to fight. Thus he came to battle with Grendel, who frightened the whole kingdom of Hrothgar. Many warriors tried to defeat Grendel, but they all failed and ate my Grendel. When Grendel came to the Heorot to kill the warrior, Beowulf tricked him and attacked him with his bare hands, knowing that swords did not work on him (Beowulf 51). Beowulf first learned Grendel's attack style and with that he counterattacked Grendel. Beowulf uses his wisdom wisely in every situation he encounters. When Beowulf fights Grendel's mother, he first looks around and "he sees a famous old sword of the giants, which he seizes and throws at Grendel's mother, who falls in helpless agony" (Foster 1) . In every battle, Beowulf is overpowered by wisdom, making him an epic hero. The second thing that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his strength. Beowulf's main weapon against all his adversaries is his great strength, which makes him the true epic hero. Beowulf fights many battles throughout his life, he has killed every monster he has faced, which shows his mig...... middle of paper ... enormous risk that all human instincts resist self-preservation” (Hanning 60). Beowulf is always willing to take risks for glory. Beowulf “fights Grendel alone and unarmed to maximize his chances of glory; if he fails, he is fully aware that it will mean death” (Hanning 61). This clearly shows his courage and the efforts he puts in to achieve glory, and he values them more than his life. His bravery drives him to fight for glory, and this quality clearly makes him an epic hero. Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and courage. These characteristics set him apart from all other characters. He would take any risk to defeat his enemy and gain glory. Even when he dies, he defeats his opponent and brings even more glory to his name. In Beowulf, there are a series of battles centered around the heroic figure of Beowulf, who is an epic hero..