Beowulf Essay

Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, and Iron Man all have one thing in common. Besides from all of  their titles ending in "man" they are all stories told about superheroes. As in Beowulf, he was seen as the superhero of that time. He was the original hero. Although many heroic tales aren't all the same and some coalesce different aspects of heroic qualities together. All heroic tales have one thing in common, they are all a monomyth. The story of a certain hero has evolved over time along with the etymology of words, but certain qualities seen in heroes have been stagnant such as bravery, confidence, and honor, strongly displayed in Beowulf.


Today, if a piece such as Beowulf was displayed as a tale of our time, it might seem a little out of  place. What was seen as a heroic epic back then, isn't exactly portrayed in the same type of way as today. Epics are unique in that way because each heroic story told may be summed up as the same but when analyzed very closely they are all extremely different. Beowulf was an artifact of its time, where it wouldn't be able to exist in a different setting. Beowulf embodied his character with confidence, he knew he could beat Grendel without a doubt in his mind. He talked big when it came to his blunt, direct, fierce, and confident style. By being seen as an unimpeachable man he was able to show all those heroic traits, such as honor, strength, and bravery along with revealing the chaos that was attached to his demeanor. Which might at first glance be seen as arrogance, wouldn't be correct to say because everything Beowulf said he would do, he did. When heroes are talked about today a majority of people's minds go directly to superheroes. All heroes don't have to have an elaborate costume or special powers, a hero has to be a person who embodies a persona that people admire and aspire to be like. With time people have grown to see heroes in a different light and have come to recognize an average person who has the qualities of honor, strength, and bravery, as a hero. For example Katniss in the Hunger Games is one of the most recognized heroes in our present time. Plus she is a woman, which goes to show how far literature of the past has come, to being seen in a feminist point of view. Katniss comes from being culled out in her society to someone who supervenes in an affair where she shows bravery, honor, and strength, all the qualities that represent a true hero. All heroes are made to be seen as different from a populous group because they have many probities, which they stand by throughout their journey.


Life is blown at us like a gust of wind, fast and all at once. We each only have one life to live and it comparison to how long the earth has lived we are only given a second of that time scale. People choose their own fate because everyone has a choice in life, it's just a matter of whether or not somebody makes the right one. Heroes no matter if they existed a hundred years ago or a few years ago, they all are people who choose to lead a certain lifestyle. They choose to purse in being someone with the courage, bravery, and strength that each regular person wishes to possess. Those are all qualities that have stranded the test of time in heroic epics. Beowulf will continue to be admired for all his heroic traits not only because he's the original hero, but because he is the hero who was a leading example for all other heroes to come.