Custom «Is Beowulf the Ideal Hero» Essay Paper Sample

There is no doubt that "Beowulf" is a story told with immense passion and amazement. Written by an unknown author, the poem outlines the story of a hero and his exploits. In the poem, in most communities, a hero had to be very brave, courageous and skilled in all his undertaking. Moreover, the hero has to demonstrate honourable and respectable leadership skills. In this story, Beowulf is characterised as the ideal hero of his time and this is supported by the fact that he is very bold, courageous, generous and strong individual than all the mortals who lived during his time. The primary object of this research paper is to underline the fact that Beowulf is an ideal hero.

Beowulf has superhuman strength and this is seen when he fights in numerous battles and comes out victorious. His strength is underlined in his battle with Grendel, which is often referred to as the battle of evil versus good. In this epic battle, Beowulf refuses to fight with any clothing or weapon to ensure fairness in the fight between him and the opponent. He uses his brute strength to reap off Grendel's arm (Greenfield 7). Further, his courage is displayed when Grendel's mother attacks Herot in an attempt to avenge the fatal injuries, Beowulf battled and eventually slays her with a giant sword and carries her head to the surface with relative ease. The head was very heavy and it had to be carried back to Herot by four men (Greenfield 35). All this episodes underline Beowulf's courage and strength, which are very important traits of an ideal hero.

n ideal hero should be very generous and this trait is evident in Beowulf. He displays his generosity by sharing the various items seized in war with his collegues. Additionally, he is described as a "ring-giver", because he is willing to share and distribute the treasures he won at war with other soldiers, rather than enjoying them alone or holding them for himself. An ideal hero must also display admirable leadership skills and indeed, Beowulf exhibits several leadership skills. Beowulf commits himself to fighting Grendel, the monster that was terrorising a neighbouring nation (Baker 17). It is very clear that Grendel posed no challenged or threat to Beowulf, however, he feels obligated to come to the rescue of the Danes who were being terrorised by the monster.

Further, Beowulf ruled his Geatland for over fifty winters. In fact, we learn from the story that the citizens of Geatland wanted to make him king but he declined. Beowulf put his life on the line for the safety of his people when the monster attacked their village. Moreover, his leadership skills are underlined when a woman predicts dad times for Geatland after the death of mighty Beowulf. Essentially, the woman insists that Geatland stayed together because of the leadership of Beowulf and his battles that vanquished their enemies. Indeed, Beowulf displayed great leadership both in good and bad times and this exemplifies him as an ideal hero (Greenfield 21).

In conclusion, an ideal hero is an individual of distinguished bravery and ability, admired both for his noble qualities and for brave deeds. Beowulf displays his strength and courage by fighting and defeating monsters that terrorised his people and neighbours. Moreover, his generosity is exemplified in his willingness to share the spoils of war will all his colleagues. These acts demonstrate the fact that he is an ideal hero in his time as well as in the contemporary society.