In a story, the best way to portray a perfect hero is for the character to show his bravery to opposition, his courage over fear, and his obedience to honor morals. Actually, the hero in Beowulf is a superhero, as he does not have any tragic flaws that can lead to his downfall. Beowulf encompasses the perfect epic hero by staging a front on terrorism and going through his goals without failing. He is comparable to our recent president, G. W. Bush, because they are both determined to fight monsters and fight for what they believe is right and will protect their country from siege.
In the poem, the character Beowulf travels to Denmark to prove his valor to the king and demonstrate how he is capable of defeating a dreadful beast. Beowulf is depicted as an even greater hero when the novel contrasts his determination to conquer the evil Grendel and the pusillanimous intentions of other European nations as they cowardly back down and retreat from Denmark.
The Old English epic poem Beowulf is written in al...
An illustration of Grendel by J.R. Skelton from St...
Beowulf & GrendelWhen Beowulf enters into the Danish domain, the king and his staff treat him reverently. He boasts of his adventures and his monster-massacres that he's done to ease the worrisome Danes of any danger. This could be taken as a bad case of narcissistic pride; actually, he is merely building his confidence to battle Grendel. The night when Grendel entreats himself to a nightly feast of men, Beowulf is awake to defend everyone from harm.
The code of honor that knights uphold is prevalent when Beowulf fights Grendel hand-to-hand. He knows the monster is unarmed, so he must fight fair by abandoning his sword and armor. Beowulf eventually becomes victorious, showing that he is a great hero by defeating a big monster without a weapon.
To create the perfect hero in...