Beowulf Essay

A hero is seen as anyone who can save another from life or death. An individual can be walking down the street and save a child from an oncoming car or even an animal from falling off a tree. There are so many ways to "be a hero" and the sense of the word is lost in translation. Beowulf is the exception. The heroic tale of his journey exemplifies the basis of what a hero is all about. The ancient definition of a hero had one solid meaning and now, in contemporary times, there is an ambiguous sense to the word. Beowulf was the image of a dream and a hope, which is what what made him heroic; he was something extraordinary in the ordinary giving rise to the modern sense of the word as someone or something that acts rather than hesitates.

Beowulf was willing and able to be a hero in his time whereas many of the modern heros are not willing but fully capable of performing the tasks entailed. Beowulf had honor and he strove to be the best man that he could. He wanted to repay the favor, as do most men, and his journey began through willingness and not greed. Many of contemporary heros also have this same attribute where most take on the responsibilities of saving those around them, but only after the praise a culture gives. In modern, American culture the idea of honor is lost from that of Japanese ancestry. Kamikaze soldiers were willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of their society and this shows the absolute submission to the people. It was a privilege to die for your country and become a hero, now it is something you live through to reap out the glories of.

Beowulf embodies the zeitgeist of his time as do those of contemporary works. He showed pride, confidence, strength, and respect to those who did right towards him. In contrast, he shamed, fought, looked down upon, and culled those who had wronged him or had wronged people close to him. He fought Grendel because Grendel was horrid looking, cruel, and beastly; the characteristics that were not desired. The juxtaposition and hyperbole techniques used in Beowulf help create this image of great power beyond reality and help the sense of "tale" or a myth. Beowulf embodies the coalescing of all the attributes that make a man desirable whereas Grendel, his mother, and the dragon embody the undesirables who seem so distant from reality; they are the first villains of early literature. In accordance with this idea of culture, modern heros such as firemen, policemen, and even Spongebob Squarepants are all considered heros. They teach compassion, bravery, and skill in their given field, all of which are valued characteristics and people strive to obtain. They create a sense of fantasy in the real world and allow people to dream or look up to a model figure. Both Beowulf's and modern hero's attributes illuminate the accepted nature of the desirable while simultaneously illuminating the undesirable which are depicted as the "villains" or antagonists.

Although there are many aspects that can be controlled in life, beliefs and habits cannot. Beliefs and habits develop a controversy in the story and make the reader or audience question the characters. The hero's hamartia is an example of human action. Beowulf was confident, but not arrogant. He had the skills to support his claims, but there is a thin line between what he believed was acceptable and what others did. In the end, his downfall was ironically his honor and dedication to save the people. This use of irony helps show the polemic qualities of life and how change is inevitable. Beowulf was stubborn and did not change and did the right thing, but sometimes the right thing is not always the smart thing or most desirable to do. Similarly, pride and compassion is the downfall of many heros today. Those who have the ability and willingness to protect another is vulnerable to pain. Ironically, even though these attributes are what is desired, they lead to their downfall. A firefighter could go into a burning building with the intentions of saving someone and not come out. They are still honored as a hero just as Beowulf was still honored as one after his tragic death. The forces of fate, irony, and hamartias cannot be understood or dealt with, they are things that just happen.

Beowulf called himself to action and didn't wait to be called upon. He did his duty out of love and respect rather than greed and self praise. His journey is the definition of what it means to be a hero and this is supported by the test of time. In contrast, the modern hero can be anyone who either is called upon or acts impulsively. He or she has the intent of getting praise after the deed and don't need special, innate characteristics that qualify them to be looked up upon. The journey of a hero has evolved from Beowulf's idea of static, honorable men to average people who have the willingness to act. The monomyth is something that is shared rather then exclusive to the hero and that is why Beowulf and every other ancient hero have translated into modern society; it is inclusive.