Why is Beowulf the Ideal hero - Essay Example

02 October Why is Beowulf the ideal hero? This essay is primarily based on contemplating the legendary characters of Beowulf in addition too explaining why he is considered and remembered even in the present age as a heroic figure. Some scenarios and underlying reasons contributing to granting such a splendid reputation to Beowulf will make the bulk of this paper. Discussion presented in the paper illuminates the reality of the claim that “Beowulf is seen in the story as a king who is kind and noble to his people.

” For one thing, Beowulf appears to be a heroic figure who never restricts himself to engage in welfare activities centering on him but it is easy to identify that he always strives to accomplish so much for his people for their mutual benefit. The pattern of thinking for oneself alone leading to self-obsession apparently appeared to be a fashion which Beowulf never familiarized himself with much concerning the overwhelming concern he cherished for his people. This largely explains what makes Beowulf an ideal hero among his public.

There are many ideas and perspectives which could be explored when observing what obstacles Beowulf experienced in the process of establishing himself as an ideal hero for his public. One factor highlighting why Beowulf to some extent lives even now even after his death could be explained by the fact that he fearlessly jumped into literally every perilous situation when many others would dare not. Such a unique combination of fearless attitude and compassion for common public stood Beowulf apart from the common crowd.

Sometimes practical approach yields much satisfactorily results but other times, indulging in irrationality even when most critical issues at hand need to be dealt can yield much better results. It basically comes down to weighing both irrational fear and practical thought processes very carefully in regards to achieve the best targets. One of the best qualities about Beowulf which played a big role in setting him apart from other warriors of his time could be associated with his ultimate generosity and selflessness due to which he even sacrificed his life for his people when their lives were engendered by a vicious dragon.

Endangering your own life for others with whom you are not even connected in any way doe not make a job which could be easily accomplished. But Beowulf got responsible and fearless enough to embrace such an ordeal which makes him an ideal hero who would never be forgotten. Labeling Beowulf as one of the most respected figures of his time could be based on the highly mature and skillful manner by which he managed his astounding career as a relentless warrior whose wild spirits and noble intentions nothing could bring down.

Much has been written about the poem Beowulf as it holds the record of being the oldest surviving literary piece in the English literature. The poem Beowulf underwent a lot of changes. As a beautiful Anglo-Saxon literary piece, Beowulf stresses that “he subsequently became leader of his own people, the Geats after he has been ruling for fifty years” (Grumme et al.). Another reason why Beowulf is considered the ideal hero in comparison to other warriors like Macbeth is because while Beowulf always hastened to accomplish so much for his people for their mutual benefit and jumped into every perilous situation fearlessly.

He even sacrificed his life for his people when their lives were engendered by a vicious dragon. Macbeth in contrast got so greedy for power that he viciously killed the king who stayed as a guest at his place. He simply did not have anything in his heart for common public also. Summing up, this much becomes clear from the above discussion that Beowulf rightfully could be called an ideal hero as he spends his whole life protecting his people from various troubles and dangerous tribes which proves that while Beowulf knew how to actually win hearts, Macbeth knew that only by way of force.

Beowulf spends his whole life protecting his people from various troubles and dangerous tribes which proves that while Beowulf knew how to actually win hearts, Macbeth knew that only by way of force. Beowulf is seen in the story as a king who is kind and noble to his people which earns him respect and idealism. It is easy to identify that Beowulf always strives to accomplish so much for his people for their mutual benefit. He jumps into every perilous situation fearlessly. Concluding, Beowulf spends his whole life protecting his people from various troubles and dangerous tribes which proves that while Beowulf knew how to actually win hearts, he should definitely be labeled as the ideal hero.

Works citied: Grummer, Starner; David, Millers; Diannes, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. “BEOWULF AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC POEM.” n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012.