Beowulf critical essay

Submitted By Kyle-Robertson
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Beowulf is an epic poem that was written during the Anglo-Saxon period. The protagonist, Beowulf, is characterized as debatably the ideal Germanic hero. He is equipped with superhuman strength, fearlessness, and is also filled with bravery and courage. He continues to have these virtues even when in a deathly situation encountering the monsters that he is slaying. He is a great leader to his men, and he risks his life many times in order to provide a better future and life for others.
Beowulf is an ideal Germanic hero, because through his physical superhuman strength he had fought many battles, when it seemed that the odds were against him. He was able to use his strength to overcome the monsters that he was slaying. In his battle with Grendel, he decided not to take his sword or shield in order to avoid disgracing his king’s name with a cowardly attack against a weaponless enemy. During this weaponless battle, he rips of Grendel’s arm right out of his shoulder socket. In the course of this battle, Beowulf injures Grendel with a mortal wound that Grendel will not survive. He leaves Grendel to die and follows Grendel’s mother in order to kill her and prevent more attacks on Hrothgar’s kingdom. In the battle against Grendel’s mother, he uses his superhuman strength to lift an enormous sword that had been smelted and molded by giants off of the mount on the wall as a last resort to kill the monster. Beowulf because of this fearlessness is an ideal hero, because he chose to go and defend Hrothgar against Grendel. This selfless action then leads to him also fight Grendel’s mother. King Hygelac asks Beowulf to fight the dragon in order to protect his people, because of his courageous choices against Grendel and Grendel’s mother. There are specific reasons that Beowulf is a fearless hero. Firstly, he chose to fight the monster Grendel without any weapons. Grendel does not fight with weapons, so Beowulf thought he that he should fight fairly and also not use weapons. Secondly, Beowulf followed Grendel’s mother through the ocean at the bottom of her hideout. Grendel’s mother was not chasing him, nor was he in danger of her. He did this
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