Beowulf: The Modern Day Hero

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What is the modern day hero? Is he “faster than a speeding bullet? More powerful than a locomotive? Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?” Is he like Superman? Some would probably say yes. I am actually of the opinion that the modern hero is more of an everyday man than the heroes of classical literature. The modern hero is the man with the convoluted character, with imperfections and conundrums to which we can relate. Their quests are not fraught with dangers and death. Their quests are more spiritual, a journey through themselves. When I look at Dante and Beowulf, one of these two seems almost like Superman, and one seems to be an average guy making is way through a journey. One is shown to be full of bloodlust and the love of war, …show more content…
He does not develop much throughout the epic. He is introduced as a stubborn warrior who is always willing to charge headlong into battle, “Beowulf declared, spoke vow words for the last time: I have risked many wars in my youth. Yet I wish old, wise warden of the folk, to seek vendetta to earn renown.” (Beowulf 2510-2513) If we look back at Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, it seems that he participated in that battle explicitly to add to or give more proof to the reputation that he has built so far. He fought that battle only for his personal glory and the well-being of the people, similarly to as he is getting ready to fight the dragon near the end. These battles are driven by the same thing. He does not change. He was the perfect hero for his time period. The Anglo-Saxons heavily favored things like strength and berserker like battle skills. Beowulf was the expression of all the most favored and desired characteristics of the culture to which it was written. In a way, Beowulf was the first super-hero. It was said by a watchman “Nor have I seen a mightier man at arms on this earth than the one standing here.” (Beowulf 247-249) Beowulf’s gigantic physical form shows us his qualification for the tasks he must complete. Dante however, is a different story …show more content…
In defining a modern hero, I would think of them as just an everyday, blue collared human. Nothing really special, just a person living and going through life as best they can. Yes they will have character failures, they will have difficulties. Whether these difficulties are inside the person, or outside, they deal with it. They grow and learn and are the better for it. They are not superhuman. They do not complete fantastical feats. They are the exact opposite of a superhero. Dante and Beowulf are one such contrast. On one side there is Beowulf, basically a demigod with superhuman abilities. On the other side there is Dante, a lowly and mild mannered poet, who goes on a road trip through hell. While Beowulf is certainly heroic, he does not exemplify the characteristics of the modern hero as afore mentioned. He is more the superhero type. Dante however, goes on his own internal journey as he makes his little trip through hell, and he learns and grows from it. This is certainly the modern type hero that I was looking for. Dante goes into hell, and comes out a better man. That is the definition, of a modern
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