Heroism In Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

There ar many traits that are possessed by those who undertake wedge heelism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, e really hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most boastful in the poem Beowulf are braveness and goodness. In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by stamp outing the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the townsfolk of Herot. He slipped through the door Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ unlearned in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, prosperous with his nights slaughter. (11)The society that he terrorized was happy and always rejoicing. As now warriors sang of their pleasure/ So Hrothgars men lived merrily in this hall (11)Bravery today has changed from that of Anglo-Saxon times. In the poem, Beowulf uses his unadulterated hands to defeat the evil, monstrous Grendel. He beli eves that it would be braver and mightier if he were to defeat Grendel without use of a weapon. My lord Higlac/ Might thing less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind nigh broad linen shield my hands/ Alone shall fight for me, sputter for life/ Against the monster (15). However, in modern times, bravery is associated and accompanied by weaponry.In the movie Jaws, which is a 20th century film, the preying shark terrorizes the beaches of parvenu England. After he is finally trapped, he is killed- but not in the same fashion as Grendel was. The shark was shot in the sassing and then blew up to do a CO2 tank he had swallowed. The way in which each antagonist was killed was in two very different ways with and without weaponry, respectively.These two scenarios from Anglo-Saxon and modern times are similar, as well. They are similar because of the continuity of monsters terrorizing a society existence a great influence among audiences of the past an d present. The two works of some(prenominal) eras demonstrate the continual interest in defeating villains and feeding its listeners with tales much(prenominal) as these.Bravery is not the only trait in which a hero possesses. A hero needs and has more than one gallant quality, just like no flower is complete without its vibrant alter and sweet smell. Goodness can be compared to that of a flowers vibrant colors and sweet smell.