Compare Beowulf to a modern day hero?

Answer 1

It would be very hard to compare Beowulf to a modern hero. Beowulf fought a giant monster, while common soldiers fight other soldiers. Beowulf defeating Grendel is like a Private shooting down an AH-64 Apache with a semiautomatic rifle!

Beowulf could most likely be seen as a soldier who completed a amazing feat like that.

You could compare Beowulf to a political hero, like Martin Luther King Jr. or President Lincoln. Beowulf and Martin Luther King Jr. were both trying to free people.

Beowulf was trying to save Scandinavians from a giant invincible monster, While Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to save African Americans from the monster of racism. The outcome was the same and they were both trying to do the same thing, just in a different way.

Answer 2

Beowulf and a modern-day hero both exhibit bravery, strength, and selflessness in facing challenges and protecting others. However, Beowulf's heroism is often tied to physical prowess and fighting monsters, while a modern-day hero may exhibit heroism through diverse means like advocating for justice, humanitarian efforts, or providing inspiration and leadership. Additionally, modern-day heroes often face moral dilemmas and complex social issues that Beowulf, as a mythological figure, did not.

Answer 3

Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the perfect hero. The poem explores his heroism in two separate phases youth and age and through three separate and increasingly difficult conflicts bwith Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Although we can view these three encounters as expressions of the heroic code, there is perhaps a clearer division between Beowulf's youthful heroism as an unfettered warrior and his mature heroism as a reliable king. These two phases of his life, separated by fifty years, correspond to two different models of virtue, and much of the moral reflection in the story centers on differentiating these two models and on showing how Beowulf makes the transition from one to the other.

In his youth, Beowulf is a great warrior, characterized predominantly by his feats of strength and courage, including his fabled swimming match against Breca. He also perfectly embodies the manners and values dictated by the Germanic heroic code, including loyalty, courtesy, and pride. His defeat of Grendel and Grendel's mother validates his reputation for bravery and establishes him fully as a hero. In first part of the poem, Beowulf matures little, as he possesses heroic qualities in abundance from the start. Having purged Denmark of its plagues and established himself as a hero, however, he is ready to enter into a new phase of his life. Hrothgar, who becomes a mentor and father figure to the young warrior, begins to deliver advice about how to act as a wise ruler. Though Beowulf does not become king for many years, his exemplary career as a warrior has served in part to prepare him for his ascension to the throne.

The second part of the story, set in Geatland, skips over the middle of Beowulf's career and focuses on the very end of his life. Through a series of retrospectives, however, we recover much of what happens during this gap and therefore are able to see how Beowulf comports himself as both a warrior and a king. The period following Hygelac's death is an important transitional moment for Beowulf. Instead of rushing for the throne himself, as Hrothulf does in Denmark, he supports Hygelac's son, the rightful heir. With this gesture of loyalty and respect for the throne, he proves himself worthy of kingship.

In the final episode the encounter with the dragon-the poet reflects further on how the responsibilities of a king, who must act for the good of the people and not just for his own glory, differ from those of the heroic warrior. In light of these meditations, Beowulf's moral status becomes somewhat ambiguous at the poem's end. Though he is deservedly celebrated as a great hero and leader, his last courageous fight is also somewhat rash. The poem suggests that, by sacrificing himself, Beowulf unnecessarily leaves his people without a king, exposing them to danger from other tribes. To understand Beowulf's death strictly as a personal failure, however, is to neglect the overwhelming emphasis given to fate in this last portion of the poem. The conflict with the dragon has an aura of inevitability about it. Rather than a conscious choice, the battle can also be interpreted as a matter in which Beowulf has very little choice or free will at all. Additionally, it is hard to blame him for acting according to the dictates of his warrior culture.

Answer 4

although he has most of the heroic traits a modern day hero would have like stregth.bravery and generosity, he also seeks spersonal glory for all his successes, while on the other hand, modern day heros tend to be more humble

Answer 5

Yes he is . Since an epic hero has to perform heroic deeds so did Beowulf, he kills Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, all of which you can take as heroic deeds that no one else was able or willing to do. The enemies that he fought were all beyond human strength and capabilities and required superhuman abilities to bring down.

Answer 6

The King Hrothgar appears to be a brave leader but it is soon discovered that he is a coward. Beowulf on the other hand is a true hero and is truly brave and strong.