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By: Norman Hilker
One of the basic qualities a hero can possess is going out of their way to help those in need. It’s physical in nature, and will almost always result in more respect for the character within their community. Beowulf was one of the first prime examples of this in early British literature, as it follows a warrior not with a general beginning, middle and end, but rather a series of events that challenge the character and whose decisions eventually lead to his demise. In the epic poem, Beowulf is challenged by three major antagonists – the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the evil dragon that would eventually kill him. Each of these figures would mess with Beowulf to some extent and on different psychological levels.
We are introduced to Heorot, the kingdom the characters inhabit, as they’re about to feast before a beast starts terrorizing the night. Beowulf, a popular tough guy at this point in the story, takes on the monster boastfully and easily kills it. Afterwards, “The man who had lately handed among them, proud and sure, had purged the hall, kept it from harm; he was happy with his nightwork and the courage he had shown” (824-7). It is easy to root for a character like this because he is what we can most relate to out of all the characters we know so far – before the fight, we see him in real danger for the first time. Despite his extraordinary strength, as well as the forthcoming circumstances, Beowulf quickly becomes a likeable protagonist and someone readers can rely on.
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However, consequences ensue. While the issue doesn’t seem as damning as a monster eating people in a local town, it gets personal when it involves Grendel’s mother. Before jumping into the lake where the next villain waits, Beowulf tells his companions, “…if I should fall and suffer death while serving your [Unferth’s] cause, would act like a father to me afterward. If this combat kills me, take care of my young company, my comrades in arms” (1477-81). He sees this next challenger as one in a coincidental series of recurring foes rather than a vengeful ally of his enemy that he has to take care of. Perhaps he is not one to fight those that could be stronger than him, but he has a mantle to carry that includes everything he loves. By this point in the story, Beowulf now has a reason to defeat these enemies, and it’s due to this process of decision-making that starts to define him as a true hero in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, through honor, strength, and courage most of all (Anglo-Saxon).
Towards the end of Beowulf, a major time jump has turned the title character from a youthful warrior to an aged king, one who would rather lead by wisdom than by power, fists, and even risk. When a hellish dragon threatens the future of his people, he has no choice but to carry sword and shield again. Beowulf doesn’t take any military-based strategies in attacking this dragon – time has evolved the man into someone who may disregard the strengths that made him what he is now. As he’s preparing for what will be his final fight, he says, “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon this earth-fort and face me in the open” (2511-5). His cocky attitude doesn’t get the better of him when the dragon does kill him, but it helps him relish in the bravery he once glorified. One may say it’s this trait that helps him in defeating the dragon anyway, but we leave Beowulf with not just a hero of epic proportions, but a fully developed character that closes the circle of boastfulness to courage to tenacity.
In further reading, I will examine Satan’s character from Paradise Lost and how he takes a different route to heroism compared to Beowulf.
Works Cited
The Anglo-Saxon Hero, csis.pace.edu/grendel/Proj2004A1/hero.html.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. W.W. Norton, 2012.