Honor, Humility, Strength, And Courage - 1338 Words

Honor, humility, strength, and courage. When one tells stories of heroes, their characteristics are generally the same. They perform feats of greatness that no ordinary person can do and they do it for the good of a kingdom or wherever they may be. The story of Beowulf is not much different. The Epic poem is about a man who, like I said earlier, goes around protecting people from monstrous creatures and he gains fame with each completed quest. His adventure take him to the land of Danes in order to fight a monster that has been terrorizing the kingdom and bring peace to the land. After disposing of the monster Grendel, he seeks out Grendel’s mother and like with Grendel, he strikes her down. While his motivation for doing so can easily be†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"When it comes to fighting, I count myself As dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield To mow him down, easily as I might. He has no ideas of the arts of war, Of shield or sword-play, though he does possess A wild strength. No weapons, therefore, For either this night: unarmed he shall face me If face me he dares.†(677-685). By choosing to fight him without armor he basically leaves his life up to fate though he knows he won’t lose. Grendel was this frightening monster that literally eats people and Beowulf decided to fight him in a fair fight thus proving to everyone there that none can frighten him. It took courage to do the things he did, and he definitely showed time and time again that he is courageous, but his strength is what kept him alive. Just like with his bravery, Beowulf displayed his immense strength throughout the poem. Were it not for his strength he most likely would not have been able to survive many of his encounters with his enemies. â€Å"The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body quailed and r ecoiled, but he could not escape.† (749-753). In his battle with Grendel he proved to be too much for the monster and as the battle went on, he ripped off his arm. The monster that no one could ever match was bested by Beowulf without even using his weapons or armor. Not that his sword would have helpedShow MoreRelatedThe Old Man And The Sea1009 Words   |  5 PagesHemingway. Hemingway endured many tragedies, from the wounds of his time in war and even during two successive plane crashes in which Hemingway was permanently injured. Throughout it all, however, Ernest Hemingway still stood with great honor and took pride in his humility. These are the characteristics that really led Hemingway to greatness and success. 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