Dalton Robinson Amanda Stevens English 103 21 January 2014 The Classic Hero When many people think

of a hero, they think of a person with good intentions that battles for what they believe is right and just. This person is generally immensely powerful in one aspect or another, and contains the potential to overcome any possible obstacle that should ever stand in their way. Beowulf is a prime example of such a hero, and is one of my favorite heroes that we have discussed so far in this class. His classic composition, possession of intense power, and boastfulness in battle all display the common characteristics of a classic, powerful hero. Beowulfs composition is much the same as any powerful warrior mentioned in many other texts. I believe that Beowulf is characterized in this manner due to the occurrences at the time of which his story was written. In the early 10th century, many refer to this time period as the darkest of the dark ages. This would explain why Beowulfs home province was being invaded and why he possesses an arrogant warrior persona. Beowulfs characteristics match perfectly with the time period that he was composed. Beowulfs composition of character is that of a brave, fearless, cocky warrior that can back up his words with actions that a true hero could do.

Secondly, Beowulfs possession of incredible strength is truly admirable. Beowulf had slain a multitude of creatures within the story, and Grendel being the latest. I feel that Beowulf in this aspect of strength could be considered a universal hero, as every hero that is ever mentioned in any book or story possess a trait that is incredibly strong. He matches up with characters such as Superman by protecting the town just as he does for example, and this can be applied to various other heroes. The universal trait of strength is very prominent, and has no exception in Beowulfs story. Lastly, Beowulfs boastful presence is what makes him one of my favorite characters that we have discussed. Beowulf often proclaimed that he had slain this creature and that creature, giving him a cocky image, however it is all true and he has every right to boast as he did. I admire Beowulf in the aspect that it is ok for him to boast because he can back it up, and if any would challenge him he would simply slay them where they stand. He is so much more powerful than any other human in the story that he has a dominating presence just by being there. His actions are not required due to the town folks knowledge of his true potential strength. Though many agree that arrogance is a negative trait, I however disagree in this given situation. For the timer period, boastfulness was a sign of power and if you were not boastful, then others would lack on giving you respect, even if you had earned it. All in all, Beowulf is an interesting, yet classical hero. He has the composition of a traditional strong warrior that defeats the bad guys. This universal trait is consistent with almost every hero/villain story ever created. Beowulfs immense strength is yet another universal, yet admirable characteristic of himself. This strength is used for the good of the innocent people in the story by quelling the evil character, and earning glory to his name and land. Lastly his arrogant presence is not exactly universal in nature, yet it gives him a distinct hero appearance.

People want to not like him, but he is their only hope of survival, so they are forced into it. All of these classical character traits make Beowulf my favorite hero that we have so far covered in this course.