Beowulf_Heroic

Beowulf is a very arrogant and boastful. It seems that Beowulf wants fame and a reputation for his great strength and braveness. Of course any normal person would want acknowledgment for their good deeds, but he seems to want more then recognition. The second he needs to meet with the king, he starts talking about his reputation of his famous father: “My father was famous among our folk/ as a lordly leader who lived many winters/ before, full of years, he departed our fastness.”(230-233). He feels the need to boast about his many battles: “ They have seen me return bloody from binding five brutish giants,/a family of foes destroyed in our strife;/and under the surf I have slain sea-monsters,/ nightmarish nixies noxious to Geats.” (372-322). It seems he wants to show off that he wont be using an armor and that he will fight the Grendel with only his fist, “solely by strength”(606), and insists that even if he loses in battle, he rather die, than have any other warriors join him, which I believe shows he has to much pride in himself. Today, in modern society, these traits we look at as arrogant and boastful. We believe heroes are those that don’t expect anything in return for saving some ones life or keeping society out of harms way, such as the army, the police, or firemen. Even today’s “superheroes” are portrayed as men or women that go to work day to day, and find out someone is in harms way and secretly turns into the super hero they are without making a scene or bragging like Beowulf. However, in this time period, Beowulf may seem witty and confident. Explaining about his famous father could be useful in that time because they were very big on statuses and may have not spoken to him otherwise. Also, his confidence can be mistaken for what we believe is arrogance. Telling tales of all his past battles may have made civilians feel better and give them hope that he could defeat Grendel. A modern day hero and Beowulf are both similar because they are using their strengths to help others and defend what they believe is right. While they are both saving lives, a modern day hero does not try to flaunt their heroicness while Beowulf does.