Hrothgar's Heroic Code In Beowulf

Beowulf fights in three battles and wins them all. That shows his bravery and strength. After Beowulf defeats Grendel, people of all ages were “retelling Beowulf’s bravery”(Beers II.

During this account, the narrator shows that Hrothgar puts trust in Beowulf based on past experiences with his father, and accepts his offer to defend Heorot. III. Beowulf defends his honor After the king accepts Beowulf’s offer to defend his kingdom, he invites him to a feast in his honor. At the feast, a Dane named Unferth, was jealous of the king’s admiration of Beowulf and begins to insult him.

Beowulf was one of the few who followed the code. King Hrothgar, was one of the many that broke the code. Beowulf, prince of the Geats, is the main character in the epic Beowulf. He lived his life following the code, and didn’t care if he died with honor.

Hrothgar acknowledges Beowulf for his great exploits of significant strength and bravery by killing Grendel. Hrothgar’s including of “immortal” is very important to

Beowulf is an arrogant man who constantly tries to surpass all other men. The hero is fueled by his greed for power, and boasts of his greatness before battling Grendel. “‘My people… have seen my strength for themselves,/

Not only have we seen brute strength, honorable courage, and admirable loyalty shine through beowulf, Beowulf also possess a great trait not many others have; his will to fight to the death, or self sacrifice. Not once throughout the story did Beowulf ever turn down a battle. Not once did he fear or flee his enemy. Not once did he ever give up even if death had him by the throat causing his mind to flood nothing but fearful thoughts and feelings throughout his body. Every battle Beowulf fought, he fought as if it was his last and that is what truly makes him the great warrior he is.

Yes, Beowulf is brave, but not because he wants to do the right thing, he wants gold and glory. Beowulf is known as a great hero and on the surface he is. He seems to be brave and just but underneath that, Beowulf is extremely arrogant and egotistical. Beowulf does not just do things for they are the right thing to do, he does them seeing that great deeds will bring him honor and boost his reputation. He fights Grendel for bragging rights like the swimming contest Unferth brought up and he refuses to use a sword when fighting Grendel because it will just add to his bravery.

Bravery is one of the qualities that would make Beowulf a hero today. In the epic, he faces many powerful enemies that he must overcome. When he fights his greatest foe a dragon he is much older. His courage urges him into the battle even though his age has weakened him. Before his battle with his greatest foe he shows his

Questions of Honor: Beowulf Beowulf’s honor and integrity can be questioned throughout the entirety of the epic poem, Beowulf. Whether or not his actions are inspired by his own pompous arrogance or confidence, one can argue that he is a hero nonetheless. Evidence and experience prove that Beowulf is more of a fearless hero than an excessively prideful man, and his hubris is more than justified due to the formidable duties he is able to execute. Throughout the poem, Beowulf expresses his intense strength and courage to the fearful people in the poem. His daring sense of self-assurance is backed by his victories against all three monsters, (even though he suffers a tragic death after facing the dragon, it is a defeat nonetheless).

Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.

This proves that he is strong and brave because no one else could kill Grendel let alone face him. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and without armor on. Other warriors could not even kill him with a sword and armor. “Beowulf’s intention to fight Grendel with only his strength proves that he carries the characteristics of a true hero”(Hailey).

One more heroic characteristic Beowulf showed was the trust in his men. With every battle that Beowulf was involved in, he was never to leave his warriors behind. During the battle against the Grendel he purposely picked out fourteen of his strongest warriors and fought alongside sixteen of the Danish warriors making that thirty warriors Beowulf had to confide and trust in through it all. Even though more than half of the warriors were not his own people, he treated them the exact same. He trusted in that they would be successful in the fight and follow the orders exactly as is without question.

Beowulf from Beowulf has very few things about him that are not chivalrous. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero and the Anglo-Saxon ideal of being strong, fearless, bold and loyal. One example of Beowulf being a chivalrous warrior is his bravery and courage. The evil demon Grendel has been terrorizing Herot for the past 12 years, so Beowulf wants to try and defeat him. When he arrives in Denmark Wulfgar greets him by saying “My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me to tell you that he knows of your noble birth and that having come bravely and are welcome.”

He exemplifies his honor in this quote by showing his respect for his opponent and making the battle fair for Grendel. An additional example of Beowulf’s honor is when his king, Hygelac dies and he is offered the throne, “Beowulf does not hurry and seize the throne, but rather supports Denmark’s rightful heir,” (Michael Stitt), Heardred, this action shows Beowulf’s respect for the throne and how he would not cheat someone out of what they deserve. Beowulf eventually comes to power and receives the throne. While he is ruling a ferocious dragon comes to his kingdom and starts to destroy it. Beowulf, “as a king should therefore act for the good of his people,” (Michael Stitt) and protect them from the dragon, even if it means losing his own life.