Beowulf

Gutierrez 2

Jarol Gutierrez

Mr. Fernandez

English IV

28 February 2016

Epic Hero In Beowulf

In epic poetry, certain characteristics distinguish regular poetry to epic poetry. Epic poetry contains two separate categories, folk and literary epics. Folk epic has no specific author, the poetry is derived from oral traditions. On the other hand, literary epic has a single poet and it derives from characteristics of Folk Epic. Furthermore, epic poetry was originally intended to be sung or recited to music, contains upper and lower worlds, and the main characters represent cultural ideas like endurance, virtues, selflessness, or christian love. The difference between folk and literary is that folk epic often contains supernatural elements that are involved with human affairs, called the epic hero. In the epic poem Beowulf, beowulf can be considered an epic hero because he is a larger than life leader who goes on a great journey and establishes his superiority in single combat.

To begin with, one of the characteristics in which exemplifies Beowulf as a epic hero is Beowulf’s great journey to prove that is an epic hero. In the journey, Beowulf’s first obstacle was to fight Grendel, “a fiend out of hell.” (100) Grendel is an ogre who has been reaping over the passed out drunks in the hall for twelve years straight. The ogre has been cursed with a spell “that no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s art could ever damage their demon opponent.” (802-803)

The second obstacle in Beowulf’s journey, the “monstrous hell-bride” (1259), Grendel’s mother.