Beowulf Essay

Joseph Campbell once stated "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Although this is accurate in itself, so is what Christopher Reeve said when he stated that A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." These two views on heroes are relatively similar, but still very thoroughly display the historical setting in which the were written. Modern day heroes are usually ordinary people who are brave enough to put their own lives on the line in order to save those of others. Heroes from the past seemed to be a lot more mystical. They often went into a situation, succeeded, learned something from it, and then came back to their home town and taught the locals what they had learned on their journey. If a story such as Beowulf had been told from a feminist point of view when it was written, it would have changed drastically, where as in today's society, there would often be minimal changes due to the equality that is seen today.

Beowulf was seen as an epic hero in the time period that this epic was written. Beowulf shows heroism in his will to fight without weapons against an enemy never to have been encountered before. Characteristics and descriptions of the enemy are told using hyperbole seeing as they are very often exaggerated. Beowulf is confident and his arrogance plays to his strength throughout his battles. Beowulf is considered a hero of his time for his strength and willingness to give his life for others. A common hero in today's world would be a soldier because they're an everyday individual willing to save another persons life even if it means giving up their own. The stories that soldiers often tell or have told about them differ entirely from Beowulf's. A soldier's story would never be exaggerated in such a way like Beowulf is. It's much harder for a hero to be seen in today's world seeing as we rarely view heroes as people who come out of an unrealistic tale about monsters. 

Who is telling the story plays a huge role in what will or will not be included into the story itself. For example, if a female were to have told Beowulf, nothing would have been quite as exaggerated nor would there had been as much power behind Beowulf's character. If a female were to tell a heroes story in present day fashion, it wouldn't differ much from a man'a portrayal. Although a female might tell the story in a more caring and heartfelt way than a male would, the story in itself wouldnt change drastically due to the fact that today's stories tend to be more factual. 

A hero, in no matter what time period can be define as a character who, in the face of danger or weakness, display courage and self-sacrifice. Although in both time periods the hero had the same general characteristics, Beowulf was much more exaggerate and unrealistic while the modern hero was a more realistic character. The reason our definition for a hero has change is due to the changing societal views. A lot has changed since Beowulf was written and these simple changes really add up and cause writing styles to change with it. The way a story is told allows for both the characters and author to be revealed, whether they be male or female.