Hero or No Hero?

From the three books Beowulf, A Knight’s Tale, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Beowulf was really the only hero I saw. He displayed most of the traits within a hero, the best out of both Arcite and Sir Gawain.

Beowulf showed immense loyalty, bravery, responsibility, and strength. He was loyal, not only to his own country, but also to those of the Geats’. He was under no obligation to assist them in their time of dire need, but he took that as his own responsibility. He was brave in battling the wretched monsters for long periods of time, while in difficult situations, such as having to survive underneath the ocean for days on end, while fighting a ferocious beast. He displayed strength and wisdom in knowing what the right thing to do was, whether he was fond of the idea or not. He boasted about his triumphs, but truthfully. As he retold the fantastical adventured which he had endured, he made it known that he had used his strength to his advantage, he had been courageous, and he defeated the beasts without the aid of anyone of his men. Beowulf protected people that under his rule or even have to listen to him, but he felt the need to defend them all the same. He placed other before himself, showing others that he was selfless.

Arcite, on the other hand, while he did some heroic deeds and had selfless traits, did not posses other noticeable qualities of a hero.

The same applies for Sir Gawain. He followed through on his vow, and did not ‘chicken out’, which should not go unrecognized. He was a very true and honest man, and took responsibility in always keeping his word, even if it guarantied his death.

Beowulf is not the full definition of a hero, but he did display many of the qualities of one. However, good examples can be taken from all of the above chivalrous men They can teach us to help other, be a Samaritan, take responsibility, live up to our own expectations, say what we mean and mean what we say, not to deceive others and back out of a deal, be polite and respectful, show bravery, stand for what we believe, and preach the truth. There are many other things that define what a hero really is, but we have to ask ourselves, can someone really be all those things at once? That means they could never mess up, never sin, which means that God is the only true hero. We need to strive to be like him, to be godly and just. Then, and only then, can we even remotely be a hero.