British Literature Tough Guys

Tough Guys

A hero is claimed to be one that is distinguished by leadership, courage, brave deeds, and being completely selfless. The definition of a hero is very debatable, and for one to deem someone a hero is truly what people see in the person they are giving a title to. After reading and dissecting many different works, there have been several creatures that have stood out to be heroic figures. These figures showed a great deal of leadership, selfless acts, and pride. However, the three characters that stood out the most exemplifying these qualities were Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and Satan.

Leadership is one quality that stands out among all the rest truly embodying a hero. Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and Satan all showed much leadership in their actions and this is what really makes them out to be heroes. Beowulf was not a native of the land of the Danes but was known because of his past greatness. Because of this, the people of Herot had called upon him to come and help them from the horrendous monsters that were destroying their land. Beowulf went to the land of Danes to help the people that lived there. “Now Holy God has, in His goodness, guided him here to the West-Danes, to defend us from Grendel. (Beowulf 43 Lines 381-383)” He was to assist in ridding the land of the evil monster Grendel that was eating the inhabitants. He was not asked to destroy Grendel, and did not ask for something in return for his help. These actions really show how much of a true hero Beowulf was. True heroes never ask for gifts or money, they just take up the task they are presented with and complete it for the good of others.

Sir Gawain showed a great amount of leadership when he stood up to take on the New Years game that was presented to King Arthur and the court by the Green Knight. Hesitantly, King Arthur accepted the challenge from the knight, but Sir Gawain stepped in to take on the challenge himself. Sir Gawain told the court and King Arthur that he would take on the task for he believed his life was far less important than that of the kings. “I am the weakest, well I know, and of wit feeblest; And the loss of my life would be least of any; That I have you for uncle is my only praise; My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth; And for that this folly befits not a king” (353-358). Though he said this and truly thought it, he was actually proving how much of a leader he was and how much humility he had. The true leadership that Sir Gawain had is evident throughout the whole work. For him to be able to stand up to the task and also follow through with all of the stipulations made it very clear to King Arthur and the court that this was a true leader amongst their people.

Being that Satan is usually seen as a villain, one may not be able to see the figure of Satan as a hero. However, in the context of the paper and discussing his characteristics portrayed in the story,