Beowulf: the Hero An epic is a long narrative poem about a serious topic. Usually concerns a hero's adventurers. The hero is usually a figure of high social status and often of great historical or legendary importance. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf is the hero. Show that you are a great man by always putting other things before your own needs. He is important and necessary to his people and is known by many as a courageous and helpful person. Beowulf is a good example of a brave and strong hero. He shows all the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses. Beowulf is a very brave and courageous person. His actions towards the monster Grendel who was terrorizing the Danes show that he is willing to help others. In an epic it is usually found that the hero often determines the fate of a nation or a group of people. Beowulf certainly aided the Danes and his own people, the Geats, in their triumph over evil by killing Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. He helped humanity a lot and for this he was named king of the Geats. Beowulf's courageous actions and achievements contributed to the survival of the Danes and Geats. Another feature of the epic poem is that the hero performs outrageous and sometimes superhuman actions. Beowulf is a great example of this type of hero. He volunteers to fight Grendel and when Grendel's mother seeks revenge he goes to the lake and accepts the challenge. He shows great qualities of strength and power when, after fifty years, he faces the dragon which has become a threat to the Geats. He always fights his enemies with pride. When Beowulf and Wiglaf fight the dragon and everyone else they become cowards and run away into the forest and hide. This shows that they possess courageous traits and are sincerely ready and willing to help. Often in an epic poem the plot is complicated by supernatural beings and events. Good examples of this are when Beowulf fights Grendel. Grendel is a monster and there is no monster. The same goes for the dragon. Throughout history there has never been a dragon that got angry because a thief took part of his treasure. Also, when Beowulf is dying he asks Wiglof to show him the treasures before he dies. Everyone knows you can't hold back death just so you can see treasure. These examples show the complications found in the plot of an epic poem. An epic poem usually presents the situations of good and evil, life and death. The epic poem Beowulf has both of these things. Good is shown through the actions of Beowulf and Wiglaf when they defeat evil, shown by Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. Good and evil always lead to life and death. The good guys live and the bad guys die most of the time. In Beowulf, good defeated evil. Beowulf was known by the Geats and Danes as a very generous, kind and strong person, who would give anything for the survival of the people. These characteristics are what help classify Beowulf as a true epic hero.