One of the earliest heroic epics in English Literature is Beowulf. ... The main character Beowulf engages in the battle with two monsters Grendel and his mother in order to save the King Hrothgard and his subjects. "Beowulf possesses the qualities of valor, military prowess, loyalty, generosity, and honor. ... He also possesses many virtues of the epic hero Beowulf, however, "the chivalric hero rarely fights in defense of his people, but in defense of an ideal or an abstraction" (Jokinen 1996). Heroism for Beowulf seems to be more physical in nature, where heroism of Gawain is of a more...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate