Beowulf
 
The definition of a hero is always made and changed by the
society and culture in which that hero resides. These ideas
also change with generation and cultural gaps. This is
clearly shown in the case of the epic poem Beowulf and its
main character. Although not all of Beowulf's thoughts and
actions are worthy of hero status if they were to be
determined in our culture, however, they were seen as acts
of great heroism in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The contrast
of these aspects of heroism in a more modern culture can be
seen when the same heroic characters are looked upon in a
different light in John Gardner's Grendel.
 
Beowulf possessed many of the qualities of an Anglo-Saxon
hero; bravery and strength. His main quality was his
strength as he was the only one able to defeat Grendel. He
exhibited bravery when he and Wiglaf were able to withstand
the Dragon. His bravery, when coupled with his strength,
made him a perfect candidate for hero status. Other
characteristics that allowed Beowulf to rise to the top
were his ambitious nature, his eagerness for fame, and his
ability to be a leader. 
 
Throughout his adventures, Beowulf exuded an air of self
confidence. For example, before the battle with Grendel, he
instructed Hrothgar to deal with his corpse if he were to
die, however, his demeanor made it quite clear that the
battle would be victorious. Even in the end Beowulf did not
loose to the biggest enemy of man in the world of the epic.
He conquered the Dragon and then evolved to the final stage
of his life. In the end he had served the people well as a
warrior and a leader. 

In the book, "Grendel", written by Gardner, a very
different picture of the hero Beowulf was painted. Beowulf
is depicted as being crazy, and mean. "He's crazy. I
understand him all right, make no mistake. Understand his
lunatic theory of matter and mind, the chilly intellect,
the hot imagination, blocks and builder, reality as
stress." (pg. 151). In the book, Grendel we are left not
liking Beowulf, whereas in the poem " Beowulf" we admire
and like Beowulf. The difference of the hero concept is
evident. Why were these heroes, the same man, so different?
The time and our society leads to this difference in a
great way. In the epic, Beowulf's heroic deeds are stressed
and any emotions that he may have felt are omitted as they
might have diminished his heroic status in the eyes of the
Anglo Saxons. In Grendel, however, this makes him seem
like a cruel human being. Beowulf's actions, no matter how
heroic they might have seemed in the epic, appear chaotic
to Gardner.