The Ethics and Qualities of Heroes in Beowulf and Beyond

The character of Beowulf has contributed much to culture, laying the groundwork for the original hero’s journey in literature and contributing to very formative beliefs on the roles of heroes and monsters. Beowulf has created many myths of the most legendary heroes of honor and glorification through the defeat of many foes in battle. Regardless of the common tropes, the distinct moralization of heroes and monsters, it has inspired fantasy writers and literature for centuries. It remains consistently required reading as one of the earliest poetic works of all time, it has created a foundation of myth and great impossible heroism for all time.

In the exploration of this work, the simplicity of the story creates a world that is simple enough to accept, though Beowulf himself is not so easily explained. He is the hero, but the text is filled with his boasts and distasteful pride creating another darker portrayal of him as the hero. The over-glorification of the hero leads to the idea that Beowulf is greater than he is, that he is inhuman and incapable of error. He can do no wrong. Indeed, Beowulf contains very little personality or depth and seems one dimensional and too perfect. The volume of Beowulf’s pride lingers throughout the poem and leads the reader to wonder, is there not a much more worthy hero to be found? Is Beowulf simply striving for chaotic glory? He is a hero who acts in his own best interest, should he still be considered a hero?

Beowulf is no great moral leader, his actions are as much for personal gain as they are to gain recognition. He comes on the scene full of ardor and pride in telling how he will defeat Grendel. “The giant-race wasted, in the waters destroying, the nickers by night, bore numberless sorrows, the Weders avenged (woes had they suffered) Enemies ravaged; alone now with Grendel I shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil…” (Beowulf 49–53).

The only defining character trait of Beowulf is that he is fearless and willing to step into the fray when no one else will. Yet he does this rashly, and his pride is his undoing, he thinks he is invincible. It begs the question, is this the correct attitude of a hero? If he was merely confident the conversation would have gone differently, humbly requesting that he could help Hrothgar defeat this monster or even accept their aid. In telling the Danes that he only can save them he seems to point to their incompetence. Beowulf paints himself as the sole savior of the Danes, the only one who can defeat Grendel. This belief puts a heavyweight on the belief of predestination or the presence of “Wyrd”, that is heavily relied on in this story. In early Nordic cultures, they believed they were at the mercy of fate; this adds a more nuanced look at Beowulf’s boasting speech. No matter what occurred, Beowulf believed he was always the savior of the Danes because his belief in Wyrd made him confidant in obtaining it. This is perhaps the secret to the hero’s journey is the belief in himself, though the fine line of blinding pride, is blurred between that and the capability to humbly do what needs to be done without heralded fate.

The ideas of wyrd are closely tied to the narrow view of good versus evil which was also closely tied to the ever-present reality of basic survival in early settlements of Vikings and nomads. Times were savage and unforgiving, there were not as many blurred lines as there is today. There were those of your tribe and there were bitter enemies and not much in between. Being able to recognize either was a matter of life and death and perhaps why the view of good versus evil was perpetuated so long in myth and legend because this was the reality for many in the early days of civilization.

Andrew Scheil, Professor of English Literature touches on the themes of Beowulf, “Modern criticism since Tolkien has tended to valorize the “marvelous” elements of the poem. The fights with the monsters offer a primary structural principle (so the argument goes) and since they are, after all, monsters, the fantastic, the phantasmagoric, and the grotesque must be close to the heart of the poem.” (Scheil 284). Heroes stand on the precipice of greatness, standing in the way of the monster’s great darkness. They call for a standing up of ideals, promising the world will be great if one hero only stands up to injustice, this the direct morality of justice calling to eradicate its direct foe and oppose those who it offends. The call to do something about a problem — in this instance Grendel — is the reason heroes are needed. This is their mandate, the call to action, seeing a need, and fulfilling the desire to do good, to create that greater good for all. Some heroes, perhaps even Beowulf do not wish for the good of mankind, or even their fellow man, yet only wish for greatness and glory to be theirs. The exchange for this, a selfless act is required, while Beowulf is doing these deeds purely for fame and glory. The important crux of the hero in his entirety is that he carries out swift moral justice, selflessly, and most often risking or even sacrificing his life for someone else. Perhaps it is even the only action to take.

This is where the morality of action becomes strange and suspicious, in terms of modern culture it is right to be suspicious of anyone who proclaims to be good, for no one is good. Human goodness is innate, but it is finite, the hero may have a desire to do good but some obstacles stand in his way. As in any good story, there is the conflict for the central hero or heroine, the struggle for good and evil inside. There is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian of the last century describes as a need for “moral renewal” or a reminder of the need to remember some beauty and good and coming back to center ourselves on that goodness.

“The improvement of mankind, in the search for greatness, is the reliance on heroes, moral or no, for the simple reason of having someone to gaze upon with admiration. There is a common theme in literature, there must be a leader to lead, in life, and on the page, someone to lean upon, to guide those who would rather follow. This is a useful observance in the ethics and search for morality in these heroes that are projected and idolized.” (Bonhoeffer)

The heroics of a hero are only consistent with the deeds of the hero, history does not remember the characteristics so well as long as he fulfills what is promised. Indeed, Beowulf is somewhat lacking the stereotypical characteristic of a genuine hero or one who truly believes in sacrifice for the greater good of mankind. What precisely is his sacrifice in this tale? He seems to make none, no one will mourn him in his death, he is “good” but there is no evidence for it. To be truly selfless is to give up something one truly value, in this vein, Unferth should be the true hero of this tale when he gives his sword, Hrunting to Beowulf, sacrificing something he truly needs.

The facts lead me to believe that Beowulf is somehow above it all, he, with the strength of thirty men, hardly has any difficulty in defeating any foe. To be a hero is to have humanity, to have flaws, to have some weakness. Beowulf represents the ideal, the unnatural accumulation of features we admire, much like the gods of Olympus, unbeatable, invincible, and all-knowing. In the centuries since Beowulf was written, modern literature has refined what a hero represents, creating a definitive contrast between the formless uncertainty of Beowulf, striving only for glory and recognition. Now compared to the varied and complicated heroes we have today, they contrast greatly to that of Beowulf. A hero is not a hero without a sacrifice, some could argue that Beowulf’s sacrifice comes at the end of the story, but it is near the end of his life and hardly accomplishes the same sacrifice as it would cost to a much younger person. He had nothing to lose there at the end of his life, unlike other much more willing characters in modern memory.

Andrew H. Miller, Professor of Literature at John Hopkins University says it best in his book on The Burdens of Perfection, “As I conceive it, this moral perfectionism is a particular narrative form (rather than a concept, theory, or disposition) capable of great variation and extension” (Miller loc. 239). This “moral perfectionism” seems to be the basis on which heroes from Beowulf and Cuchulainn are based, they are based on an unreasonable ideal, and a godlike strength that is unrealistic and impossible to relate to. These stories overemphasize the fanatical obsession of man’s strength, leading to the gullibility to believe such tales and tricking readers in admiring them. Though it is unreasonable to believe that a seven-year-old child could kill several large and armed grown men in battle, the entire story of Cuchulainn leaves the reader incredulous and befuddled. These fantastic stories boldly reach for the moon in the search for incredible heroes, these heroes that seem too great and unrealistic to us, would have inspired entire countries and lead to empathic religious faith in these tales. These stories would have given people faith in this idea of “moral perfectionism”, and faith in God and good works and that these works have meaning and purpose. And that there is a reward for these good deeds. This is the vital importance of the hero’s tale and journey; they inform how culture behaves and how the common man should model himself. This is the importance of a truly morally righteous hero, and the even greater chance to show the humanity of a hero, the flaws, struggles, and weaknesses.

Today the model of a hero has changed, they are a little rougher, a little more focused, but they are most importantly vitally human. The hero’s journey is more ambiguous, asking much harder moral questions, leaving the past behind, and finding redemption for past mistakes. These are all victories of modern heroes, finding their path in a much more complicated world and war-torn world.

Society no longer needs a central hero like Beowulf to slay monsters if the monsters are all around us and are too numerous to count. Heroes like Batman are more compelling and have a richer tale to tell us, behaving in ways that many people find themselves locked into and continuously able to relate to. Modern characters are flawed and at times are morally ambiguous, however, they are behaving and acting in unusual circumstances that no longer have easy answers.

In the narrative of the 2008 film, The Dark Knight, it explores the extent of how far their morality will bend. This film potently extrapolates on how the eradication of evil, can lead to becoming that evil instead. This is something that Beowulf begins to explore even in such an early work, it can be interpreted as Beowulf killing what is evil around him or evil in himself. This is the crux of these stories, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain” (The Dark Knight, 20:50–20:57). “Gotham’s White Knight”, was the pinnacle of freedom and justice, prosecuting the worst criminals in the city, until he lost everything, and he became what he swore to tear down. The abject demoralization, the chaotic evil of the Joker, forces Batman to choose between breaking his vow not to kill and saving the city. This is the true hero’s conundrum, in turning heroes against each other, this film breaks down the essence of a hero until only the core of their morality remains. And this is the fundamental basis of the heroes in the modern world, ones who are forced to make horrible decisions based on the morality they hold dearest. The question is not how good are they? But what lengths do they go to conquer the true face of evil and in doing so, do they become that evil themselves? This film explores the subject of heroes, and the questions are numerous, yet Batman answers them all. After the wrongdoings of Harvey Dent, Batman takes the fall for all Two-Face inflicted. Batman becomes the scapegoat, in the aftermath of a desensitizing moral war, leaving Gotham with a true hero. By taking on the sins of another he becomes a hero, in the true sense, a sacrificial sense. One who does not need recognition, rapport, praise, or even justice, he becomes what people need of him at that moment. The moral ambiguity of his actions remains in question, but his sacrificial act wipes the slate clean, by definition a hero acts according to the needs of the people.

These ideas are all ones that Beowulf began to explore; will the hero continue to fight? Is he truly what he says he is? How far is too far? Beowulf lends himself to a fight and does not stop until it is finished and done, in this vein Beowulf continues to push and drive narrative form. He is the archetype of the hero, one who all heroes since have been built upon. This is the reason more complex heroes and villains today exist, such as Batman, Katniss Everdeen, and Harry Potter. These characters would not be a reality had it not been for the foundation of Beowulf in all his glory. Beowulf is paramount in understanding the ultimate face and force of a heroic purpose and good, he is the first in the annuals of heroes and he cannot be understated.

Works Cited

Beowulf, D.C. Heath & Co., Publishers, 2005. Translated by Hall, Lesslie P.hD. (J.H.U.)

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, A Testament to Freedom, What is a Christian Ethic? Kelly, Geffrey B.,

Nelson, F. Burton, Harper One, 1995.

The Dark Knight, Dir. Nolan, Christopher, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008. Film.

Miller, Andrew H., The Burdens of Perfection: On Ethics and Reading in Nineteenth-Century

British Literature, Kindle ed., Cornell University Press, 2008.

Scheil, Andrew. “The historiographic dimensions of Beowulf.” The Journal of English and

Germanic Philology, vol. 107, no. 3, 2008, p. 281+. Gale Academic OneFile,

Accessed 14 Apr. 2020.