Thursday, September 29, 2016

Characteristics of an Epic Poem Hero By Caroline Kepler

All Epics are focused around a hero or multiple heroes and the journey or deed they must complete. What makes a hero a hero in an epic poem comes down to their characteristics. Most heroes are males with an important social standing, like a noble or wealthy family, and have a historical importance. Mentally, their own ideals are reflective of their societies, since they have their society or societies depending on them and their actions usually determine their nation's fate. In addition, they generally display the timeless traits of courage, loyalty, and honor. Physically, since the weight of their nation is on their shoulders they have an appearance larger than life that allows them to perform super human deeds. A classic example of a hero with these attributes would be Beowulf. Beowulf was a Geat noblemen of Sweden and accepted the task of fighting a dragon, a long with other foes, to protect his society and the Danes.

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