Beowulf - A Literary EpicThere are ten basic elements that help classify a poem as an epic. Although Beowulf does not contain all of these elements, it has enough of them to still identify it as an epic. There are ten characteristics of an epic: the central character has heroic or superhuman qualities, the action takes place on an immense scale, the action involves the fate of an entire population or the entire human species , gods or semi-divine creatures help one side or the other, the author announces his theme in the opening, a character calls on the muses to help him, the poem begins "in media res", the style of the poem is often noble and majestic, the characters speak in long speeches, in some cases there is a literary inventory which is part of a descriptive passage The main character of a true epic possesses heroic or superhuman qualities. as a central character, Beowulf was a brave and powerful warrior Beowulf believed that his fairness and courage would help him defeat the fiercest opponents. He had the strength of ten men and was ready to take on any. battle because he knew he was stronger than any other being, man or beast. Before his fight against Grendel, he said: “Grendel is neither braver nor stronger than me! When Grendel and Beowulf met, he kept his word and ripped the beast's arm from the rest of its body and sent Grendel running cowardly towards his hellish home. While fighting Grendel's mother, Beowulf managed to kill the beast with a single blow with a huge sword, so massive that few men could even lift it. Before his confrontation with Grendel, he said: “I could kill him with my sword; I won't, no matter how simple it would be… I'll meet him with…… in the middle of a paper….. .rk, George. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. Leyerle, John. “The contradictory demands of heroic strength and royal wisdom. » In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Shippey, TA. “The world of the poem. » In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Shippey, Thomas A. “Structure and Unity.” edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. Tharaud, Barry “Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf.” : Greenhaven Press, 1998. Tolkien, JRR. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics. » In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom New York: Chelsea House Publishers., 1987.