.... I was being! / what does it mean?

Question

I could hardly believe how bold I was being!

I got detention because a teacher said I was being contumacious

..... What does the word being here mean ? and what are the tenses in these sentences ?

Why we can not just omit it ?

And just say:

I could hardly believe how bold I was!

I got detention because a teacher said I was contumacious.

Thank you.

Answer 1

When BE is cast in the progressive construction (BE + present participle), it describes the subject's current behavior, as opposed to his more or less permanent nature or character:

I was being bold means I was behaving boldly at that time.
I was being contumacious means I was behaving contumaciously at that time.