Essay on A Comparison of Oedipus and Beowulf

Grendel the lake dwelling cannibal is what first shows us that Beowulf can become someone great. Beowulf, a smart warrior constructs a plan that out smarts Grendel. With that advantage, Beowulf fights Grendel with only his hands. He wants to be fair in the fight because Grendel does not use any weapon when he attacks. By Beowulf killing Grendel with brute strength, it shows how he’s willing to risk his life to save others. But, however, his battles are far from over.

Beowulf’s cruelty is never seen as such (except by Grendel’s mother), and that leads him to become an undefeated hero in the eyes of the people

He is looked upon in a heroic way for fighting the justice system and showing courage, strength and ability to resist laws through making his own lifestyle, with separate beliefs, attitudes and values. He was a friend of the poor, kind to women and children, and an enemy of the rich. He was forced into crime by the harsh harassments of the authorities. He said to have died bravely against the more powerful forces of the law. He has grown to be an admired infamous figure for the way he stood up to authority and his larrikin ways.

Beowulf’s heroic journey began with his going to help the Scyldings, and it ended with his returning to Geatland. In his journey, he kills a giant named Grendel, he kills Grendel’s mother, and he kills a fiery dragon and in the process dies.

All of the brave deeds Beowulf accomplishes, and the strength that he possesses, gains him much respect and glorification from people.

Beowulf was considered an warrior with extraordinary strength, he was sent to do many treacherous tasks for his kingdom. He was indeed a true hero, countless people would not even think to do some of the things he has done. It was all for the love and respect of his people, often times most of his duties were to fend off evil monsters and dragons.

The first type of hero in history is the Anglo-Saxon hero, where a man goes out of his way to show a fashion of heroism by doing a task that no one else could be able to accomplish. The most iconic Anglo-Saxon hero is Beowulf, the warrior from Norway who was known for facing against creatures and monsters across ancient Europe without fear, including the man-eating giant Grendel, Grendel’s witch mother, and a dragon. The five qualities Beowulf shows defining his heroism throughout his tale are strength, immortality, respectfulness, bravery, and humility. The first and most iconic task of Beowulf’s character was his brute strength. Beowulf was strong enough to fight off the brute powers of Grendel and resist the drowning attempts caused by Grendel’s

Beowulf went on to do many great things and protected many people from many dangers. He

Beowulf was a hero that influenced many people’s lives by showing his epic characteristics. He achieves that by undertaking a quest and achieving something of tremendous value. It is evident Beowulf shows the two themes of the living and the dead and the struggle between good and evil through his epic characteristics with his battle with Grendel.

earn him reputation of bravery as a hero moreover He has his people at heart care and protect

Beowulf was without a doubt an honorable man in the eyes of his people. He was a

There are several of these basic values that we expect of our superheroes: Courage, valor, honor, and selflessness, to name a few. For his courage and valor, Beowulf is described by the narrator as “The man whose name was known for courage...” (l. 340), and his actions certainly confirm this evaluation of his character; from volunteering to fight Grendel as a favor to diving to the depths of the mire to fight Grendel's mother and even going out to fight a great dragon after having “...ruled [Geatland] well for fifty winters....” As to honor, Beowulf is certainly a model warrior. For instance, even when fighting the monstrous Grendel, he renounces the use of weapons, saying "He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play..." (ll. 680-81).

Beowulf made and kept heroic oaths, fit the cultural ideals which he needed to make himself a hero, and even perished a brave ruler in a heroic death. The text ends with a praise of the great hero, “ Thus made their mourning the men of Geatland,/for their hero's passing his hearth-companions:/quoth that of all the kings of earth,/of men he was mildest and most beloved,/to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise,” proving he was truly an idolized figure for his people (ln.3188-3192). Despite the argument of the shift of pagan to Christian beliefs or from a greedy culture to a more humble one, Beowulf was a hero in his time, and continued to be revered even after his

Another assessment of these two heroes is their compassion and courtesy towards others. Beowulf is fairly courteous to others. However, once someone is rude to him, he immediately gets very infuriated

Living his entire life believing in himself and the talents he was taught from a young age, he honed himself until he was worthy of attaining the title of Hero. A title bestowed upon only the most virtuous.