Comparison Of Beowulf And The Rancher Dan Evans

When thinking about the stories told in the Medieval Ages, many people today might picture a knight, hero, or king that represents as a role model for us people. Two books, Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel and The Once and Future King by T.H. White are two examples of stories told at completely different times, by different authors, that include hero’s. In both stories there are similarities and differences that can spotted between these character’s heroic traits. Both Beowulf and King Arthur show the heroic trait of wisdom which is essential to becoming a great leader.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself living in the time of 700 A.D. There is a guest speaker at and evening entertainment and he begins to tells the story of Beowulf. Now fast forward to the 21st century, modern times, the evening entertainment is now a Batman movie. The screening shows Batman resembling much like Beowulf, who is an all around hero just like Batman. Heroes are often seen as mythological legends, who are endowed with great courage and strength. Some may also say heroes are noted for their rise of courage or nobility of purpose. Although, Beowulf and Batman come from completely different time periods, they each share similarities of strength, both endure courage, but they both are quite different.

Heroes bring a hope to people whom they protect. Heroes bring people joy and bring a sense of relaxation to the people of their society because they play such an important role in lives everywhere. Heroes are complex rather than unembellished because they can fight dragons to defend their kingdom, or create a non-profit foundation to enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged kids. Heroes in our present day can be very complex because a person’s viewpoint on a hero’s life can be a completely different than the way another person looks at that same hero. Thomas Davis Sr. can be extremely comparable to Beowulf but they also have major differences.

Courage, bravery, and strength are three heroic Anglo-Saxon characteristics that tie together perfectly. Without courage, you will not have strength and bravery. Without strength and bravery, you will not have the courage to face your challenges. Anglo-Saxons believed three of these characteristics were perfectly interwoven in the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero (Garcia). Beowulf identifies to three of these Anglo-Saxon characteristics flawlessly as he fights the monstrous Grendel. Courage means fighting even if it means death; it means challenging your fate and being brave no matter the circumstance (Cascio). Beowulf shows special strength and bravery when he has the courage to renounce his use of weapons and protection when battling Grendel. “No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he [Grendel] shall face me if face

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

This shows Beowulf’s strength, courage and fearlessness. Through this it is evident that he possess courageous traits.

Beowulf first displays his courage during his fight with the evil monster Grendel. In the poem, Beowulf challenges the beast to duel and says that he will fight him with no weapons and armor to show his courage. “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares” (Heaney 683-685). This shows how much courage Beowulf has because he is fighting a descendent from Cain and is taking him on without any weapons and armor. Secondly, Beowulf does not hesitate for one second and takes on the beast without any help, this shows how courages the hero is.

Beowulf is a prime example of what it means to be courageous. In his fight with Grendel, he chooses “[n]o weapons, therefore, / for either this night: unarmed he shall face me / if face me he dares” (683-84). Beowulf has never encountered Grendel before. He has only heard the stories of the beast’s evil doings, so going into a fight with no protection requires great strength and bravery. Beowulf is the only man to dive into the waters to fight Grendel’s Mother. He goes into the fight believing “life doesn’t cost him a thought” (1536). The outcome of the battle does not faze Beowulf because a warrior should

Beowulf consistently expresses his bravery and fortitude is when he goes to battle on three different occasions. The first time he shows his bravery is when he hears of the trouble the Danes are experiencing and he decides to offer his “wholehearted help and counsel” (line 278). He shows this same bravery again when going after Grendel’s mother. This isn’t the

Beowulf shows tremendous bravery by fighting not just fighting Grendel alone, but also going to Grendel's mother alone and defeating her. Beowulf is so brave that he is willing to fight Grendel alone. "My purpose was this: to win the good/ Of the people or die in battle pressed/ In Grendel's fierce grip. Let me live in greatness/ And courage or here in this hall welcome/

Beowulf had all of these Anglo Saxon value, he was courageous, selfless, and he was very honorable. “Courageous is defined as possessing or expressing courage(Dictionary.com).” Beowulf shows his courage many times throughout the poem. “Beowulf the announces that he will fight the monster that night without weapons(Raffel 210). “ Beowulf expresses his courage by fighting Grendel (who was an enormous monster) without weapons because Grendel will not fight with a weapon.

What is a hero without bravery? Whether a clear underdog, or a dominant power, a hero’s triumph does not take form without bravery. A vast span of centuries separates the two English characters of Beowulf and Gawain. It is interesting to note, however, that the importance of a ‘heroic code’ is a centerpiece to both stories. The story of Beowulf

Such as, when Beowulf fights Grendel without knowing what this monster looked like or without any help. The hero explains his one request when he says, “is that you won’t refuse me, who have come this far,/the privilege of purifying Heorot,/ with my own men to help me, and nobody else” (430-433). Beowulf shows great bravery when he tells the men of Geat he wants to fight with only his men, only knowing that Grendel has killed many men before him with great ease, showing he has the bravery of a true Aglo-Saxon hero. Also, bravery can be seen Beowulf fights in a setting unfamiliar to him when he fights Grendel’s mother under the water in her lair. When the author describes Grendel’s mother and her lair he says, “and a bewildering horde/ came at him from the depths, droves of sea-beasts” (1509-1510). Although the setting of the story appears to be a disadvantage to our hero, he still shows a high level of bravery by plunging into the water without hesitation. In the end, Beowulf dies to the third and final monster yet his death is not a sad one, but one of great honor because of the bravery he showed throughout his battles. For example, the people of Geat honor he when the author states, “The the Geat people began to construct/ a mound on a headland, high and imposing,/ a marker that sailors could see from far away/ and in ten days they had done the work/ It was a hero’s memorial”(3156-3160). Beowulf’s bravery is respected and honored by the people of Geat and this is shown through the memorial they created for him. In the end, Beowulf’s heroic bravery was acknowledged in many aspects of the poem and allows the reader to have a better connection with the character of Beowulf

Heroism is one of the most values traits in the warrior culture of Beowulf. The three monsters that Beowulf encounters behave with human characteristics, such as envy, grief, and anger, which undermine conventional notions of Beowulf’s heroism. In contrast, the often discussed past battles between human warring clans of greed and rivalry strengthen his heroism.

Heroism has been the main theme in many stories that were passed down orally throughout the generations, centering around the “good guy versus bad guy” plot. As time passed, people began to redefine their own version of heroism in various ways and sometimes depict the protagonist as a person with just as good of a flaw as the antagonist. Beowulf, written from the early 11th century into Anglo-Saxon script, is one of the oldest variations of a hero as far as writings date. Based on real people from modern day Scandinavia, Beowulf is a historical-fiction telling of monsters from various lands who oppress the Danes, until a warrior-prince named Beowulf ventures from his own land to defeat these monsters. When examining Beowulf’s actions, it’s clear to find that his motives for defeating the monsters is not to save people per se, but to attain glory and battle fame for himself. This is a normal reaction for a hero, but some may see it as only standing for the title of a hero, not actually satisfying the essence of heroic deeds.