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Beowulf Vs Creon Essay

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Sometimes ones greatest trait can also be the leading cause of their undoing. We see exactly that in the epic hero, Beowulf, of the anonymously written, Beowulf. As much as he is an epic hero, he is also a tragic one. His pride and excessive braveness lead him to fall while sacrificing himself to defeat a dragon, saving his kingdom. Creon of Sophocles' tragic play Antigone, deals with the same issue as Beowulf. His pride causes his downfall when everyone he loves dies because of it. Unlike Beowulf, Creon is only interested in what is beneficial for him, he does not like to listen to what anyone else has to say. Beowulf is a team player and wants to do what is good for everyone. Both Creon and Beowulf are leaders, Creon of Thebes and Beowulf of the Geats, although they have contrasting ways of leadership. These two men experience different journeys, but the outcome is the same with them being tragic heroes. Beowulf is the perfect hero, both tragic and epic. He is larger than life with his impressive strength and drive that helps him defeat an assortment of monsters, such as Grendel and Grendel's mother. His overconfidence and pride makes him a tragic hero. In lines 678-684, Beowulf boldly states, "When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous as Grendel. No weapons... unarmed he shall …show more content…

It is their shared tragic flaw that sets them up for disaster. Besides sharing that trait, they are very different heroes. Creon is a selfish leader who only cares about himself and what he feels needs to be done, even when it is not the best choice. Beowulf was an honorable leader who put his peoples' best interest first and fought bravely for recognition. Perhaps we can learn from these two men that pride can be good in short doses. If we are too prideful, our judgement can get clouded and bad decisions will be made. Yet, if we use that pride to push ourselves, we can achieve

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