Essay Comparing Beowulf And King Arthur

If not for personal indebtedness, the Geats would not have had to spread the story of their beloved Beowulf; and his story would likely not be known

Both Beowulf and modern day heroes risk their life for the good of others and are held to a high regard. " Nor have I seen a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken, is truly noble. This is no mere hanger-on in a hero's armor”. Beowulf was a considered an epic hero because he did great deeds and was of high importance. While heroes today aren’t usually princes or royalty, they are usually held to high respect like

Much like Beowulf, Arthur gains great respect and praise from his people by fighting alone, even though it is not necessarily the smartest thing to do. The characteristic of being fearless when faced with death is often a trait of heroes because it is associated with courage and strength. King Arthur and Beowulf are not afraid to die, thus showing their courage to their adversaries and followers.

Heroes can be men, women, animals, or even objects that inspires your soul and mind. The world of heroes is a huge world full of dreams and challenges that anyone can be part of if it he believed in his abilities. “Hero” is a simple word with many great and valuable meanings; he is the one who faces his challenges and obstacles without any fear or worry, as Zachary Hamby says that “Obstacles make them stronger, preparing them for their final showdown” (3). When people think of heroes they imagine supernatural creatures that god have created to save their lives from danger. A hero is an example of courage, insistence, and selfness.

When again his sword snapped in the fight with the dragon, it was said, “It was never his fortune/ to be helped in combat by the cutting edge/of weapons made of iron” (Beowulf 2681-2684). This mindset that Beowulf can achieve as much as Sigmund without the aid of a magical weapon helps to establish the English hero’s dominance over his Nordic

Their valor is one of the first heroic characteristics that all three characters share. Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and Macbeth at some point in their story want the best for their culture and put their lives to risk in order to secure the lives of others. For example, in Beowulf, King Hrothgar of Denmark and the Danes suffer for many years hardships due to the number of deaths caused by Grendel, a horrible demon. Until moved by the needs of his people, young Beowulf decides to sail to Denmark along with a limited amount of men hoping to defeat Grendel and save his people from future horrors. In, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight challenges the entire court and taunts them by asking ,“Where is

Gandalf‘s use of courage has allowed him to defeat the Great Goblin and save the dwarves (Tolkien 61). Because the characters are successful because of their courageousness, Tolkien has a positive tone concerning courage. Tolkien implies that wisdom is a positive and heroic characteristic because the heroic characters are placed into scenarios where if they did not have wisdom, they would have

Both Beowulf and King Arthur fought off monsters, witches, mages, dragons, and other creatures to defend their kingdoms. Something that was different between the two was that Beowulf would help other kingdoms and fight off monsters to gain peace and respect. An example of this is when he went to help Hrothgar and the Half-Danes fight of Grendel and his mother. On the other hand, King Arthur would group up his famous Knights and attack other kingdoms to gain more power. They both would destroy monster and overcome

unlike Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart, Beowulf was not full of a want for the love of somebody else, but is instead an epic poem of a man with amazing strength, and power. With battles fought against monsters, and dragons for glory. Although the theme may have been different for these stories. The main characters shared a lot of the same heroic traits. For instance, Lancelot who was the most legendary of the round table for his strength in combat, and courageous determination.

/ Nor will I” (Lines 263-265). Beowulf is a very noble hero so he feels it’s fair to not fight an opponent with a weapon when he does not have one to defend. Grendel expresses how evil he was with the soldiers. Long and hard years the kingdom waited “Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king/ Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his at his door...” (Lines 63-64).

Without doubting, the story of King Arthur would always be his victory. "The warrior Arthur, with the soldiers and kings of Britain... was twelve times leader in war, and victor in all battles,” (JONES, 3) By the name of God, there is no possibly for Arthur to lose. Because in all stories, King Arthur and his knights are all great warriors, who are strong and full of willpower. “Arthur and his knights merely sleep, awaiting the call to inspire and rescue us at any time.”

Beowulf’s traits help make Beowulf the epic hero of this myth. Beowulf’s bravery helps him defeat the mystical creatures. When Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother, it seems like all hope is lost before he kills her with the magical sword. Even though the odds were not in his favor, he never gave up.

Even when comparing him with another run-of-the-mill hero like Batman, his shortcomings are still fairly obvious. Beowulf and Batman are both archetypal characters that embody the quintessential aspects of the epic hero. They both execute a great deal of strength. Beowulf swims for seven days and nights while simultaneously fighting sea monsters. He also displays robustness fighting Grendel when he rips off Grendel

Beowulf, written during the eight century, is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem. The story revolves around the strongest warrior at the time, Beowulf, who accomplishes heroic feats to gain glory and fame. In the medieval romance “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” the story dramatizes a knight’s traits of honesty and loyalty. The stories share many similarities such as questing, protecting self-honor, and achieving glorious deeds on behalf of his king.

Modern heroes have not changed. As I was comparing Beowulf and Superman, I realized that they had a lot of similarities. Beowulf and Superman were brave and courageous heroes. They were both strong. These heroes were well liked.