Goliath And Beowulf Comparison Essay

Neriah Fisher

Ms Katz

When The Unexpected becomes Expected

The parallels of the stories of Beowulf and David and Goliath demonstrate how readers expect the triumph of the underdog which challenges the underdog itself. An underdog is a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. In both stories the battle tactics played out by the underdogs turned the battle into a battle of strength rather than a battle of weapons. Beowulf wanted the battle to be an even match and he wanted to show his strengths as a hero without using weapons. Beowulf

" heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how

When he explains how the battle will be “hand-to-hand,” he gets extra praise and honor for Hygelic and himself because he turned the battle into a battle of strength and as a fight against darkness. The darkness is represented by Grendel and Goliath, these overpowering threatening outlaws determined to cause chaos. David and Beowulf both use physical strength instead of big weapons. In the end of Beowulf’s battle Beowulf cuts off Grendel’s arm enabling the part of Grendel that was able to hold a weapon. Beowulf dissembling Grendel’s arm was significant because Grendel’s arm represented a body part that allows one to hold things which is really important during a battle. This exchange between Beowulf and Grendel is also very significant because it symbolizes Beowulf’s ability to defeat Grendel without a weapon in his hand. Beowulf wanted a fair hand to hand fight and if he was not going to use a weapon, neither was Grendel. In the end, the battle tactics of David and Beowulf proved their ability to overcome and defeat the darkness without the help of