Comparative Paper: Beowulf and Batman Essay

A super gun is a fictional character who is noned for feats of courageousness and nobility, who usually has a colorful name and costume, a mastery of applicable skills, advanced equipment and/or extraordinary powers and abilities beyond those of normal hu spell worlds. more importantly, a superhero has a strong moral code, including a willingness to risk his aver safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. Although superhero powers vary widely, the posession of herculean carriage, the ability to fly, and enhancements of the senses are all common. These abovementi geniusd characteristics of a superhero are translucent in Beowulf, the chief(prenominal) character in the longest surviving poem in Old English, which is also entitled Beowulf, by an unknown generator (Online Reference Book for chivalric Studies, 2006). Beowulf showed signs of being a superhero in what Wikipedia has cited as his three main battlesFirst bout Grendel When Beowulf, being the prin ce of a Germanic tribe from southern Sweden called the Geats, led his men to rescue the fairydom of Hrothgar of Denmark from Grendel, a solitary fiend (line 165), who has killed men and brought fear to all in Hrothgars charge. Beowulf tears Grendels arm from his body and Grendel runs home to die, which caused the Danes and the Swedes to rejoice.Second Battle Grendels Mother When Grendels mother attacks that same night Grendel was defeated, and to a faultk one man to avenge her sons death, Beowulf, along with his men and the Danes, traveled to the lake where this monster-woman lives, but the hero dives into the water alone, eventually defeating the towering mere-wife (line 1519) only by using a magic sword he finds in her compile of valuate (lines 837-1650).Third Battle the flying dragon Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own hoi polloi. One day, late in Beowulfs life, a man steals a golden cup from a dragons lair. When the dragon sees that the cup has b een stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning up everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to push the dragon, but only one of the warriors, a daring young man named Wiglaf, stays to help Beowulf, because the rest are too afraid. Beowulf kills the dragon with Wiglafs help, but dies from the wounds he has received. The dragons treasure is taken from its lair and buried with Beowulfs ashes. These adventures of Beuwolf are somehow being resurrected in todays superheroes such as Batman, although both diddle an entirely different literary traditions. The former is a 10th vitamin C Anglo-Saxon epic poem with a touch of Christianity while the last mentioned is a product of what is called as popular culture movies, shows or comics that usually has a mass appeal. The classic hero possesses strength, ethics and, above all, fights evil.This beat applied in the time of Beowulf still applies today, only slightly modified. As a result of such innovations as television and fash ion magazines, party has come to value physical attractiveness and sexual prowess, as evident in the example of Batman. In addition, humility has become a want quality in modern times, whereas self-confidence to the point of arrogance was a favorable attribute in the time of Beowulf. Despite the differences, similarities between the Anglo-Saxon hero and modern day hero can be seen finished the comparison of Beowulf and Batman. Beowulf and Batman both possess the heroic quality of strength. We have seen Beowulfs feat in the three battles described above. Batman, on the other hand, single-handed fights gangs of criminals on numerous occasions in the movie Batman, showing non only muscular strength, but endurance, much like that of Beowulf. Batman echoes the heroic strength of Beowulf.Another heroic quality shared by Batman and Beowulf is their commitment to armed combat evil. When a villain attacks innocent citizens, the hero is thither to protect them and fight the attacker. Thi s is where the fighting of Good versus evil becomes the next major component to the stories of Beowulf and Batman. The Anglo-Saxons were apparitional mountain and had a strong belief in God. The hero must(prenominal) kill the villain face to face and never stab it in the back. These heroes represent the Good they are usually honest, clean, upright respectable people an archetype for what a model citizen should be. Both the stories tell a level of Good fighting against Evil and then dying for the people. Both Batman and Beowulf drudge this heroic responsibility to fight evil well.However, as opposed to Batman, Beowulf, whose main asset was his amazing hand strength, not much mention was make of his wily good looks or his incredible intelligence (Rollins, 2006). As Christianity rotate throughout Europe, feudal cultures told stories that combined their warrior ethos with Christs example of ad hominem sacrifice. Despite developing a global culture theoretically no longer quite a s dependent on national conquest, the occidental world still tends to envision our savior hero as mortal who kicks butt (think of Neo in The Matrix) (Wandtke, 2005).Alongside this pervasive trend, however, an interesting tear developed in the Renaissance and has reached its peak in recent years. This rip current suggests the hero who rights the wrongs of the world with force might actually be withering to general cultural development (as one cultures hero will often be another cultures villain). Do our warrior heroes provide us with examples of the heights we can reach as Christians? Or do they operate with moral principles that work in opposition to the teachings of saviour? Even though the roles have changed for the heroes throughout time their importance to the countries has not gotten smaller. These heroes jobs are also as equally important as the ones of Beowulfs day because they play a large role in our society. Television, radio set stations and comic books are a form of entertainment that allows people to be introduced to heroes and escape their problems and lives, and pretend that these heroes would transport them into a world whole their own, a world where the good triumphs over evil even for a moment. For as long as there are harsh realities, there is always a room for make-believe.Worls CitedAbrams, M.H. Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Retrieved 22 Apr 2006, .Beowulf. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 23 Apr 2006, 1211 UTC. 23 Apr 2006, 2048 .Beowulf Introduction. Online Reference Books for Medieval Studies. 08 Aug 2003, Wandtke, Terry. From Beowulf to Batman Classic Heroism in Contemporary Contexts (Or, Wheres My Jesus action at law Figure?). Imaginarium cornerstone festival. 30 June 2005, .Rollins, Roger B. True Blue Revolutionaries or deteriorate Beowulf Reruns. MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 23 Apr 2006, .