Batman and the Joker is a modern example of the most classic literary element of all time - the conflict between a hero and a villain. Almost every piece of literature includes these counterparts that display the author’s views of good and evil. In the Medieval Era, this concept was no different. In the anonymously written epic of Beowulf, heroes and villains are portrayed similarly to Shakespeare’s play Henry V- as war heroes and their opponents. In The Inferno, Dante Alighieri took a more spiritual view on the hero and villain, while Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales portrays the hero simply as one who outsmarts his opponent. In these four famous pieces of medieval literature, there is a powerful illustration of good and evil as portrayed by a hero and villain.
Beowulf served as the
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At the start of the play, he was presented as being a young but responsible king (pg 15, ll 57). When threatened by the Dauphin, King Henry responded with an intellectual threat (pg 35-37, ll 270-310), showing his control of his emotions and words. Although he responded with a mild temper, it is made clear that he took the insult seriously, as he responded in a witty but threatening way, declaring war on France. Within the battle against France, he was seen declaring encouragement to his army, saying, “This story shall the good man teach his son, and Crispin Crispian shall never go by, from this today to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remember'd – we few, we happy, we band of brothers; for he that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother (4.3.58-63).” After he was victorious in his war against the French, he reminded his ramy that they must give all the glory to God, for their victory (pg 205, ll 21-23). Through these examples of his character, one can see that his heroism did not just stem from his victories in war, but his level headedness, encouraging spirit, and God revering