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How Are Beowulf And Odysseus Alike

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An epic poem is a long narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that

are significant to the culture of the poet. The epic hero is the central figure that reflects the

values and heroic ideals of a particular society. Beowulf and Odysseus have qualities that are

both similar and very different. The major and most obvious similarity is that they are both

heroes. These classic epic stories are about two men and what they went through to achieve

fame and glory.

Beowulf was very boastful and fought for glory. Beowulf was a warrior and extremely

strong. This epic took place in the Seventh Century, in Sweden and Geatland. Beowulf died

after fighting the dragon. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic that pits good against evil. …show more content…

Beowulf is considered to be one of the strongest men alive. He

pulls off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands, and holds the giant sword that he finds in the

dragon’s lair in his bare hands.

Thinking of a hero, you often picture a brute of a young man with big muscles.

Generally, they are not thought of as being smart. One of the characteristics that Beowulf and

Odysseus have in common is their intelligence, as well as their courage, and physical strength.

Beowulf was intelligent because he knew that no weapons would hurt Grendel. He used this

knowledge to defeat and kill Grendel. The Cyclops was holding Odysseus and his men captive,

and Odysseus poked the Cyclops eye and covered his men and himself with sheep’s wool.

Odysseus seems to be the smarter of the two based on the number of times he was forced to use

brain over brawn.

Odysseus shows shades of gray. The line between good and evil is blurred. He makes a

lot of mistakes and is punished for them him. Odysseus’ main problem was the gods were mad

at him. The heroic qualities of Beowulf are easy to see and make him a great warrior and leader.

While Odysseus shows different heroic qualities. His battles are not ones he has searched …show more content…

The poem makes constant references to God’s decrees in general terms; it never

discusses Jesus or specifics of Christianity. The hero, Beowulf, would have been considered a

Pagan, but it is suggested that Beowulf’s trust in God makes him look like a Christian. The only

Christian stories talk about the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel.

In Beowulf, many elements of Christianity are shown. Man survives only through the

protection of God. All earthly gifts flow from God, and man should be humble and unselfish.

Beowulf basically believes in all of these things, but acts a lot of the time in direct conflict with

these values. Pride without humility will result in a tragic fall. I think Beowulf believe in Gods

Wilson 4

God’s grace and protection, but his need for honor and glory sometimes got the best of him.

Religion plays a large part in the Odyssey. The people looked to the gods for everything. It was

believed that the gods controlled everything and could destroy the life or afterlife if they did

anything wrong. The gods that were looked up to were Greek gods, not our God in Heaven. The

gods function more as spiritual guides and supporters for their human subjects. Their

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