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Beowulf and The Odyssey

             After reading Beowulf and The Odyssey I began to compare and contrast the two epics. There are lots of obvious differences and similarities. An obvious similarity is there are heroes in both of these epics. The settings in both epics are similar too. The characters in both are different in many ways though. So the next few paragraphs you will learn the main similarities and differences of these two epics.
             Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic that puts good against evil. It puts Beowulf against Grendel and Grendel's mother and in the end Beowulf comes out on top. He fought and beat both Grendel and Grendel's mother. In The Odyssey all the survivors of the Trojan War had returned home except Odysseus. He was at Calypso's island and she wouldn't let him leave. When he finally got to leave he face many problems getting home because Poseidon, god of the sea, was angry with him. In both epics there are several problems that the hero's face and overcome. In Beowulf it is Grendel and his mother and in The Odyssey the main problems were the gods being angry with Odysseus. .
             While both The Odyssey and Beowulf examples of heroism, Beowulf's acts of being a hero actually fit the description of a hero more than Odysseus. Beowulf has many heroic qualities that are easy to see. One of his major heroic qualities is his strength during the battle with Grendel. Beowulf also shows many other qualities that prove him to be a great warrior and leader. In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows different qualities of being a hero. The battles that he is in are not ones he has gone out looking for, it seems like most of his battles are some kind of revenge from the gods. Beowulf usually goes and faces the bad guys head up but Odysseus sometimes used a little more trickery like when he fought the Cyclops. He waited until the Cyclops was asleep then blinded him and escaped. So Odysseus had somewhat of an unfair advantage.


Essays Related to Beowulf and The Odyssey

1. Odyssey vs. Beowulf

... they still sacrificed for their gods. "And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do. And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods." (Raffel 89-90) It shows that they"d sacrifice for their gods. In conclusion, The Odyssey and Beowulf focus on the themes of women, character style, and religion. Although there are many similarities in the way these three themes are portrayed in the story, there are also many obvious ... differences. As said before, Odysseus and Beowulf are both of historical and literary value, and they role of heroes is still in literature today. ...

  • Word Count: 790
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Beowulf

... . Some examples of an epic would be The Odyssey by the Greeks and The Aneid by the Romans. However the most popular epic would be Beowulf which was written by the Anglo Saxons who lived in England of the year 449. The Anglo Saxons also wrote poems such as "The Seafarer and "The Wanderer. But Beowulf is by far the most well known piece of literature by the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf's best characteristics that make him such a wonderful ... hero would be his strength, honor, and faithfulness. Beowulf's strength ... ...

  • Word Count: 626
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3. Beowulf

... is the epitome of good; Beowulf is strong, brave, and full of virtue. He is the classic warrior; honorable, valiant, and loyal. Beowulf may represent the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon era, but those same ideals of honor, courage, and faith are prevalent in almost every period of history. In those respects, Beowulf is similar to King Arthur's "Knights of the Round Table" and Odysseus, from Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. Beowulf puts honor and loyalty ... above all else. Although he has already performed many great deeds and services before the time the story is set, Beowulf's virtues are fir...

  • Word Count: 735
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. R.M. Luizza's Translation of Beowulf

... of recorded history. In the beginning, it took on religious and mythological significance. Even Beowulf one of the earliest narratives, depicting the "cauldron of stories", featured a great warrior facing mythical monsters that threatened others. Early Greek and Roman mythology, while focused upon the gods that the Greeks and Romans worshipped, later evolved into a solid realm of fantasy. From there, the early Greek stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey gave a rich basis ... for fantasy stories, featuring more heroes and monsters, wars and gods. In the British Isles, the ... ...

  • Word Count: 3090
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5. Introduction to The Iliad and The Odyssey

... on adventures. Normally, these heroes will embody the values, beliefs, and epics of the civilizations they hail from or represent. The two stated works by Homer are the precursors to hundreds of other poems that contain similar patterns, including Dante's Divine Comedy, and the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. Many epics are based off a certain model, or formula of telling a sequence of events. The Odyssey follows the "long journey" model, as ... it tells the chronicle of Odysseus' trek back home to Ithaca after fighting in the brutal Trojan War. Homer's first epic, the Iliad, tells of a decade-lon...

  • Word Count: 886
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6. Epic Hero

What is an ideal hero in epics? An ideal epic hero, a king or a warrior, in Beowulf is similar to that in the Odyssey and many other ancient tales. The whole kingdom will know him. He is always brave and larger-than-life strong. For example, in his battle with the monster Grendel, Beowulf used "bare hands", not some magic sword or an army of football players. The hero is also clever, he outsmarts the enemy with his seemingly mortal capabilities. He likes to brag about himself and his powers a lot, showing his self-esteem and pride. For instance, Beowulf wants the world to know about his majest...

  • Word Count: 211
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Heroic tradition in literature

... , "heroism is always a difficult kind of masculinity: times change, and what culture demands of their heroes changes with the times" (UM 1995). And, the concept of heroism develops as does the society and with it the ideals as well. Beowulf fought for his King and his people, however, that changes and "in the later medieval romances, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hero is no longer fighting for his people, but ... , who answered the call of the waking self and went on a journey-initiation quest. The purpose of the journey was to travel inward to "know himself". Throughout th...

  • Word Count: 2885
  • Approx Pages: 12
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8. Archetypes in Literature

... can solve. This heroic archetype is famous in any literature dating back to "Beowulf" all the way up to contemporary films made in the present day. "Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Beowulf," "Hercules," Homer's "Odyssey," even the retro classic hero "Superman," follows this exact profile line up. The movie "Excalibur," with King Arthur, Lancelot and the quest for the Holy Grail follow this heroic archetype as well; we see Arthur who is ... the only one who can release Excalibur from its stone prison, he is the only one who can ... ...

  • Word Count: 852
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9. Harry potter epic

... a poem that celebrates a hero's deeds. Of course, Harry Potter is much too long to be a poem. It is a series of novels and movies. However, it does celebrate a hero's deeds. This hero is a young wizard called Harry Potter. Stories such as The Odyssey, The Iliad, The Lord of The Rings and Beowulf all fall into the epic category. One adventure that is sometimes overlooked for it's more modernism feel are ... the adventures of Harry Potter. Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling, has all the characteristics as any traditional epic literary work and is a very exciting story for all ages. Harry Potte...

  • Word Count: 1294
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