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.
The Odyssey vs. ... In The Odyssey women were treated as slaves. ... A difference is that in The Odyssey the women were known as whores. ... A difference in this theme though is, that in Beowulf they only have one God but in The Odyssey, there are many Gods. ... In conclusion, The Odyssey and Beowulf focus on the themes of women, character style, and religion. ...
Some examples of an epic would be The Odyssey by the Greeks and The Aneid by the Romans. ... For example when Beowulf fights Grendel (an evil monster) Beowulf is able to rip his arm out of his socket. ... After Beowulf ripped Grendels arm out it was obvious that the battle was over and Beowulf had won. ... A second characteristic of Beowulf is his honor. ... Beowulf refuses to use a weapon to kill this monster." ...
Kennedy A translator of Beowulf Like many great epics and novels of the ages, Beowulf is based on the triumph of good over evil. ... 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. ... Beowulf's loyalty is most evident after he has defeated Grendel. ... Beowulf was the model of honor, courage, and virtue. ...
The Odyssey and the Iliad are two of Homer's most famous works. ... 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. ... The audience of the Odyssey would have known this context. ... The Odyssey is one of the most beloved epics of all time. ... Homer is credited as the creator of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ...
Luizza's translation of Beowulf. ... The code of the comitatus is at the heart of the Beowulf epic. ... In turn, Beowulf will present these treasures to his own king, Hygelac, who will then honor Beowulf with appropriate gifts. ... 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. ... Performances like this are presented in Beowulf by Hrothgar's court scop, honoring Beowulf. ...
An ideal epic hero, a king or a warrior, in Beowulf is similar to that in the Odyssey and many other ancient tales. ... For example, in his battle with the monster Grendel, Beowulf used "bare hands", not some magic sword or an army of football players. ... For instance, Beowulf wants the world to know about his majestic defeat of sea monsters only he could accomplish through a picturesque fight. ...
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 Iliad, followed by Odyssey are the examples of epic poetry in the early Greek literature, they "emphasized the ideals of honor and bravery and had an enormous influence on Greek culture- (Myrsiades 1997). ... One of the earliest heroic epics in English Literature is Beowulf. ... The main character Beowulf engages in the battle with two monsters Grendel and his mother in order to save the King Hrothgard and his subjects. "Beowulf possesses the qualities of valor, military prowess, loyalty, generosity, and honor. ... Heroism for Beowulf seems to be more physical in nature, where heroism...
