Beowulf Essay

Beowulf vs. Spider-man

          A hero is a person who displays a great amount of courage and kindness, and is constantly performing admirable deeds through the goodness of his or her heart. Two people that fit this description perfectly are Beowulf and Spider-man. Beowulf is an epic hero who immediately pauses his life and sets out to save Hrothgar's people, the Danes, when he hears they are in trouble. Spider-man is a modern hero who comes across new abilities after being bitten by a spider. He uses these powers to defeat the Lizard, a monster who is a risk to innocent citizens. Though both of these heroes are from different times, they have some similarities as well as differences. 

         Both Beowulf and Spider-man risk their lives to help innocent people. Beowulf saves the Danes not once but twice. After he defeats the demon Grendel, he comes back to fight and risk his life once again when Grendel's mother seeks revenge. Later in his life, Beowulf fights a dragon and though he is not as young as he was when he defeated the demons, he courageously sets out to successfully slay the beast.  Spider-man risks his life to save the citizens of his town when an experiment goes wrong and Lizard becomes a danger to society. Before he got bitten by a spider, Spider-man use to be an ordinary teenager. He never had any training on how to fight but he didn't let this stop him from going out and protecting his city from danger. These two heroes are characterized as brave, strong men. This is shown for Beowulf during his fighting scenes as the descriptive language really let the audience see how truly tough and relentless he was. Also, before he set out to fight Grendel, he removes any armor or weapons he has on for he believes he is just as strong as Grendel and, therefore, didn't find the accouterments necessary.  

            Besides the fact that Beowulf is an epic hero and Spider-man is a modern hero, they also have other contrasts. The biggest contrast between the two is the way that they present themselves. Beowulf presents himself as a very arrogant, cocky person. He believes he can take on anybody at anytime no matter the circumstances, and come out victorious because of his superior strength. Spider-man on the other hand relies more on intelligence than strength. This is a common difference between ancient and modern heroes as ancient heroes rely on strength and endurance while modern heroes rely on their intelligence. Another difference between Beowulf and Spider-man is that Spider-man hides his identity whereas Beowulf flaunts it. Spider-man does not want anybody to know his true identity in fear that he might bring his family into danger. Beowulf however boasts about his title and wants the whole world to know just how great and strong of a person he is.

            In conclusion, Beowulf and Spider-man are both extraordinary heroes. Beowulf stays true to his tenacious and fearless self all throughout his life. He even stayed true to himself in his old age when he slayed the dragon and ended up dying after due to his injuries from the battle. Spider-man makes an oath to himself to defeat the Lizard and he also never strays from that goal.  Though Beowulf and Spider-man come from different times, they still hold the same characteristics of a hero. 

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