A Comparison of Oedipus and Beowulf

The characters Oedipus and Beowulf represent two different types of heroes. Oedipus is a

tragic hero and characterized by its standards. He was an influential man of stature who had a

tragic flaw. While he contributed to his own downfall, Oedipus was not entirely responsible for it.

He also learned a lesson from his mistakes which ultimately creates a catharsis in the reading

audience. Beowulf, on the other hand, is characterized by the standards of an epic hero. He

strives for excellence and individual glory by doing heroic deeds. He has an admirable set of

ethics, is great warrior, and is very loyal to his master. Beowulf is also rewarded for his deeds

with fame and fortune. Although both of these men are heroes, the individual circumstances

which allow them to achieve this status vary greatly.

Oedipus was a man of power and high social status. This was due to his position as King

of Thebes. He was greatly respected by his people because he had ruled well during his reign as

king. Oedipus did, however, have a tragic flaw which was his inability to control his anger. This

lack of self-control is illustrated when Oedipus kills his father in an argument over the right of

way in a road. Oedipus' anger is also exhibited when he yells at the prophet Tiresias for telling

him the truth about his mistakes.

Oedipus' downfall was partially his own fault, although it was not entirely deserved.

Oedipus made the choices in his life that brought him into contact with his parents. He also

choose to kill a man in a fit of rage. He had control over all of these factors, but it can be argued

that he was destined from the beginning to commit these deeds no matter how Oedipus tried to

prevent them. Oedipus'...

... middle of paper ...

...ded by fate and could not prevent

his inevitable downfall. Beowulf was a perfectly shaped epic hero of fame and glory. He

possesses uncommon human ability and a very loyal nature. He won the respect of all who came

in contact with him through his champion-like etiquette and dignity. Although these two

characters represented entirely different types of heroes, they shared one important similarity.

Each had a tragic flaw that caused their demise.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Anderson, George K. "The Old English Heroic Epic Poems." Rpt. in Classical and Medieval

Literature Criticism. Vol. 1. Eds. Dennis Poupard and Jelena O. Krstovic. Detroit: Gale,

1988. 98-101

Furgusson, Francis. "Oedipus Rex': The Tragic Rhythm of Action." Rpt. in Classical and

Medieval Literature Criticism. Vol. 2. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Detroit: Gale, 1988.

388-389.