Beowulf and Bilbo

In many literary works centering heroes, not often do you see main heroes in different stories be completely different from each other. Bilbo and Beowulf are considered heroes in their respective stories but they differ greatly in personality and heroics. The image of an epic hero is that they must be a character who has skills unmatched, surly Beowulf would be the perfect example of this but not Bilbo. Before Beowulf’s story starts he had already established himself in reputation and heroic exploits. His character was already formed and developed which is not the case for Bilbo Baggins. Both Bilbo and Beowulf, however, are strong characters in their stories and they both symbolize good and heroism in their own way.

The list of heroic exploits, which Beowulf tells himself, confirms his status as an epic hero. His character is much like that of a static character, already developed and formed with little change. Throughout the story Beowulf predictively does not change much in terms of personality and character development. He is essentially the archetypal hero you visualize when reading any novel centering a hero. In contrast, Bilbo starts off as a quiet, boring and unadventurous character. He clearly pales in comparison to Beowulf in terms of success and heroic qualities, however, he does learn from his mistakes and refines his skills as the story progresses. He gains more courage and heroism which proves his dynamic character compared to Beowulf who does not seem to change much. All of his characteristics match those of an anti-heroic character. However this allows him to be dynamic and allows the reader to see his growth in heroism and courage as the story progresses. As we journey with Bilbo in his adventure we can see him p...

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...th heroes take are dangerous and difficult. Bilbo makes many mistakes but in the end he does mature and grow as a person. The hero is willing to put everything above themselves. Comparing Bilbo with Beowulf, it is clear that while Beowulf is an archetypal hero from a hero themed story, Bilbo is arguably more of a hero than him in some ways. Bilbo shows himself to not just a hero in skills and prowess but a hero in character, which Beowulf does not seem to show. Thorin even comments “Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size…” (198). However both heroes have acts of self-sacrifice and courage, while Beowulf uses his physical strength to achieve his heroics, Bilbo’s sense of honour, moral and courage proves himself equal to Beowulf in heroics.