beowulf essay

Batman vs. Beowulf

            Other than being known as heroes, Batman and Beowulf are practically polar opposites. This is mostly due to the fact that they come from very different cultures and time periods. As Batman protects the modern city of Gotham, he wears a mask and not out of modesty. The city of Gotham looks down on him and sees him as less of a hero, but more of a criminal fighting crime. In the setting of Beowulf, the people fear not mere crime, but they fear vicious and demonic monsters that kill during the night. Now try to imagine Bruce Wayne attempting to fight Grendel. On the other note, I’m pretty sure that Gotham and America in general would be terrified of a massive, drunken Danish warrior with a sword in one hand and the bloody head of a she-demon in the other. In 6^th century Europe, however, Beowulf is revered.

            When it comes to villains, there are actually a few similarities, specifically the sense of inner humanity. In Beowulf, the terrorizing beast is given a name – Grendel. Grendel is given human characteristics and seems to be driven by emotion. When Grendel was killed, his mother even grieved and retrieved her son’s ripped-off limb for the same reason we’d keep ashes or a possession of our relatives. The same goes for Batman’s enemies. In the latest Batman adaptation, Bane is a villain who grew from an average man, molded and masked into a powerful terrorist. He cares deeply for a select few, and will fight loyally and triumphantly for those people. With this sense of humanity within a villain, a whole new light is shed on the concept of evil.

            A major difference between the two heroes is that Beowulf kills, while Batman religiously avoids ending anyone’s life. Batman puts himself onto this specific pedestal of morality after seeing his parents killed with his very own eyes. Beowulf, however, is a warrior at heart. To him, bloodshed is synonymous with victory and glory. With the warring that occurred during the early, early times of Europe, it makes sense for their hero to be intensely combative and hell-bent on triumph. Beowulf will rip off an entire limb of a giant enemy with his bare hands, and people will love him for it. Batman, however, strictly keeps himself from ending the life of anyone, no matter how evil or threatening that person may be. In this way, heroes can be seen in a completely different light, and heroism’s definition suddenly becomes slightly blurred.