Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Dante In The Inferno

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In the two works of literature in Beowulf and The Inferno, the two main characters have certain qualities, and the ultimate one when comparing the two is being a Christian hero. Dante in The Inferno journeys through hell alongside Virgil, and learns how sinners are punished in hell contrasting the sins they committed, which refers to contrapasso. After the first few circles of hell, Dante was sympathizing for the sinners and doubting God for punishing them; this makes Dante appear to be a weaker Christian hero than Beowulf. Beowulf shows that he is a better Christian hero compared to Dante because of many reasons, like his faith in God, bravery, and heroic feats that he accomplished.
In the Inferno, Dante was petrified of hell’s agonizing environment, and this led to him reacting in ways that did not depict a Christian hero. Towards the end of the journey, Dante strived to make sure he could avoid being in hell in the afterlife, however, at one point of the story Dante shows qualities the opposite of an ideal Christian hero. For example, in Canto 3, …show more content…

The glory is given to God at that very moment, “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. So, he overcame the foe, brought down the hell-brute” (1269-1274). The “wondrous gifts” and strength in Beowulf is credited to God, who is on Beowulf’s side always in battle. Also, the great feat of defeating the evil monster, Grendel, shows that Beowulf is blessed and highly favored. Not only did Beowulf defeat Grendel, but he did it without any weapons. Gods power was instilled in Beowulf, to defeat evil with his bare hands. Beowulf showed a great amount of faith in God no matter what problems or evil he faced, and God rewarded him with victory, great legacy, and

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