In the stories Beowulf by an unknown poet and Macbeth by William Shakespeare has similarity and difference quality between them. The qualities mostly focuses is cowardly when a person is not courageous, loyalty when someone is faithful and trustful to another, and ambitious when someone has desire they want to get.
An important comparison between Beowulf and Macbeth was ambition. But there are two types of ambition the good and the bad one. Macbeth is an example of the bad ambition. An evidence that explains this is when Macbeth was talking to Duncan about his desire, “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down or else o’erleap,/For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires./The
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eye wink at the hand, yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see,”(1.4.55-66). Macbeth was explaining that his desires are dark, that no one will ever want to see it because it is an evil desire and the only way to get it is to get rid of something that its on his way. For Beowulf, his desires was to get respect and be known as a great leader. “Their lord and leader, they walked in the mead-hall/Green. Then the Geats’ brave prince entered/Herot, covered with glory for the daring/Battles he had fought; he sought Hrothgar/To salute him and show Grendel’s head,”(Beowulf 614-618). In this evidence Beowulf have completed his promise of killing Grendel for the King. When Beowulf was in the hall, he was respected and felt glorified went he entered. The difference between Beowulf and Macbeth is a cowardly.
Macbeth is a coward, he was not manly enough to kill King Duncan, he had to get help from Lady Macbeth. “As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that/Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life/And live a coward in thine own esteem,/Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,”/Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?/MACBETH Prithee, peace./I dare do all that may become a man./” Who dares (do) more is none./……..’tis to love the babe that milks me./I would, while it was smiling in my face,/Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you/Have done to this,” (1.7.45-67). In this evidence, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's manhood. She calls Macbeth coward, tells him that she is more “manly” than him, and that she would kill an innocent baby if it was necessary. Without Lady Macbeth, he would have never killed King Duncan. On the other hand, an evidence that shows Beowulf is known for not being a coward, instead he is known for being courageous in line number 244 to 250, “My people have said, the wisest, most knowing/And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’/Great King. They have seen my strength for themselves,/Have watched me rise from the darkness of war,/Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove/Five great giants into chains, Chased all of that race from the earth.” When Beowulf and his followers heard that King Hrothgar was unable to protect his country from Grendel. He
and his followers volunteered to help the king. Beowulf was known for doing good deeds, and his people knew him as a courageous man. By saving others, and killed Grendel on his own. Another difference between the two stories is Loyalty. Beowulf was a loyal leader and Macbeth was the opposite. Beowulf's father, Edgetho, was a hero and loyal to King Hrothgar. “"We are Geats,/Men who follow Higlac. My father/Was a famous soldier, known far and wide/As a leader of men. His name was Edgetho. His life lasted many winters;/Wise men all over the earth surely/Remember him still. And we have come seeking/Your prince, Healfdane's son, protector/ Of this people, only in friendship: instruct us,/Watchman, help us with your words! Our errand/ Is a great one, our business with the' glorious king/Of the Danes no secret,”(Beowulf 174-184). After Ecgtheow died, Beowulf took over his father’s position and continued to be loyal and courageous in honor of his father. He promised King Hrothgar to kill Grendel and he completed it. When Beowulf said, “friendship,” he meant loyalty to one another. Yet, Macbeth was disloyal to king Duncan, he gives reason why he shouldn’t kill King Duncan “He’s here in double trust:/First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,/Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,/Who should against his murderer shut the door,/Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan/Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/So clear in his great office, that his virtues/Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against/The deep damnation of his taking-off,”(Act.1. SC.7) King Duncan chose him to be Thane of Cawdor, and his kinsmen. Instead of Macbeth protecting the king, he kills the king. He knew it was wrong but he did it anyways. He also killed Banquo who was supposedly was friend. The stories both have a comparison of ambition, for macbeth it was to become a king, and for Beowulf he wanted respect but the most focused part is the difference of quality, cowardly, where Macbeth is known for being a coward and Beowulf is known for being a courageous and loyalty, when Macbeth betrayed King Duncan and Beowulf supported King Hrothgar.
To compare the movie Brave with Anglo-Saxon in the Brave her father lost his leg and it became a legend. Just like when Beowulf attacked Grendel the and cropped off his arm. With that arm they used it as a trophy and in the movie in the dinning room they have a stuffed bear that could resemble like the arm from Grendel. Fergus is like the king in the story Beowulf because they both want to protect the people of their kingdom. At the very beginning of the movie a bear tries to attack Fergus’s family and him and his army attack the bear to protect his family. In Beowulf the king send out Beowulf to protect his kingdom because Grendel was sneaking in at night and killing off his people. And the king’s purpose is to protect his people of the
What is hero? A hero, under the Merriam-Webster definition, is a person who is admired for brave/great acts or fine qualities. This is a very broad definition that combines both ancient and modern belief of what --or who-- a hero should be. Beowulf is an epic poem that focuses on an Anglo-Saxon hero. As such he embodies the traits that his culture valued most. Deadpool, on the other hand, portrays the most recent ideas of what traits a hero should embody. With these examples from contrasting periods, we are still able to see similarities and differences that shows how modern and Anglo-Saxon idea of heroism reflects its culture.
There are many traits that are possessed by those who seek heroism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, every hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most prominent in the poem Beowulf are bravery and goodness.
Beowulf is a good example of a courageous and strong hero. He shows all of
A quote which really defines Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition regarding power is “Power does not corrupt men; fools; however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power” George Bernard Shaw. Lady Macbeth is more ambitious in terms of gaining power then Macbeth is and that Lady Macbeth will do almost anything to gain power, even evil things that she normally wouldn’t do. This is shown when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth learn about the witches’ predictions, then roles in the plans to murder king Duncan in order to gain power and then finally after the murder, Macbeth doesn’t want to finish the plan making Lady Macbeth angry and causing a chance they might get caught and gain no power at all.
Another similarity of course is violence. Violence is obviously present in Beowulf’s world. The determinant of status holds its roots in violence. The only way for a warrior to prove himself is through battle, or violence. Specifically this can be seen through the character, Unferth. He was not respected as a warrior due to his inability to win battles. He tried to find faults in Beowulf to raise his own ego. The disrespect given to this man was due to his unsuccessfulness in violent engagements.
In The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “…fear is simply the consequence of every lie.” Dostoevsky is stating how people are afraid of what will happen when their lie(s) is/are put out in the open. Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined. This line suggests that people are afraid of the truth, which inevitably is the consequence of every lie. Even though this quote was written by a 19th century author it can still relate to texts that were made centuries prior. Both Sophocles and Shakespeare’s plays support Dostoevky because both plays deal with the act of lying and its consequences as a major motif.
Societies construct heroes that represent and embody the ideals of those who create them and read about them. Their is a stark contrast between the hero in the time of Beowulf and Hamlet’s creation and heroes created in modern times. Current literature, movies, and television portray a different kind of hero from those created in 1000 AD to 1600 AD. A hero is defined as someone who is "admired for achievements and noble qualities"," shows great courage", and in historical texts such as Beowulf and Hamlet is a "legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability" or an "illustrious warrior" (Merriam-Webster). Despite the popular belief that the time for heroes has passed away, based on the needs of society, today's
Beowulf and Gawain are shown as great leaders. Sir Gawain is liked by most people he has met. Beowulf has many loyal followers by his side. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are both brave and loyal. They attempt to honor their kings and kingdoms. Those are all qualities of a hero.
Beowulf and Macbeth both share the trait of courage. At the beginning of the story, the injured captain retells Macbeth's actions on the battlefield when fighting Macdonald and Sweno. The soldier's testimony shows Macbeth as a brave warrior. Beowulf demonstrates courage when deciding to face Grendel, the fierce beast who has
In the stories of Beowulf and A Knight's Tale, there are many different themes. One of the major themes is the religion that runs through both of them, yet both stories have a very different view of religion. In Beowulf, it seems as if God has chosen where our life will end and where it will begin, everything happens by the will of God in a fair and just way. In The Knight's Tale, we see Greek gods playing with the characters and when they "play" with them, there is no real pattern to how they choose things. Each vies is different and this affects the stories in different ways.
The story of “Beowulf” begins at a time where a great hero is needed. This is where Beowulf’s character takes the initial place of an epic hero. In the first story of “Beowulf,” Beowulf takes on the responsibility of destroying the great threat, Grendel. This immediately shows the courage, honor and bravery of Beowulf. When Beowulf sailed to the Danes to kill Grendel, he was not searching for money, he was simply putting the Geats lives before his own. Beowulf was not yet
At the start of both stories, the protagonists are quite similar. The Beowulf from the epic boasts with every new person he introduces himself. This shows that he is very confident and arrogant. This Beowulf is willing to slay beasts in the name of glory without deciding for himself
Emotions make people who they are, and pride is one of the most common and powerful human emotions that has the power to change a person completely for the better or worse. Many writers use pride to cause the rise and fall of heroes in epics such as Beowulf, Macbeth, and Everyman. Therefore pride can be characterized throughout British literature as one of the biggest conflicts heroes struggle with.
In the play Othello and the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the main characters in both plays as warriors. Both characters in each of their plays, had constant outside voices seeping into their minds which ultimately contributed to the fate of both Othello and Macbeth. The witches in the play Macbeth had more of an effect of Macbeth’s actions then Iago had on Othello’s actions in the play Othello. Each character had a lot of pressure on them throughout the play however the witches influence on Macbeth resulted in more destruction than Iago’s influence on Othello.