Beowulf Essay

The perfect heroes

Hero; when it comes down to it anyone can be a one. That being said, what makes a hero? Is it strength? Is it superior moral values? Is it integrity in the face of catastrophe? Truth is hero is characterized by the traits associated with being a hero in the community that creates said hero. The definition of a hero has changed since Beowulf  was first produced. Or has it? Beowulf is a perfect hero, for his times. A great hero to compare Beowulf’s character with is Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker is also a perfect hero, for at least current times. The best thing that makes these characters fun to compare isn’t necessarily their human traits, but the adversities each had to deal with. Honestly its pretty fun to compare how Beowulf had to fight a terrifying monster, while Luke (brace yourself for spoilers) fought with his daddio. Anyways both overcome such overwhelming odd, but do it oh so differently.

            Beowulf the strong, brave, charismatic man who vanquished the mighty Grendel and Luke the young farm boy from the middle of nowhere who discovered his great powers and destroyed the evil Death Star. So let’s see both characters are born somewhat as nobles although Luke was raised as a peasant he was the son of the emperor’s right hand man. In their journeys they both travel a great distance and help those in need. Both characters are written quite dynamically. Luke’s change is one of the main focuses of the story, while Beowulf’s is subtle and hard to identify. One of the great things the characters have in common is their unbreakable sense of loyalty towards their companions. Loyalty is also a minor theme in both tales. Some examples are in Star Wars its Han coming back to save Luke from Vader and in Beowulf  its Wiglaf aiding Beowulf while their comrades fled.

            Alright so although Beowulf and Luke have some similarities they are so vastly different. First off their respective stories are told in completely different galaxies in different times. The societies’ values influenced the characters thoughts and actions. On one hand Beowulf is inspired the by the early northern European ideals of strength, honor, loyalty, and pride. Although Luke was created in a society that was more humble and valued extreme moral goodness to physical strength and aggressiveness. The heroes are from extremely different backgrounds. Beowulf hailing from Northern Europe; Luke from a planet on the outskirts of his galaxy.

            One of the most different and amazing things about comparing these stories is the different ways they were published. One could make many realizations about the values and traits from just how a story is presented. An awesome idea that goes along with this is comparing the different styles of production. Beowulf  is written as a poem. This makes the story relatively short and gives a very graphical idea of the story. Star Wars started out as a script, but was drafted finally as a movie. With the technology of cinema the audience no longer has imagine the setting or features of a character, they simply observe and accept. This contrast in ways of production shows the current popular form of entertainment in a society.

            Okay so to finish up my point here Beowulf and Luke Skywalker, both perfect heroes for their respective times. The heroes have similarities and differences all dependent on the society of which created them. And obviously the ways the stories were produced are so different do to the tech of the times. To close this paper a hero is not just someone who does good in life; A hero is someone who achieves greatness through the eyes of everyone, even the opponent that they had face, by making actions and risks that no one else would ever take simply because they are so crazy. Both of these characters have done that in the hearts and mind of all audiences become the one thing so many people long to be: heroes.