Beowulf Essay

Heroes change as often as the weather and with time and mankind behind change, the vast majority of heroes are unique in a myriad of ways. The developments of heroes are reflected through the culture they are brought up in and ideal factors of what a hero should be. But even with drastic time periods of separation, many heroes also share similarities in characteristics. As for example Beowulf and Iron Man a.k.a  Tony Stark are separated by thousands of years of history but share similarities such as being symbols of hope and tantalizing characters. But the dichotomy between the two is how society chooses to portray their heroes.

            Idolization is a key factor in being a hero and with that process the hero becomes a symbol of hope. In today’s movies, the young children are sometimes seen with figurines or wanting autographs of the hero in that movie such as Tony being asked for an autograph by a young kid in Iron Man 3. Most people can agree that their heroes are their idols because people admire their personality or acts of valor. The culture values what the average person cannot do. On the other hand, Beowulf’s culture was more focused on his fearlessness and will to do anything such as killing the dragon and Grendel. Tony is also valued for his social life such as being a “million dollar, playboy, philanthropist” which is a contrast to what people in Beowulf’s time valued. These characters provide people with hope by bringing a sense of safety in one’s culture through many acts of valor.

            Indirect characterization is well displayed with the actions of both Iron Man and Beowulf. The fact that both display their bravado in life threatening events makes them fall under the category of an archetype hero. With Iron Man cordially inviting his enemies to his personal address via media goes to show how pretentious of a personality he has. This also led to the destruction of his house with an almost near death experience with his wife. Similarly, Beowulf challenges the dragon and ends up killing the dragon while he dies from the venom of the dragon. Although Iron Man invited the enemies to his house, Iron Man fights to protect the world while Beowulf goes looking for trouble. The ostentatious attitude of both Beowulf and Iron Man can also be due to the fact that they were born into well known families. Royalty is prominent in Beowulf’s culture, which is the type of social class Beowulf was born into while Tony Stark was born into his father’s military weaponry business legacy. This goes back to both of them being an archetype hero. They both live the life of seeking danger but survive consequently.

            In many ways, Beowulf and Iron Man live a life of luxury. Although the luxury may vary because of different cultures, the type of person they are and how the go about their ways makes them similar. The fact that both are symbols of hope and are courageous characters, makes them the ideal type of hero. In conclusion, Beowulf is a man of his word, and like most super heroes, is there to provide the safety everyone needs.