beowulf is like christ
In the story Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, is portrayed as a Christ-like figure. The reader knows that Beowulf is Christ-like through his actions, his personality, and some symbolism. Beowulf experiences some of the same or similar things that Christ experienced too. With a close interpretation and a deep analysis of the story, there is more than enough evidence to prove that Beowulf is Christ-like. To start off, the very first line in the story that deals with Beowulf is, "Of living strong men he was the strongest..." (9) and it then goes on to tell of Beowulf's noble characteristics. Throughout the story the narrator and other characters tell of Beowulf's Christ-like characteristics. For example, Hrothgar, king of the Danes, said, "God, in His mercy, has sent him (Beowulf) to save us...from Grendel's assaults"(13). God sent his son Jesus Christ, the savior, to save all of us from sin. This quote from Hrothgar is quite possibly the most convincing element in the entire story telling us that Beowulf is Christ-like. Another example is that the narrator refers to Beowulf as "The shelter of kinsmen..." (33), and this tells us that Beowulf was
Next, what Beowulf actually does in the story, how he acts, and some of his personality traits will further explain why he is Christ-like. Beowulf and Christ have similar personality traits. The last couple lines of this folk epic tell it best; the lines state that the Geats, "Said he (Beowulf) was the kindest of worldly kings, mildest, most gentle..."(40) as they grieved over his death. Another trait that Christ and Beowulf share is their motivation and intentions. Beowulf does good deeds for the good of others, and because he does not like evil. He did these things because he cared about his people. In his dying words, which he spoke to Wiglaf, he wanted to make sure that his people get the treasure that he fought so hard for. Also, one of the things that Beowulf does throughout the story that Christ did all the time, is give thanks to god. Beowulf gave thanks to God for the safe ocean journey from southwestern Sweden. After defeating Grendel he said, "By favor of God we won the fight, did the deed of valor, and boldly dared the might of the monster,"(19) to the many warriors in the Heorot. In this line he give thanks to God just as Christ did. Beo
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Approximate Word count = 780
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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