A Comparison of Oedipus and Beowulf The characters Oedipus and Beowulf represent two different types of heroes. Oedipus is atragic hero and characterized by its standards. He was an influential man of stature who had atragic flaw. While he contributed to his own downfall, Oedipus was not entirely responsible for it. He also learned a lesson from his mistakes which ultimately creates a catharsis in the readingaudience. Beowulf, on the other hand, is characterized by the standards of an epic hero. Hestrives for excellence and individual glory by doing heroic deeds. He has an admirable set ofethics, is great warrior, and is very loyal to his master. Beowulf is also rewarded for his deedswith fame and fortune. Although both of these men are heroes, the individual circumstanceswhich allow them to achieve this status vary greatly.Oedipus was a man of power and high social status. This was due to his position as Kingof Thebes. He was greatly respected by his people because he had ruled well during his reign asking. Oedipus did, however, have a tragic flaw which was his inability to control his anger. Thislack of self-control is illustrated when Oedipus kills his father in an argument over the right of way in a road. Oedipus’ anger is also exhibited when he yells at the prophet Tiresias for tellinghim the truth about his mistakes.Oedipus’ downfall was partially his own fault, although it was not entirely deserved. Oedipus made the choices in his life that brought him into contact with his parents. He alsochoose to kill a man in a fit of rage. He had control over all of these factors, but it can be arguedthat he was destined from the beginning to commit these deeds no matter how Oedipus tried toprevent them. Oedipus’ inability to control his tragic temper ultimately led him to commit thishorrendous acts (Fergusson 388). Despite the awful acts committed by Oedipus, he learned a very important lesson. Hediscov...
