The Grecian Hero Vs. The Anglo-Saxon Hero Essay, Research Paper

The hero stands as an original of who we should be and who we wish to be. However, the hero has inherent defects which we do non wish to strive towards. In literature, these defects are non used as illustrations of what we should be but instead as illustrations of what non to be. This is particularly dominant in the Grecian hero. While the Grecian hero follows his destiny, doing serious errors and holding a reasonably simple life, the Anglo-Saxon & # 8220 ; super & # 8221 ; hero attempts, and may win, to alter his destiny, while covering with a reasonably complex life. The Grecian hero is strong and mighty while his humor and intelligence are extremely valued. In the Grecian calamity, the hero struggles to avoid many defects. Among these defects are aspiration, folly, obstinacy, and hubris-the inordinate constituent of pride. He must get the better of his foreordained fate-a undertaking which is impossible. From the beginning of the narrative, it is already clear that the hero will finally neglect with the lone manner out being decease. In Oedipus, the hero is already confronted with a burden of information about his household and gouges his eyes out. At this point, when he tries to overreach his destiny he has already lost and is sentenced to decease. The Anglo-saxon hero must besides cover with his & # 8220 ; destiny & # 8221 ; but attempts, and normally succeeds, to alter it. While the Grecian hero battles his destiny with his inordinate pride and intelligence, the Anglo-Saxon hero attempts to extinguish his day of reckoning by force. The Anglo-saxon hero is considered a savage of kinds due to his sometimes unethical and immoral positions and classs of action. At the terminal, the Anglo-Saxon succeeds in changing his destiny though. The Grecian hero is so normal, that the reader can associate to him. He is normally a & # 8220 ; common & # 8221 ; human being with no extraordinary life. His narrative seems credible, even possible. We would hold no difficult clip conceive ofing the hero & # 8217 ; s struggle as being ours. As in the instance with Oedipus, we can understand how he feels it would be possible for his fortunes to be applied to our lives. Although the deta

ils may seem a little farfetched it is not impossible that there is some truth to the story.On the other hand, the Anglo-Saxon hero, being super-human, is especially difficult to relate to. The Anglo-Saxon may reach the same pedestal as a God. It is extremely hard to relate to this sort of person. Who can relate to Beowulf, fighting a dragon named Grendel? It seems impossible. Such seems seem to be pure fiction or folklore. Nobody could apply such a situation to his life. The Greek hero is more of a thinker than a violent individual. He tries to outwit everyone including his fate. He has a high level of hubris. This is exactly the cause of his death making his fight nearly pointless. Oedipus deals with the human struggle for knowledge-first for knowledge of the evil which sets on the state, but ultimately for self-knowledge. Despite the advice of others, Oedipus remains with his illusion, he must find the truth even if it will destroy him. Oedipus is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s Conception in The Poetics. He is not the victim of fate expressed in the oracles. His tragedy results from within his character. He sees things only one way-his way, and driven by his uncontrolled emotions, ends up dead. Beowulf is the hands on, brutal type. There is no way he could overcome his fate with his brain. The only way out of the situation is to fight. In the Anglo-Saxon tragedy, there is no room to think and analyze the situation. The hands on, physical confrontations seem more effective, since Beowulf is able to change the course of his fate.The tragic hero yearns to believe that there is purpose to his actions, yet many of his actions lead to pain and disaster more so in the Greek than Anglo-Saxon literature. He evolves thinking about right and wrong or good and evil, believing that these come to him as divine revelations. Yet he often discovers that his morality produces immoral results, and his good is often evil. The Anglo-Saxon is content with what is happening and decides to use his power to overcome his conflict rather than his mind.