Edin Schneider
AP English Literature
Mr. Weeg
21 October 2014
Oedipus and Beowulf Compare and Contrast Essay Oedipus Rex and Beowulf are two entirely different works in terms of the cultures that they were written for. Oedipus Rex was written by the Greek playwright Sophocles in about 430 B.C., and Beowulf was written a few hundred years before 1000 C.E., when it was transcribed from the Anglo-Saxon language. Despite these obvious differences, the two works share identical archetypes. Not only do Oedipus Rex and Beowulf include evil monsters and tragic heroes in their contents, but very similar themes about mankind. An example of one of these themes is that man's efforts to meet the expectation set by their past victories prevents them…show more content… However, Oedipus is still not convinced. When Jocasta storms off, unable to fathom the twisting of fate that occurred in her family, Oedipus confides in his subjects that he "does not blush to own [he is] Fortune's pampered child"(60). Oedipus believes that he is fortunate that he was able to survive being hobbled and abandoned by his parents as a baby, and he is therefore unable to see what the news means. All signs point to Oedipus being the killer of Laius, but he does not discover it until he finds out from another that he was given away as a baby by Jocasta. his wife. When his fate becomes undeniable, all of the despair that Oedipus has been ignorant of seems to affect him all at once. He discovers that Jocasta had hung herself immediately after her discovery of truth. When Oedipus took her down from hanging, he took both of her brooches and plunged them into his own eyes, blinding himself. And furthermore, Oedipus was exiled, revoked of his crown and children. Had Oedipus paid true attention to the matter at hand, rather than attempting to preserve his legend, the situation would have become much less dire. But such is the nature of this archetype. After a good deal of merrymaking to precede the anticipated victory of Beowulf over Grendel, Beowulf and his men prepared for battle, hoping to ambush the monster the next time he attacked Herot, the Danes' mead hall. Beowulf makes the decision to face Grendel without a sword or shield, because
