Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Valmiki

“We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” This quote once proclaimed by the notable Benjamin Franklin tells us much about the status of group mentality at the time of its spoken word. Aside from practical advice, these words indicate that the people of the United States must work together to defeat their foe, the British King. Keeping this in mind, we can apply the same analytical set to other stories of cultures around the globe and of times past. Two such tales which provide similar introspection are Beowulf, author unknown, and The Ramayama, written by the poet Valmiki. Beowulf, shows us that, overall, human beings are selfless, altruistic beings that consider other people’s needs a high
In The Ramayama, Sita hears the voice of Rama, who is out on a quest to defeat an enemy. She is aware that there may be misleading forces at work, find herself enthralled in her desire to discover the truth. Against request of her brother-in-law, Sita destines Lakshaman to “the dishonor [she] casts upon [him],” when she forces him to go after the voice of Rama, as Lakshman understands the peril he will place upon his family in doing so. Sita is refuses to separate her intense emotions from her reason for the protection of her companions. In Beowulf, Beowulf is once again faced with the challenge of defeating a great giant. Unferth, a solider of King Hrothgar, offers his sword Hrunting to Beowulf. According to Jaquiline Simpson, “good blades were heirlooms, often with names of their own.” Successful battle swords gained much honor, as did the men who claimed them. It seems Beowulf is willing to add to the glory of another sword without any concern over the battle his own sword will be missing. Moreover, instead of solely accepting the sword for his own collection, Beowulf requests that Unferth “take my own sharp-bladed battle-sword, for it, too, is a trusted, age-old war-weapon.” This suggests that Beowulf is not only able to share his sword story of battle, but generous with his own possessions as
In Beowulf’s final battle, injury takes our hero to the brink of death. Many of his fellow soilders did not possess the bravery needed to continue in the battle, and left Beowulf to defend himself. In fact, “of Beowulf’s eleven trusted war-comrades, only his nephew, young Wiglaf, was bold of heart and loyal”, coming to his uncle’s aid. While the other comrades were concerned with their own safety, Wiglaf beyond the danger and to the allegiance he vowed to Beowulf, a loyalty which would be key to saving his town and fellow man. Subsequently, it is this selfless deed of companionship which propels a rejuvenation of Beowulf allowing the team to defeat the great dragon plaguing their city. In the early prose of The Ramayama, the mother of Bharata falls prey to her own aspirations of self-promotion. Bharata’s mother requests for her husband, King Dasa-ratha to “let Bharata be crowned king in place of Rama. Second, make Rama live as a hermit in the wild forestlands for fourteen years.” Furthermore, Rama possessed characteristics as “the ideal male figure: loyal, devoted, even-tempered, trained by the arts of peace and war, and kind to all.” Bypassing her reason and tradition, Bharata’s mother seeks a path of individual