Comparing Beowulf And Jesus

The characterization of Beowulf is one of grandeur, portraying the king to be almost superhuman and greater than any other. The king goes through many trials saving people and performing miracles to prove his worth. The Beowulf poet attempts to draw a parallel between the leader and Jesus, although in vain. Beowulf is simply human, even the best human still pales in comparison to Jesus Christ. The character can be viewed as a Christ-like figure through his superhuman miracles, his greatest enemy, and his gracious attitude towards his people. Beowulf, however, does not nearly reach the notch to be like Christ; he fails due to his greatest flaw, pride. His death does not bring peace or spiritual benefit for his tribe; these flaws ultimately prove
The Geat ruler becomes deeply involved with proving his worth to his people, to the extent that it leads to his failure. The dragon wreaked havoc on Beowulf’s people and no one tried to stop the brutal attacks until he “was given bad news...his own home…was burned to a cinder” (ll.2324-326). This news stirred up rage and revenge in the king’s heart. Jesus is incapable of hate or revenge whereas revenge is Beowulf’s motive in battling the dragon. He “plotted his revenge” and “went in a rage” to confront his enemy (l.2336, l.2402). In contrast to Jesus, Beowulf’s greatest sin is pride whereas Christ is perfect and sinless. Beowulf knowingly goes into battle with the dragon alone, claiming “the fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth” (ll.2532-535). Beowulf’s pride clouds his mind and unfortunately is the cause of his death. Jesus’ death came with a gift, salvation for all of his people, an everlasting promise. However, Beowulf’s death merely allows him to “leave [his] people so well endowed” with treasure and riches, earthly gifts (ll.2797-798). Another consequence of the king’s death is devastation lurking in the distance. Jesus’ crucifixion ultimately brings peace to the whole world. In contrast, Beowulf’s death leads to his
Even through his sacrifice for his people and superhuman actions, his downfalls are greater. The differences between Christ’s sacrifice and sinless life prove the king’s failure at being the Christ-figure. This point can be viewed in today’s society as well; Beowulf embodies the average human who tries to live a life like Christ but fails due to the inherited sin. Although humans can try to be perfect, just like Beowulf, we ultimately prove to be unsuccessful and need a