Comparison Of Heroism In Beowulf And John Milton's Paradise Lost

The epic poem Beowulf, penned by an anonymous author, survives as the oldest epic in the Anglo-Saxon tradition and serves as the pinnacle model of ancient and epic heroism. Beowulf possesses the traits required of a typical epic hero. He is courageous, strong, honorable, honest, skilled in leadership, and embodies heroes of ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, a hero was not necessarily virtuous, flawless in ethics, or well-mannered. A hero was just as flawed, and possible more flawed, than non-heroes and would often have one fatal weakness that ended in his demise. An example of this type of hero is Achilles. In contrast, John Milton’s epic tragedy Paradise Lost presents a different view of heroism. Milton’s hero, Satan, does not possess the
typical qualities of an epic hero, nor does he share the typical demise of one. This characterizes him as an antihero or a central character in a story who lacks conventional heroic attributes. More so, Beowulf is viewed as a conventional hero because his demise is fated and is seen as destiny’s rightful path. Satan’s downfall, however, is a product of misfired free will, not as a result of fate – or wyrd in the Anglo-Saxon language. Due to Milton’s own Protestant belief system, it is most likely that Milton never intended to make Satan his unsung hero. Instead Milton make Satan charismatic and attractive in order to prove to his readers how manipulative and sinful the devil really is. He intends for Satan to be viewed as flawed and somewhat responsible for his own demise, while Beowulf is simply completing his fate and therefore is the quintessential hero. Despite this disparity, Satan is still a hero in his own right. The issue with Satan’s recognition as a hero is not in his actions, but the context he is put into.