BEOWULF ESSAY

           As time goes by, our depictions changes alongside time. But no matter how much time passes we are still able to find comparisons between past and current heroes. An example of this would be the character Beowulf and Spider-Man. This can be supported by the fact that they can be viewed as arrogant or cocky by others, yet do whatever it takes to defend their people. They were also similar in the fact that they both wanted to prove their worth to the people they defended.
          The confidence shown by Beowulf was taken as arrogance, therefore many people other than the Geats were not fond of him and wanted to see him fail. An example from the text is when Beowulf fought Grendl, he took his armor to show he was fearless. His people, the Geats, knew it was and act of confidence, but other nations viewed it as Beowulf believing that his opponent was far beneath him. This is strikingly similar to Spider-Man because Spider-Man went through the same thing when he taunted his enemies. Those who do not know him would believe that it was arrogance that was the reason for his taunting, but it was just his personality. Being confident can sometimes lead to a false impression of a person.
          Spider-Man always was willing to save the people he cared most for when they were put in danger. He knew that if he involved people in his endeavors, then they too would be at risk from his enemies. Yet even when his loved ones were put into dangerous situations, Spider-Man was able to save them because he knew for them to be safe he would have to do whatever it takes, even if it means that he gives his life for them. This is exactly how Beowulf was when he went into battle for the Geats, willing to give his life for them. This was eventually proven right in Beowulf final battle against the dragon. At a very old age, he knew his days were numbered and knew what he had to do. He took his men into battle and all but one left and with his one soldier, Wiglaf, he spent his final moments fighting the dragon. These types of situations are what separates memorable heroes from one-hit wonders.
          Wanting to prove ones worth is also a immense similarity that Beowulf and Spider-Man both share. Before he became king of the Geats, Beowulf wanted to prove that he was worthy of leading them. So he decided to fight big threat Grendl and after defeating Grendl, Beowulf then went to battle the mother. This was a much tougher battle because it was in water and Grendl's mother had the advantage of knowing her habitat. He won the battle thus proving his worth to his people and making the proud. Spider-Man faced this same problem when he saw his Uncle Ben die. He felt that it was his fault that Ben died and kept Ben's final words with him "With great power comes great responsibility". Since that day Spider-Man knew that he can never forget those words and needs to prove to himself that he can follow his uncle's last words.
           To finalize, heroes change through time yes, but there are still similar qualities that we find in past and current heroes. The comparison between Beowulf and Spider-Man is one of many. And although not a very well written comparison, it is still able to show that there can be similarities between very different characters. Heroes will change through time, but we will still hold some of the same qualities for those future heroes to the ones current ones have.