ered that fate cannot be changed. This was proven to Oedipus when he finally learned whathe had done through Tiresias. Oedipus, by trying so hard to succeed in his obligation to freeThebes from the curse, caused his own undoing (Fergusson 388). This moment of realization forOedipus causes a catharsis of emotion among the audience. They feel pity for Oedipus, whounknowingly and unwittingly committed these deeds.Beowulf is, however, a completely different type of hero. Beowulf is surrounded by fame,glamour, and fortune. He is an uncommonly great warrior and has performed many heroic feats. By the end of his life, Beowulf has beaten Brecca in a swimming race, killed Grendel, killedGrendel’s mother, and exchanged fatal blows with a dragon. Beowulf is an ideal epic hero. Heknows to perfection the proper etiquette and he has comitatus towards his leaders and elders. Asto the issue of loyalty, Anderson says that he “depicts the loyalty of warrior to chieftain; offreeman, earl, and churl to their king - a whole-souled devotion to which Anglo-Saxon was readyto dedicate his life” (99). Beowulf, for the most part, follows the heroic code. The only portion he violates is thecall for humane treatment of a fallen foe. He deviates from this part of the code when he beheadsGrendel after his mother in order to achieve revenge for the loss of one of his own warriors. Besides this, Beowulf is a man of dignity and polish. His moral values are generally noble, grave,and courageous. His courage, however, is believed to be more physical than moral because heexhibits such super-human abilities (Anderson 99). These include his unhuman strength andsuperb lung-capacity, both of which he uses to defeat Grendel and his mother.As a reward for his great and heroic deeds to Herot and King Hrothgar, Beowulf wasgiven tremendous wealth and honor, As was customary at the time, he split his fortune with theking of his home land. Beowulf ret...
