Robin Hood and Beowulf

Robin Hood and Beowulf are two heroes that have several things in common. The most important similarity, is that both fought for the good of other people. In the tale of Robin Hood it is told that he lived during the 15^th century in the woods of Nottinghamshire where he became famous for his deeds. It is said that he was of royalty and his real name is Sir Robin of Locksley. As Prince John decidede to raise the taxes for the poor, Robin Hood decided to protest this by stealing money from the rich and giving it to the poor. This caused him to be made an outlaw by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Therefore he is fighting for the poor and their justice. Traditionally he and his supporters, who are called the “Merry Men,” are depicted wearing green clothes without any armor and they have excellent skills in sword fighting as well as shooting the bow, which the use to to overcome the rich. Beowulf on the other hand is supernatural, as his strengths exceed every human capacity. He is royal and famous for his deeds just as Robin Hood, though Beowulf is known mainly for the killing of monsters. Also, Beowulf is an excellent sword fighter, but he prefers using bare hands. After looking at the basic attributes of each one of the two heroes, one can see several similarities already. Even though, over-arching theme shows great parity, there are aspects that make them differ.

The first attribute one has to consider are the reasons for why Robin Hood and Beowulf are fighting for the poor. In these aspect, they do differ, as one is acting without self-interest while the other is not. Robin Hood's reasons is to fight the injustice that is coming from the ruling class. Due to this reason, his main deed is in capturing treasures and giving the money to the poor. He therefore does not act out of self-interest, but for justice. Beowulf on the other hand seems to have other objectives. At the beginning of the story, Beowulf is already famous for fighting sea monsters and creatures of other kinds. This makes him proud and it becomes evident that he seeks immortality. Then, as he hears that Grendel is terrorizing the Danish people he immediately sails of to help them. Throughout the whole story though, it seems like his immortality is his number one priority. This makes it questionable that he is fighting Grendel just to help the Danes. Further, after Beowulf has eliminated Grendel and Grendel's mother, he receives a great treasure, which he takes back home. Therefore, one is able to conclude that Beowulf is acting mostly out of self-interest and not selfishness like Robin Hood. Even though, the two differ in this aspect, it is evidence that they are protecting the weaker and therefore doing good.

In the second paragraph I want to discuss the different ways in which Robin Hood and Beowulf are helping the weaker. I want to touch upon that Beowulf has supernatural strength, while Robin Hood has intelligence.

After analyzing Robin Hood and Beowulf one can see many similarities, especially in the main theme. To begin with, both of them are typical heroes, and fight for a specific reason, so the overall picture is identical. When examining the two stories closer though, one will find two major differences that set Robin Hood and Beowulf apart. First, the two of them fight for different motives, as Robin Hood is clearly helping the poor in a selfish manner, while Beowulf takes his actions with self-interest. Secondly, Robin Hood and Beowulf differ in their approach to fight for the poor. Evidently, Robin Hood is relatively weak compared to Beowulf, as he as no supernatural strength, but has other skills like his intelligence and that enable him to be just as effective. Even though the two are set apart though these two aspects, one can conclude that Robin Hood and Beowulf have similar roles in their societies, as they are great leaders and help the weak.