Comparison Of The Israelites And Beowulf

Heroes derive from the belief of being better than the average human by taking on super human qualities. They are meant to give hope, courage, protection, and excitement. Each hero is a depiction of their societal beliefs and the internal conflicts of their authors. Two of heroes in particular are Sampson of the Israelites and Beowulf of the Anglo-Saxons. Both coming from cultures that had been suffering from the oppression and the troubles of terrorizing and brooding outsiders; these men were needed for deliverance. When reading the texts their common ground is spotted on how they both start with a history of their families and people, in order to provide a background from where the hero descended. With Sampson’s history the writer said …show more content…
One of the main flaws with Sampson is his ability to fall in love with beautiful Philistinian women, who continually betray him. Another of his flaws is arguably the fact that Sampson never learned from previous events to be careful with who he trusted with secrets. Sampson made the mistake of confessing secrets to women that he thought cared for him on two occasions before he became a captive prisoner. There were multiple opportunities were Sampson could have been a better leader but he was too distracted by beauty to realize. Beowulf had a flaw that led him to seek glory and fame. He also wanted to prove that he was strong and able to handle any threat that was introduced whether it was effecting him or not. Beowulf was also a leader of a small army of men loyal only to him, but that meant he was responsible for their lives as well as his own. The only flaw with that was when Beowulf decided that he wanted to fight the dragon at the end of the tale. It was in the particular decision where he became a more selfish leader than that of a heroic fighter. By risking his life, he also risked the safety and promise of peace for his people back home that were dependent on his ability to protect them. Both of these heroes were incapable of allowing their own personal weaknesses to prevent them from making decisions that eventually lead to …show more content…
They both also struck fear and anger into their enemies, making them better protectors than an average man. Although Sampson didn’t have as much acknowledged support from the Israelites he was seen as the man that helped deliver them from the clutches of the Philistines. Since he was viewed as such an amazing leader and protector Sampson was given the title of the Chief and Judge of Israel, and for twenty years under his ruling there was peace among the Israelites because they did not need to fear the Philistines. Sampson was also blessed by God so his physical strength and position was bestowed on him through divinity, and as long as he followed the Lord’s instructions, he was able to be the man that was born to begin the deliverance of