Compare And Contrast Tale Of Genji And Beowulf

Since the dawn of time, religions have shaped the way humans have progressed. This is evident in the writings of both Beowulf and The Tale of Genji. Beowulf is an epic of a great warrior which shows that in the end fate will win. The Tale of Genji is about the son of an emperor and shows how desire and passion will only limit your perspective on life. These stories are excellent representations of how looking at any writings through a religious lens will prove religions truly does impact everything. In most, religions’ primary purpose is to answer the question of what happens after death. Socrates was a great philosopher during the Greek Age who philosophized that the soul is different from the body. He thought that the soul is freed from the body only if that soul has done good deeds. This belief has influenced many religions including Christianity. In Beowulf, during the funeral of Beowulf shows how much influence Christianity had. “Life leaves the flesh” (970) proves that the kingdom believed that the life, soul, can be freed from evil, flesh. The separation of soul and body is essential because since the kingdom believed in the soul, all of the actions done would be either good or bad. If the actions were bad, they would not be freed from the body and be stuck on Earth. An example …show more content…
It can explain whether death is indeed the end or how to achieve happiness. Beowulf showed how death was only the start of Christians belief soul is different from the body. When the body dies, the soul ascends to heaven. Tale of Genji showed the necessity of religion through death. The story showed how when someone becomes attached to someone their entire life changes. They become attached, and nothing else matters. Buddhism teaches that one has given up these attachments to achieve happiness. Religion shows how humans throughout history have relied on it to provide themselves with answers to stressful