Could Beowulf have fought so many beasts if he was disguised in armor? When evaluating Beowulf’s life and battles, it seems as though he had to always be the one in charge, the one to fight the beast, and the one to get the glory. Batman, from the movie The Dark Knight, seems to be quite the opposite. Batman, when he finally avenges his opponents, conceals his identity, does not get any fame, and is even considered a fugitive. They seem to be fairly opposite heroes, but when considering both heroes’ ego, they are the same person.
Beowulf and Batman have contrary beliefs when it comes down to the conclusion of their acts, but when it comes down to the actual act, they are on the same page. In other words, both characters have the say in what goes and what does not. Both characters call the shots. In The Dark Knight, after Batman has succeeded in capturing the villainous Joker, his method of attaining information is cruel and Batman, even though the law enforcement discourages such acts, proceeds anyway. When Beowulf is in the act of capturing and killing his beasts, he has to be the honorable one and kill the beast himself, even though he has a dozen others to “help him.” Their egos even get them to the point where they have to quit being heroes. After Batman is “overwhelmed” with helping out his fellow Gotham crime fighters, he decides that he will no longer be in charge of incarcerating criminals, but rather the newly elected D.A, Harvey Dent. Of course, this backfires and Harvey Dent then becomes Two-Face. Same goes for Beowulf when he fails to kill Grendel’s mother. His ego fails him, like Batman and he decides that he is no longer a great hero and lives an old bitter life until he again kills the dragon.
Another example of Batman’s and Beowulf’s egos is in their method of celebration. Batman is a multimillionaire, as I recall if not billionaire, who loves to live a lavish lifestyle. While he may not want to bring attention to himself through Batman, he nonetheless wants attention. At one point in the film, Bruce Wayne (Batman) is so sure of his influence on the city masses that he claims that one of his promoting parties for Harvey will ensure that he wins the election for the District Attorney position. In Beowulf, not only is there a feast for Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel, but another for his “defeat” of Grendel’s mother, whom he did not come to kill in the first place. Beowulf is praised by not only the townspeople, but by the King and ____ who claimed ridicule upon Beowulf’s arrival. Then as the story progressed, Beowulf becomes King of that town and grown to be an old man who still seems to be able to lead a fight against invading forces.
Clearly, Batman and Beowulf have more similarities than they would want. Their egos are a sure identity of both. which have backfired for both. The only main difference is that Batman wants his ego seen through Bruce Wayne, while Beowulf wants his ego to be praised at all times.
