Comparison between Beowulf and Oedipus RexBeowulf is an Anglo-Saxon folk epic written by an unknown author. It was written during the 8th century. Oedipus Rex is an Ancient Greek tragedy written by the playwright Sophocles around 430 BC. Although the two works were written during two different time periods, in two different places, and are different types of literature, they contain many similarities in the way they they depict a hero and the representation of the government. Beowulf tells the story of one of the most heroic men of the Anglo-Saxon era. The hero, Beowulf, is able to use his superhuman physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters terrifying monsters and the most brutal beasts, but never fears the threat of death. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for great honor and the good of others. Oedipus Rex is a tragic work, which talks about the tragic discovery of Oedipus: he killed his father and married his mother. He is confident, intelligent and strong-willed. Paradoxically, these are precisely the traits that determine his tragic discovery. Oedipus gains dominion over Thebes by answering the riddle of the Sphinx. The two heroes, Beowulf and Oedipus, are very similar in some aspects and also quite different in others. The first similarity in the portrayal of the hero is that both heroes are of aristocratic birth. Beowulf is the cousin of Higlac, who is the king of the Geats. Oedipus is the adopted son of Polybus and Merope, king and queen of Corinth. Furthermore, his real parents are Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. Another similarity is that both heroes end a period of suffering by abolishing a monster. Beowulf ends Herot's suffering by killing the monster Grendel. “A prince of the Geats, had slain Grendel, / had ended the pain, the pain, the suffering / imposed on Hrothgar's helpless people / by a bloodthirsty demon.” (lines 482 - 485) Oedipus is responsible for ending the Sphinx's reign of terror over the city of Thebes. He doesn't physically kill the monster like Beowulf does; it simply answers the riddle of the Sphinx. When he does, the Sphinx kills himself. A third similarity is that both heroes are challenged by another character in the story.