Beowulf and J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings Essay

Beowulf and J.R.R. Tolkiens overlord of the sound - Essay lawsuitHowever, a deeper study on the two texts also exposes further the similarities in the characters and central radicals of the stories. For one, the stories do non just depict collective struggles in the midst of good and horror but also the more(prenominal) heterogeneous battle within the self, the internal contradictions within an individual. This may even be the pattern that is the most mutual of both Beowulf and Lord of the Rings. Tolkiens first book, evil is presented as an external force and it takes solid role from the side of the hero to battle this by physical means. Frodo is presented as just an innocent Hobbit who does not dumbfound any innate tendency to do evil and who treats evil instead as an external enemy just like other characters in Middle Earth. For the lecturer, identifying good and evil has been made simple through such a presentation, one that formulates the concept that battling evil is easy because it is an enemy that can be seen and apart(p) from the self. It became convenient for one mark Gandalf as good and Sauron as evil in Lord of the Rings just Beowulf is and Grendel respectively in Beowulf. However, in the succeeding books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Tolkien began to describe more the internal struggles within. The typical good hero is presented as not really safe from temptations or from the enliven to do evil too. The same thing happened in Beowulf when the lead character also experienced the contradictions among good and evil from within. In Tolkiens book, even the innocent Frodo undergoes the difficulties of dealing the evil side of him that emerged when a ring was in his hand. At this point, the effect of both literary works on the readers is essentially the same. The reader realizes that battling evil and standing up for good is not that simple because evil can also build up from within, from one persons mind and heart. Apparently, t here seems to be a common theme between Tolkiens story and Beowulf. However, it could not be discerned if the latters author really had this in mind, considering that Lord of the Rings is a reflection of Tolkiens interpretation of Beowulf. It could be said that Tolkien stole the central theme of Beowulf in order to enhance his own literary creation. However, one may question how he actually wrote about Gollums character quite close to that of Grendel in Beowulf. Grendel is Cains descendant and, therefore, originated from humans despite his powers and great evil. Even Beowulf, whose strength is also remarkable, comes from the human race and therefore shares a common pipeline with Grendel. This is not much different from the case of Lord of the Rings antagonist, Gollum. Gollum actually comes from the Middle Earth, with a Hobbit bloodline, oddly those of the Stoors. Frodo Baggins share a similarity with Gollum in this respect because he is the typical Hobbit himself. These specific depictions of common bloodlines and origins of characters representing opponent sides in the battle between good and evil emphasize further the theme that the struggle is not always external but internal too that no one is absolutely free from evil tendencies. In Tolkiens story, Sauron may be the epitome of evil but it is Gollum who represents best the tendency of Frodo to site evil. In order to win against the evil represented