TRACING THE MYTHOLOGY OF BATMAN

By Steven Denlinger

Vashon High School

Basic Freshman English

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

TRACING THE MYTHOLOGY OF BATMAN

By Steven Denlinger

Vashon High School

Basic Freshman English

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

This is a model of the Superhero Presentation that the Basic

Freshman English students will give in class.

Who are Batman’s mythic ancestors?

Consider two myths:

Paradise Lost

Beowulf

oger B. Rollin examined Batman in conjunction with heroes from other stories of human history like Beowulf and Paradise Lost” (Jones 2009).

R

The story of Beowulf tells of the first English superhero, a

man who can fight monsters with his bare hands, who

can live underwater for hours at a time, and who is

physically powerful and overbuilt. He also uses amazing

technology for the time, such as the sword Hrunting.

atman fit the Type II hero identified by Northrup Frye. A hero of this type is human, but he is morally and legally superior to others (Jones).

“BBeowulf

The myth of Paradise Lost

tells the story of Satan, a

dark figure who rebels

against God and lives in a

dark underworld (Hell). He

would rather “reign in hell

than serve in Heaven”

(Milton, Book 1, line 262 ).

f there’s a hallmark of Nolan’s exploration of the Batman legend it’s this: Bruce Wayne squares off with an intelligent foe who articulates an opposing worldview so Batman can vanquish them (sic) both philosophically and physically” (Rosenberg).

“I

Milton’s Satan

Another ancestor of Batman is the Zorro character from Disney. An enigma, this hero is a dandy by day, and a terror to the corrupt State by night.

ased loosely on the exploits of a real-life Californian bandit, who gave a good show of Swashbuckling only for one night (because he actually got caught!), Johnston McCulley mostly drew upon his vast imagination to create a wily fox who could constantly outwit the bad guys, love the leading lady, swashbuckle his way out of any situation, and would rob the rich to give to the poor!” (Man).

“B

The Mark of Zorro

A short film clip...

Christopher Nolan brings to new life to the character of

Batman in his Academy Award-Winning film, but

along with the new Batman came a new villain, one who

was equal to Batman, the flip side of Batman’s character.

atman recognizes that his vigilantism and Joker’s terrorism both utilize the same weapon, fear, and Moore presents Batman with an unresolvable dilemma: how can he combat a villain who understands fear as well or even better than he does? The book concludes with Batman and Joker concluding their climactic battle sharing a laugh together over a bad joke, as if in recognition that victory for either of them is impossible” (Rosenberg).

“BThe Dark Knight

Works CitedJones, Dave. "Batman: Dark Knight, Dark Myth." Journey to the Sea. Randy

Hoyt, 1 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Jan. 2012.

Man, Muscle. "Is The Batman Just An Updated Zorro?“ ComicBookMovie.com,

1 Feb. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

The Mark of Zorro. Dir. Rouben Mamoulian. Perf. Tyrone Power. 20th Century

Fox, 1940. DVD.

Milton, John. English Minor Poems, Paradise Lost, and Samson Agonistes,

Areopagitica. William Benton, Publisher. Chicago: Encyclopaedia

Britannica, 1952.

Rosenberg, Alyssa. "Batman, Milton's Satan, and Occupy ��Gotham." ThinkProgress RSS. Alyssa Rosenberg, 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 29

Jan. 2013.

Discussion Questions Is Batman a good or a bad character? What makes a

character good or bad?

Does the Joker view Batman as good or evil? How

does the Joker view himself? Why? What does this

say about how we should construct superheroes,

morally?

Why do you think that Batman, Beowulf, and Milton’s

Satan are morally ambiguous?

TRACING THE MYTHOLOGY OF BATMAN

By Steven DenlingerVashon High School

Basic Freshman EnglishTuesday, January 29,

2013