The protagonists in The Illiad and Beowulf are represented as resilient and daring individuals, which is mostly correct. However, the characters Achilles and Beowulf go through tragic experiences that leave them transformed. The godlike Achilles is distraught from the loss of a dear friend who was murdered. This encourages him to participate in the Trojan War to get his revenge. The fostered Beowulf is a loyal man who encounters many mythical creatures to save the kingdoms. The two heroes have different situations, but are normal humans who are placed on an elevated pedestal by the communities. The impression of a hero is that an ordinary individual finds a type of toughness that is endured to overcome difficult obstacles that are faced throughout …show more content…
We never should judge a person from their presentation, but we are human and automatically judge appearance. The set of armor for Achilles and Beowulf adds to their heroic characteristics. The armor of Achilles is lost in battle, but Hephaestus, god of the force, makes a second set for the Trojan War. The first suit of armor was decorated with embossed stars, while the second gleamed because of its gold and silver decorations (Strauss 7). Hephaestus also made a remarkable shield for Achilles. The descriptions on the shield are carvings of the heavens, earth and the seas, the cities: Troy and Greece, a flourishing vineyard and a herd of longhorn cattle. The protective gear gave him confidence and also the emotional strength to demolish Hector. However, Beowulf wore armor in all battles against the creatures, but did not receive them as a gift from a god. Beowulf wore the same suit of armor in the fight against Grendel and Grendel’s mother. As he suits up for the second battle, the proactive gear “was a beaten gold, princely headgear hooped and hasped by a weapon-smith who had worked wonders” (1450-1452). Even though Beowulf’s armor was not crafted from the heavens, he gained respect from the dents and experiences gained from the battles. Individuals looked to his armor and saw that he had went through trials and tribulations. Overall, the image of their armor gains respect from soldiers and
Beowulf, a legendary hero of Geatish lore, from the epic poem named after him, is the definition of a hero. There is one being who can be collated to Beowulf: the mighty Thor, god of thunder. Derived from Norse mythology, Thor is hot-headed, with an appetite for food and drink. He also is one of the strongest gods, serving as the protector of the people. Both of these characters share similar qualities in what some would define a hero, despite one being a man, and the other being a deity.
Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.
Beowulf and Achilles were both good warriors and won many battles. They were also both leaders of their kingdoms or tribes. They were both half man and half god so they were very strong. Achilles liked to show off and get more praise for what he did but Beowulf was more humble than Achilles. Achilles was driven by his emotions and did what his mind told him to do before thinking about it first. Both of them would take their enemy's body or a body part and hang it up or display it as a trophy for winning the battle.
Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of hero’s change. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as generosity, strength, and courage, which portray him as a hero. Beowulf is faced with three forces to fight, Grendel, a monster, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Beowulf hears about the troubles that the Danes are having with some evil monster named Grendel. Although Beowulf knows that he could be killed, he still packs
A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.
as the only human hero in the story, Beowulf fits into a conventional hero schema; however, the several monstrous qualities that
Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.
Achilles and Beowulf were two characters that had an amazing power that made his name lives for hundreds of years. Great warriors need some to have some specific characteristics to reach their fame because we have seem in some heroes that they have gods strong, a unique way to be and goals to achieve. Comparing the character of Achilles and Beowulf who were two of the best warrior of the history we could know if there are an outline to be a great warrior.
Beowulf showed his honor as he traveled from his homeland to battle the vicious monster Grendel, who was terrorizing the Danes. Grendel “Raided and ravaged” the mead hall, showing no honor by killing intoxicated men in their sleep. Beowulf knows that there is a chance that he may die in his great battle against Grendel when he says, “If death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac…”, yet he is still willing to attempt to defeat Grendel. A hero in the Anglo-Saxon time is always very confident, as well he should be. It would serve no purpose to face battle with doubt of ones ability to do so, and with fear of all that awaits him. Beowulf’s morality came also in the form of loyalty to people and his word. Promises by Beowulf were kept . Acceptance of death, and care for the welfare of his people were Beowulf’s greatest virtues. His
Both Beowulf and Achilles are poetic characters, who hail from different eras of history and different cultural backgrounds. While each is unique in his own way, the two heroes also share similar characteristics. This paper will compare and contrast the medieval Germanic hero Beowulf with the classical Greek hero Achilles (of Homer's Iliad), and show how the two are similar and how the two are different.
The values of an Epic Hero is shown through many literary writings including the Iliad, Beowulf, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The textbook dictionary definition of a hero is a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.Achilles from the Iliad and Beowulf were two heroes who fought to show their superior power and were very egotistical. They had motives as to why they fought, and only considered their gain. On the other hand, Sir Gawain, from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, had no motive to take on the Green Knight. He only did it to benefit King Arthur and to make it easier on the other Knights in Arthur's court. Sir Gawain demonstrates the true meaning of heroism through his selflessness,courage and humanity.
Beowulf and The Iliad are both famous works of literature that have been studied for hundreds of years. Both Beowulf and Achilles are great heroes in their Epics. An important component of these Heroic Epics are their heroes and their how the act. Beowulf always exhibits the traits that would make him an epic hero, and would never do anything dishonorable or that wasn not for the benefit of everyone around him, while Achilles had moments that made him look dishonorable and not heroic. Overall, Beowulf is the better hero because he never gave up and fought for God, while Achilles refused to fight and disrespected Greek traditions such as respecting fallen foes.
Throughout literature, the idea of the hero has changed to represent a number of differing. Heroes were originally personified as being an individual who were not bound by limitations, as well as demonstrating an archetypical sense of moral judgment. Later on, contrasting adaptations of heroes started to form in which the hero of a story would typically exhibit traits that would closely resemble the limitations and troubles that ordinary people faced. For the most part, a contemporary “hero” is simply looked at as the protagonist in the story. Acclaimed heroes in literature, such as Beowulf and Hamlet, when compared to one another can give a person a better sense of the changes in the hero. Although they both are the main characters
Beowulf and Achilles are two noticeably diverse yet comparable heroes. Incredibly robust, and does what he is able to help society, are some ways Beowulf is portrayed; he never gives up on what he believes in. A hero who is amazingly keen in battle is Achilles; he also has a large heart when it comes to his friends and family. They both face an outside force that is threatening to them and other people. Beowulf faces monsters while Achilles faces humans.
Although Turnus, from Aeneid, is considered a “second Achilles”, he is unlike Achilles, from the Iliad, because he is ignorant of his fate, and his furor, or fury, is invoked by the Gods (Aen. 6.113). Aeneas is also different from Achilles because Aeneas shows pietas, devotion to the community, and he generally shows compassion, whereas Achilles puts his self-interests first and never shows compassion. However, Achilles and Aeneas are quite similar because their fury stems from feeling at fault for the deaths of their comrades, and this rage makes them lack sympathy while killing many opponents.