Beowulf Vs. Achilles Essay

Beowulf is the most famous poems in old English. There are three cases/conflict Beowulf encounters, first the battle with Grendel then the battle of Grendel’s mothe and the battle with the dragon “A hero is a person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” “Epic heroes posses qualities that mere mortals lack, the epic hero often battles for good, or accomplishes a set of tasks to complete an important goal.” This hero gets his qualities at birthright; Beowulf is the ultimate hero who put his life in danger for another kingdom. Beowulf’s heroism was seen when he takes his 14 of his men to help Hrothgar, he was Beowulf father’s closest friend. Hrothgar’s kingdom had been cursed by attacks for the last 12 years that threatened the whole kingdom.

The Importance of Beowulf in Modern America By Jennifer Carley Modern culture and literature include many stories of great heroes and fictional adventures. Many people grow up reading about these great adventures and looking up to the heroes of the stories. Heroes are great roll models because they are portrayed as courageous and trustworthy individuals, two very admirable qualities. Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, life in modern America continues to bear resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon world of the hero Beowulf. The poem Beowulf, though written many centuries ago, still contains the same universal themes of any great action-adventure story in today's society. The poem is about a great hero who overcomes seemingly

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 is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions in an adventure to repay a debt owed by his father to Hrothgar, a Danish king. A gargantuan monster that is terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead hall is Beowulf’s target and Beowulf sails across the sea to aid his father’s

Both Beowulf and Achilles are also incredibly strong. Their powers seem, in fact, extraordinary and superhuman. For example, Beowulf has powerful lungs and is able to hold his breath for impossible lengths of time while underwater. He can swim great distances and hold his own in hand

Beowulf and Achilles have several traits in common. One including their incredible strength. Beowulf exhibits his strength when fighting and defeating the monster Grendel. Achilles shows his strength when he goes one on one in battle with Hector and defeats him. Another common trait includes bravery. Both Achilles and Beowulf were famous and recognized for their bravery. Beowulf demonstrates bravery throughout his life by slaying several demons and monsters.

King Beowulf fought for his people, no matter the circumstances, He knew that his old and worn down body would not defend his land as well as it did against Grendel, but he chose to secure his people’s safety before his own. Beowulf did not bargain with King Hrothgar when he protected his land in the beginning of the epic poem, but instead did it out of the love and respect for his king. Similarly, Achilles showed honor for Patroclus after he was brutally murdered by Hector. He ensued the death of Hector, and went on to win the war in his honor. He knew that he would be outnumbered in his feats, but decided to combat as many Trojan soldiers as he could to defend the Achaean army. Both Beowulf and Achilles show honor for the people they love, and defend their land no matter how physically diminishing or strenuous it may

Two traits that are similar between these two heroes are strength and bravery. They both exemplify strength because the both kill worthy opponents. Beowulf kill Grendel a monster that has killed all who stood in his path, while Achilles killed Hector the leader of the Trojan army. Another trait they share is bravery. Beowulf and Achilles both show unbelievable courage by facing their opponents without fear and regret.

The world we live in today sure loves it’s heroes, don’t we? Superman, Batman, Spiderman, all of them are multi-million dollar franchises that have remained relevant in pop-culture for years! But one has to wonder, “Why?”, why are “heroes” so important in the world of today, and how did they get started? Well, the second question is easy to answer, they were inspired by ancient heroes in the spirit of Beowulf and Achilles. Now, they were very similar to each other; but they had their differences too.

“Can heroes actually be anonymous?” (Cannon). Today, our heroes sit behind computers screens and use weapons of range and intelligence throughout the world, but what about the heroes of old? We haven’t always had ranged weapons to hide behind. Heroes used to be the people who lead the charge against an unfathomable foe, stood up for what they believe in, and protected the people around them. In the Shakespearian play Beowulf, Beowulf is the hero of the story as he answers a call of help and saves a nation plagued with a demonic beast killing its people. Then, in the Iliad, the Greek Achilles is the hero as he helps the Greeks attack the city Troy and fights in a decisive battle against the Trojans strongest warrior, Hector. While both Beowulf and Achilles have qualities that are similar, they also have traits that make them distinctly different kinds of heroes.

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.

In the story, Beowulf is a brave hero. Beowulf displays fearlessness of his enemy Grendel by removing any armor and weapons he has. Beowulf exhibits toughness and fearlessness of his enemy. Achilles portrays his strengths during the fight by defeating Hector without a hard struggle and shows his strong will by refusing to accept Hectors request of the return of his corpse to his home. Achilles does not change his mind easily and wants to show others he is strong.

Beowulf and Achilles are more alike than people think, although they might be completely different people, they are both brave and loyal. Beowulf shows his bravery when he fights Grendel all by himself. Achilles is brave because his mother knew that he was to die in war, and he was aware of this but yet he still

Achilles was a selfish demi god in early Greece who fought a war he did not believe in. Hector was the man who was to protect Troy from the Greeks for the love of his city and family. Beowulf, an Anglo Saxon hero helped a king fight a monster out of loyalty and respect. Achilles, Hector, and Beowulf are the three main characters and heroes in Beowulf and The Iliad. These are two completely different stories about three completely different men. Honor, bravery, selfishness, immortality, and religious beliefs and how they were viewed all played a role in the lives and stories of the three heroes of Beowulf and The Iliad.

The Epic Poem; Beowulf was written by unknown scribes before 1000 AD or more simply around the time of the Dark Ages. Historians have barely any records from that time period, but later on Christian Monks were able to translate it. Ever since the Anglo-Saxons first told the story of Beowulf, it continued to be passed on by oral tradition for more than 500 years before it was finally written down. The protagonist, Beowulf reflects those very values and ideals of his society through his actions throughout the story. From then on the storyline has been told through different stories that would be told for generations to come.