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. While these Epic Heroes mainly fought for glory, how they achieved it is what sets them apart. Beowulf vanquished evil such as Grendel and Grendel’s Mother for the Danes to achieve his glory; “he’d [Beowulf] go to that famous king, would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, now when help was needed” (Beowulf 114-116). This was a noble way to achieve glory because this helped everyone, not only the Geats. Beowulf also defended his people, slaying a dragon in his old age even if it would cause his death. Achilles achieved his glory by slaying men such as Hector and many other trojans out of revenge for Patroclus, and it is clear that Achilles fights for revenge: “You'll pay the reckoning in full for all the pain my men have borne”, (Homer 99-100). The war he fought in was over a woman, not fighting against evil like in the
How does Beowulf's heroic acts compare to today's heroes. The definition of a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty, someone who cares for others more than himself, and someone who courageous actions that could get them killed in order to save someone.In regards to Beowulf, I believe that he fits those needs.
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.
These two characters made incredible actions that influenced that their names were remember for a long time; Beowulf looks like any other warrior, he followed the code of a great warrior and also the code of the heroes, things that just a few people used to do but Beowulf had and special kind to be he was arrogant because he know the strong that he had and he did crazy things that always at the final those actions looks very intelligent for example when he fought with grandal, he decided to fight without armor because he wanted a right fight without to have advantage everybody thought that he was crazy but at the final they saw that it was very intelligent because grendel was immune to weapons so he only could be affected by normal hits like punch or kicks that was what Beowulf did. Achilles had a unique kind to be it was similar to the kind to be of Beowulf but it was not equal; Achilles was arrogant too but the difference between Beowulf and Achilles was that Achilles was more arrogant and he never did things that will not benefit to him in something.
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.
Beowulf and Achilles were different in a few ways. Beowulf was cocky by assuming that he could come to Herot and kill Grendel easily. However, Achilles was humble and understood that he will die in battle. Another different characteristic would be how Beowulf demonstrates superhuman strength by attacking Grendel with only his fists. On the other hand, Achilles doesn’t have superhuman strength, but he is skilled in using weapons. Both heroes are different, so naturally there is one that would be considered the
Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history, it was originally written in Anglo-Saxon, and it was told orally with many literary devices so it could be remembered throughout generations. It shows what their society was based on back in the Anglo-Saxon era. Although throughout history the poem has been changed to fit our modern day society. For example, having different values and morals and how we look at religion has all changed. In the Beowulf poem and movie there are many similarities and differences in Religion, Characterization, and Morals it highlights the value and beliefs of each society.
Beowulf and Achilles are both strong, courageous, honorable, and brave. But Achilles was more selfless when he was battling the Trojans. Beowulf wasn’t as selfless as Achilles. Achilles and Beowulf are both courageous, brave, and respect their enemies. Achilles is very brave; in the same way, Beowulf is also brave.
During the Anglo-Saxon time period, individuals wrote poems about achievements, deaths, emotions, and adventures taken by certain individuals. There were many popular poems during this era including, “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffer and “The Wanderer” translated by Charles W. Kennedy. Although both these poems were written during this era, “Beowulf” was an epic poem and “The Wanderer” was an elegiac poem. However, both of these pieces shared certain characteristics related to the culture and values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Many attributes that make up this culture are related to both Pagan and Christian beliefs. This includes many ideals relating to fate and God. The culture and values of Anglo-Saxons through “Beowulf” and “The Wanderer”, suggest that along one’s quest emerges an individuals outlook on ways of life.
Beowulf, keeper of warriors, defeated Grendal and Grendal’s mother. But that wasn’t enough, he had to defeat the most dangerous, petrifying dragon; only then would he retire. Because of his courage and bravery, his strength wasn’t enough this time; he ended up dying for the Geats when he fought the dragon. Although in a way Odysseus and Beowulf both had support, they are both powerful heroes who accomplished amazing things; however, Odysseus, who was known for his cunning, was flawed and had help from the gods, while Beowulf, who was known for his bravery and strength, was portrayed as flawless. Beowulf, who had no family and no help fighting
Beowulf, the hero of Beowulf, answers a foreign nations call for help and leaves his life of comfort in-order to help. Beowulf fights a monster named Grendel and after defeating him, stops Grendel’s mom’s rampage as well. Then years later, Beowulf confronts a dragon for the sake of his kingdom even though he knows he will die fighting the dragon. Similarly, a hero from a different time is Achilles. Achilles is a demigod, which means he is the son of a god. Achilles uses his god-like power for the Greeks in the Trojan war. Achilles cares deeply for this family and when his cousin dies, he challenges the Trojans mightiest warrior to avenge his loved one. After a duel, Achilles defeats Troy’s warrior and ensures the Greeks victory in the war. Although these two heroes may come from different time periods, they embody similar ideals and
Heroes, from Beowulf to Superman our cultures have always created heroes. We may always have political, social, economic and religious differences, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common, heroes. They help define who we are and what we want to be. They give us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction. They show us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Heroes give us the inspiration we need to overcome problems in our own lives and that is why we create them. Beowulf perfectly embodies the idea of a hero. He defeats the evil Grendel and his mother, slays the dragon and saves his people. He is
What do Achilles, King Arthur, Harry Potter, and Beowulf all have in common? They all demonstrate the qualities of epic heroes. Beowulf represents several characteristics of an epic hero and demonstrates the values of the Anglo-Saxons. He is the main character of his story, he has a main goal, he travels and fights with a group of people, and he accomplishes many valorous deeds; the values of the Anglo-Saxons are also shown through the actions of Beowulf, such as courage, loyalty, and fame. For example, when Beowulf heard a cry for help in a far off land, he answered. He fought larger than life monsters, and won. His exceptional strength proves his epic courage and heroism.
Achilles on the other hand was a talented fighter who used his strengths to conquer and kill Hector, the man who killed his friend Patroclus. Achilles was powered by his emotions while Beowulf was powered by the thought of being famous and helping others to be a hero. Beowulf was full of himself, yet he was a good man. Achilles was not so high on himself, but more his
Heroes bring a hope to people whom they protect. Heroes bring people joy and bring a sense of relaxation to the people of their society because they play such an important role in lives everywhere. Heroes are complex rather than unembellished because they can fight dragons to defend their kingdom, or create a non-profit foundation to enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged kids. Heroes in our present day can be very complex because a person’s viewpoint on a hero’s life can be a completely different than the way another person looks at that same hero. Thomas Davis Sr. can be extremely comparable to Beowulf but they also have major differences.
“Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like Heros. Now we say: The Heroes fight like Greeks” (Winston Churchill). Western Civilization have been focused and built on the Greeks, especially their hero’s. The two main heroes of the Greeks were Achilles and Odysseus, from the two great Epic poems. Although, the heroes Odysseus and Achilles from Homer’s epics the Iliad and Odyssey display several differences and similarities.