Essay Comparing Beowulf And Achilles

The first way in which both characters are similar is in the fact that they both travel from great distances to take part in a battle against some evil. In the medieval Germanic epic, Beowulf leaves his people the Geats of Scandinavia to help Hrothgar, the king of the Danish people, to kill Grendel, a monster who attacks the king's hall and devours the king's men. Beowulf slays Grendel but then must challenge Grendel's mother in order to restore Hrothgar's kingdom to safety. Likewise, Achilles joins the other Greeks and travels to Troy to do battle against Paris, Hector and the other Trojans for having abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus. Achilles performs many heroic deeds on the battleground and adds renown to his name among the Greeks.

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.

For instance, Beowulf fights monsters and Achilles fights other kingdoms. Achilles is a Greek warrior who has great strength and fighting abilities since his mom was part goddess. The story takes place in the Trojan kingdom when Paris steals Helen from the Greeks and thus starts a war. Achilles first act of heroism is portrayed when they arrive on the beach, instead of waiting for the rest of the army to get to the beach him and his men fight and take over the beach. His second act of heroism is when he fights hector one on one to prove that he is the better man.

Achilles has gone through many trials in the 4 books we read of The Iliad. In the first book Achilles is emotionally upset because Agamemnon has decided to take away his prize, Briseis. He even gets to the point where he doesn't want to be around anyone, "in tears, withdrew from his friends and sat down far away" (1.239.362-363). After Achilles kills Hector he begins to mourn over his companion Patroclus. Hector is the one who took the life of Patroclus, therefore, "Achilles defiled Hector in his rage" (24.313. 25). Through this rage he would drag Hector's body, however, Hector's body stayed in shape because the gods protected him. Achilles shows just how much he has grown by giving Hector's body back to his father. Priam , Hector's father,

Both the U.S soldier and Beowulf portray characteristics of a hero. Courage, bravery, and selflessness all play a huge role in their lives. Although one is past and the other present, hero is the only word that comes

Beowulf ‘s confidence in his abilities and courage to carry out his mission exhibits how he could be considered an epic hero. When he first hears of the Danes’ plight with the monster Grendel, Beowulf wastes no time in “his plan to sail the swan’s road and seek out that king” who desperately needs assistance in his troubles (Heaney 201-202). He eagerly accepts his call to action, wasting no time in ensuring King Hrothgar of his “awesome strength” and exhibiting an unwavering self-assurance as he recalls how he “battled and bound five beasts” (Heaney 418-420). In these first encounters with the hero, it is evident that Beowulf’s defining characteristics include his courage and pride. There is no fear or reluctance in his attempt for glory,

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 are similar because they both win their battles and are very humble about it. Beowulf defeats Grendel and rips his arm off to hang as a trophy of the fight. Achilles slays Hector and denies the request to return his body to his family. They are also similar

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.

Now that I have given a rough setting for book 12 of Metamorphoses, I will give a brief background of the battle with Hector. Achilles’ battle with Hector in book 22 of Iliad begins outside of the walls of the city of Troy at the end of the Trojan War. Hector was the last of the Trojan’s outside of the walls, ignoring his father King Priam’s pleads for him to get back to safety inside of the walls of the city. However, Hector believes he must fight for his honor and believes it is more honorable to die as one fighting to defend his city rather than dying an old man. At this same time moment, Achilles is going on a killing spree, because he believes glory is found in the size of the amount of Trojans he kills. This leads to Achilles chasing who he believes is a Trojan, Agenor, but in reality is the god Apollo distracting Achilles. Apollo is acting as a Trojan in order to divert Achilles from his killing of Trojans to save Trojan lives. Achilles’ anger is heightened due to the trick, and is now even more dangerous to Hector. After realizing that Achilles’ anger meant there was no chance of negotiation, Hector chose to run. After three laps around the walls of the city, Zeus began to pity Hector but was dissuaded by Athena who informed him

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

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.

Beowulf’s first battle is against Grendel in an attempt to help King Hrothgar of Denmark and the Danes. The king builds a great mead-hall known as Heorot, where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the bards. All the noise and commotion angers Grendel, who is a horrible demon that lives in the swamplands of the king’s kingdom. Grendel is an outcast who desperately wants to be a part of the Danes. He is bitter about being excluded from the mead-hall festivities. As a result of his jealousy and loneliness, Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. The Danes live in fear, danger, and suffer death from Grendel for many, many years. Eventually, word of the kingdom’s suffering at the hands of Grendel reaches Beowulf. He feels inspired by the challenge of defeating the monster and decides to help the Danes. The king holds a big feast to celebrate Beowulf’s help,

In reading The Iliad and Beowulf, one can conclude they are both literary works based on war and heroism. The hero in the Iliad is Achilles, who is from Greece and is the Archaen army’s greatest warrior in the battle of the Trojan war. Beowulf, a Geatish warrior has come to help the Danes in their long fight against Grendel, showing his heroism. Both characters Achilles and Beowulf share some similar traits such as their thirst for glory, their abnormal strength, and their courage. The characters also display several differences among each other as in they are not from the same cultures, Beowulf is more selfless than Achilles, and Achilles fights humans instead of mythical creatures such as Beowulf does. In medieval literature and todays literature, heroism is important simply because it gives people hope and inspires them. As stated before, Achilles and Beowulf were both thirsty for glory and I think that trait is still present in today’s time which cannot always be positive. Also, in todays time it is not the term hero that has changed. It is we who have changed. For most people, the media, pop culture, and events in society change our perception of a hero.