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Relationship Between Agamemnon And Beowulf

Decent Essays

The Epic Journey of a Relationship
Many things can contribute to the greatness of a hero. A person can be determined as a hero by the brave things they have done or how their actions have impacted others. In The Iliad by Homer, translated by Richmond Lattimore, the Greek king Agamemnon loses his best warrior, Achilles, who decides not to fight in the Trojan War. Agamemnon knows that the Greeks will be unable to win the war without Achilles, whose strength cannot be matched by anyone else. In Beowulf by an anonymous poet, translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is Hrothgar’s best chance to defeat Grendel and avenge the Danes who had previously tried and failed. Achilles and Beowulf can be viewed as the servants of their kings, since they serve and protect their crown. The two kings’ reliance on their servitude emphasize the importance of Achilles and Beowulf, making the relationships between Achilles and Agamemnon, and Beowulf and Hrothgar similar to each other. The relationships between Achilles and Agamemnon, and Beowulf and Hrothgar show that kings play an important role in contributing to the greatness of their servants. The kings rely on their servants’ heroic abilities. At the beginning of the story, Achilles is unhappy with Agamemnon because the king took away his prize for himself. During an argument with Agamemnon, Achilles says, “Always the greater part of the painful fighting is the work of / my hands; but when the time comes to distribute the booty / yours

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