Compare And Contrast Achilles And Beowulf

Beowulf and Gilgamesh compare and differ greatly in the epic hero texts. This shows many traits that shape the two epics into what is the same and different. The main reasons that compare and contrast the epics is leadership, culture, and the journey. The monsters is a big part of the epics as well because it shows how they deal with them. Like how Beowulf's monsters terrorize him, and Gilgamesh was out to get the monsters.

Gilgamesh and Beowulf are both heroes from an Epic. An epic is a story about a hero’s adventures and the obstacles that they have to overcome. Both characters have differences, but they also have strong similarities. One major similarity that both characters possess is that they are very prideful. This characteristic is common in many heroes, but it often leads to their downfall.

Achilles, son of a goddess, has superior strength and fighting skills to any regular human, and as a baby he was dipped into the river Styx by his mother, leaving no part of his body vulnerable to attack but where she held him by his ankles. Beowulf on the other hand is the strongest man in the world of his time, having the strength to rip of the arm of a large monster named Grendel, and he is extremely tough, being able to survive the surge of a dragons fire breath that would have killed a normal man. Despite their physical traits, they both displayed acts of brutality and ruthlessness in their poems. Beowulf did so when he ripped off the arm of Grendel and hung it in the mead hall as a sign of victory, as well as when he defeated Grendel’s mother and took her head as a trophy. Achilles acts were almost just as vicious.

As stated by Arthur Ashe “True heroism is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” To be a hero one does not need to wear a cape and defend against injustice. Rather all that must be done is to fight for the greater good. Heroes do not fear failure; they approach each situation with a goal and strive to achieve that goal. A true hero may not always succeed but has the bravery to stand up and fight for what is right.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” May the battle begin between two godlike warriors, from the Anglo Saxons Dark Ages to the Ancient Greeks. Epic poems like The Illiad by Homer and Beowulf displays heroism in various traits. Whether it be the Dark Ages or Ancient Greek they too stood to act upon what they felt was right. Beowulf & Achilles have many similarities; they are great fighters in high positions.

A key difference between the two characters is the ego contrast. Beowulf, from beginning to end showed nothing but modesty. He single handedly managed to rip off Grendel’s arm, yet he didn’t boast the slightest bit. Theseus on the other hand grew egotistical after saving the Athenians from the Minotaur, and from there on he seemed to believe he was the bravest king alive, “Am I not the bravest king alive? Look what I did to the Amazons!

Christopher Reeve (AKA the 1978 superman) said that, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. Both Beowulf and Modern day heroes are similar in that way in that they fight for the common good of people. That quote from Christopher Reeves on what a modern day hero is, also applies to the epic hero qualities that Beowulf has. Similarly Beowulf and a modern day hero defeat an evil so that good can prevail. Some examples are, Beowulf Slaying Grendel and Grendel's mother to save the land of the Danes, and soldiers fighting enemies that threaten the lives of a country, and police officers putting criminals behind bars.

They both fight battles that are mythological and impossible for a normal man to fight in. Beowulf fights the monster Grendel, and Gilgamesh fights the guardian monster Humbaba. They both defeat their enemies, something that someone that does not possess their strength and courage could not do. But Beowulf is selfless and fights only for his people, and not himself. Gilgamesh on the other hand is selfish and takes advantage of his people.

Iliad places its focus on the story of its major character Achilles, a renowned warrior among Greeks, during the Trojan War. Beowulf highlights the adventure of Beowulf who shows the prototype of masculine qualities in the course of his

Their differences can be categorized in their amount of patience, how they hold themselves around others, and their personal actions. Although both great warriors, Beowulf and Lancelot’s methods when acting on a mission differ. Lancelot shows a great amount of patience when

Alexander Hamilton once said, “There is a certain Enthusiasm in liberty that makes Human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” Beowulf is an epic poem in which the main character Beowulf did acts of service, but he fought for those who couldn’t fight. The overall theme of good versus evil in Beowulf had Beowulf dealing with challenges that no ordinary man would be able to handle unless they were a true epic hero. Throughout the poem Beowulf proves to be an epic hero by his strength, bravery, and sacrifice.

They both go through the “Hero’s Journey,” and display many characteristics of a hero. Beowulf, however, better fits the qualities of an epic hero due to his unselfish personality, his fearlessness, and his nobility. One reason Beowulf is the better epic hero is because his intentions and motives were selfless. He always fought to save the people, not for glory or treasures.

Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they  have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.

Ironically in his efforts to gain fame and riches, Beowulf 's traits overlap with those of an epic hero. More important than Beowulf 's lack of morality though, is the warrior 's lack of growth throughout the story. Usually, in epic poems, the protagonists change

Beowulf vs. The 13th Warrior Beowulf, an Old English epic poem—written sometime between the 8th and 11th century by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, and The 13th Warrior, a 1999 action film—produced and directed by John McTiernan, share many similarities and differences regarding character, setting, plot, and theme. Because John McTiernan’s film is so similar to the epic poem, it is widely assumed that The 13th Warrior is directly inspired by and based off of Beowulf. Not only is the plot and setting of the two works very similar, but the characters and overall theme is as well.