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Heroic traits in beowulf vs achilles
Heroic traits in beowulf vs achilles
Beowulf and achilles epic hero essay
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After being mortally wounded, Grendel cowardly flees. Beowulf's actions in battle reflects that of a hero as Beowulf was quick to fearlessly attack the monster in order to save the lives of the thanemen. Grendel's actions in battle reflects that of a monster as Grendel wanted to retreat when he knew he was unable to win the fight against the hero.
Beowulf is the strongest of the Geats. He also is a monster hunter who seeks out and destroys any monster he can find. Beowulf exemplifies selflessness. For instance, when first hearing of Grendel wreaking havoc on the Danes, Beowulf quickly responds by getting ready to ship to Hrothgar to help him and his people out.
Beowulf is brave and grendel is spiteful. They both act out pride because Beowulf is an epic hero and most epic heros let the pride eat then. In other words it gets to their heads, which then hurts them in the end. Grendel has more of a vengeful pride. He killed Herot men for fun and because he was annoyed by their stories.
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.
Beowulf and achillies are two heroes who started off as selfish but ended up being selfless heroes. Achilles is a Greek hero who feels sorry for himself. He refrains from fighting to spite the king. But when his cousin dies while wearing his armor to bring the army more morale that all changes. Achilles then joins the fight wearing armor forged by the
He is an important hero because he saves the lives of many people. Another good example of a hero is a man named Achilles. Achilles plays an important role in being a hero because he is someone who fights for his army and fights for the people he cares about. Achilles and Beowulf are both great heroes and they show us how great they are in many similar ways as well as many different ways.
Both fought in an honorable way. For King that meant peaceful and nonviolent protests, even though other activists during the civil rights movements, such as Malcolm X, did fight with violence. In Beowulf’s case, that meant taking on monsters with only his hands to ensure a fair fight. “My lord Higlac/ Might think less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind some Broad Linden shield: my hands/ Alone shall fight for me” (lines 169-173). In this passage, Beowulf refuses to fight Grendel, a viscous monster much larger than him, using anything except for his hands because Grendel does not employ the use weapons.
Though one real and one fiction, Beowulf and Alexander Hamilton both can be viewed as ‘heroes’ through their abilities to embody the values of their time, such as generosity, dedication, and bravery. Anglo-Saxon values varied widely, but Beowulf very clearly demonstrated generosity throughout the epic. He willingly goes to the Land of the Danes to fight the monster that plagued them, a very brave and generous action. When facing the potential for death before fighting Grendel’s mother, Beowulf asked that, “If the combat kills me, take care/of my young company; my comrade
The first quality they share is courage. The two heroes demonstrate their courage in a different way. Beowulf is a hero with a lot of courage because he fights without weapons. He does not believe in using weapons to kill people. Beowulf is described as: “Dripped with his enemies blood”.
In the epic Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is depicted as a heroic figure who fights monsters and defends the weak. During its time, Beowulf would be considered a great hero, however in today 's standards Beowulf would only be considered a great warrior. That’s because a hero should value the lives of the people and not seek to be rewarded. Instead, Beowulf committed heroic acts for his own selfish reasons and never shows to values the lives of the people. From fighting Grendel to slaying the dragon, Beowulf only fought because he value the fame and fortune that comes along with those accomplishments.
For as long as writing has been a form of conveying thoughts, authors have tried to convince their readers that their story is realistic. Writers try to implant this emotion because having the story more believable makes it more intriguing. The term for a sense of realism is verisimilitude, the appearance of being true or real. Some of the many authors that incorporate verisimilitude are Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, renowned gothic fiction writers from the 19th century. Although each author writes different stories, their ways of using verisimilitude are similar.
In today’s society, anybody can be considered a hero. A hero is a selfless person who is admired for their courageous achievements. A mother, celebrity, or even a mailman can be a hero to someone. In Beowulf, the epic poem translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is recognized as a hero who craves too much glory. In today’s world, Beowulf is viewed as an irrelevant hero since he displays poor qualities of arrogance and selfishness.
He did carry the ways of a Anglo-Saxon which were honesty, kindness,loyalty, and honor. But all of that was soon covered up with his prideful thinking. Beowulf came to the aid of the king Hrothgar and his people willingly, knowing he could solve the king’s problem. Beowulf succeed in killing the monster getting fame , glory, and riches. Although Beowulf brought along his mighty warriors he persisted that they stay and watch him defeat the monster named “Grendel’’ all alone.
Beowulf risked his life multiple times by battling Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save the people of Denmark. He also embarks on a battle with a dragon as an old man ascending on the Geats Throne. Each battle Beowulf fought has all been for the safety of his people. Although the Knight did not battle as a deed for his people, he also is viewed as a humble person his battles were for a purpose greater than himself. The knight never talks about his brave and valorous deeds.
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.
