Beowulf Vs Gilgamesh Analysis

As a German philosopher once said, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.” Beowulf and Gilgamesh both uphold to this quote, as we see their progressive monstrous attitudes through the story. Their journey is rigorous, tiring and takes all of their natural aptitude to finish. In addition to this, the different belief systems and cultures surrounding each story prove to be similar as well as have some differences. Beowulf and Gilgamesh are both two very strong characters in their individual stories, and their characterization can seem to have some overlapping attributes. Although Beowulf and Gilgamesh would not normally be compared, when looking at their journey’s beliefs and culture and characterization,

This includes more of a polytheistic idea of many gods or goddesses. When looking at how the two stories compare in their religious sense, the two main characters ultimately want to please others, which is what most Christians strive to do. Beyond this, there are also some supernatural forces that are not totally realistic in both, and contribute to give the story a more unrealistic underlying. In Gilgamesh, there is the sun god, Shamash that he depends on, and also talk of the Underworld. They both have a fiction story line when looking at the supernatural forces incorporated in. They are both not the most religious characters, and have a lot of greed to be at the top and be highly thought of. Beowulf and Gilgamesh are pretty haughty individuals and look upon themselves, when they should be looking to a more divine individual. Beowulf and Gilgamesh both seek revenge, which is not a very appreciated aspect of religion. Gilgamesh is going to kill Humbaba with Enkidu, and Beowulf is out to kill anyone that get’s in his way. The idea of sin is also incorporated in both, as by trying to achieve these strenuous tasks, they end up sinning against whoever they worship in their religious times. When looking at the differences of the two characters under the beliefs and culture topics, it is noticed that Beowulf has more of the Christian elements, while

Beowulf and Gilgamesh are both very dominant in their ways. They try to not let anyone or anything get in their way, and aim to be their best, in order to reach their final goal. Beowulf’s final goal is to make his people proud and further his name. Gilgamesh’s final goal is to achieve immortality. From the beginning of their journey to the end, they both reign as epic heroes, and possess some traits of an epic hero. Some of these are fighting an enemy, being extremely courageous, and accepting challenges. They both certainly accepted extreme challenges that made them face their end. Beowulf got killed by the dragon, and Gilgamesh ended up falling asleep when trying to become immortal. When looking at their problem solving skills, they are seen to excel in this area, for the most part. While going through the forest, Gilgamesh has to use different skills that he posses. In addition to this, he is faced with a big challenge when Enkidu is on his deathbed, and Gilgamesh has to figure out what to do. Beowulf has to figure out how to get to Grendel’s mother’s cave, and come up with a plan to conquer the dragon. Finally, Gilgamesh and Beowulf are both immensely strong individuals who have an urge to come out on top and prove everyone wrong. When looking at their differences, some prevail as important