Essay Comparing Gilgamesh And Beowulf

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. It makes many characters over confident which makes them forget that they able to be harmed and take on a quest that is too much for them to accomplish. Beowulf displays this when he is talking about battling Grendel and says “My lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to” (Beowulf 248-250). This is displaying that Beowulf is prideful because he thinks that if he uses a sword to fight Grendel he is weak. This is ignorant and prideful because Grendel is a monster capable of killing thirty men at once and Beowulf considers himself just as strong (36-39). Another way that Beowulf shows that he is prideful is after he defeats Grendel

An example of them fighting differently is when Beowulf kills Grendel with no armor or weapon. When Gilgamesh battles Humbaba he uses an axe to end his life. While Beowulf uses brute strength, Gilgamesh takes a more cautious approach. I do think that both men are brave for fighting such horrible monsters. When killing the monsters Beowulf and Gilgamesh have two very different reasons. Beowulf killed Grendel to protect others from his wrath and save future lives. Gilgamesh killed Humbaba for no other reason than showing that he could. I feel that Gilgamesh is more of a monster than Humbaba because Humbaba only killed to protect a sacred forest. Gilgamesh killed him just because he was capable. This factor makes Beowulf and Gilgamesh two very different people in my opinion. I think that both are great warriors, but Beowulf is not as corrupt as