Beowulf and Achilles
Beowulf is a story about a man named Beowulf who desired fame and fortune in life. The Iliad had a character named Achilles who is similar to Beowulf because he also desired glory. But they are two completely different stories written at different times and different places by different people. Both stories have unique qualities such as dragons in one and multi-gods in the other and that is what makes fictitious stories like these classics. Since achieving fame is a goal of these two characters, and since these are great works of literature, people can relate to wanting to be famous in life. So this essay is about Beowulf and Achilles and what they went through to be famous and also what they went through to keep their fame.
The Iliad, written by Homer, is about a few weeks of a ten-year war between the Trojans and the Acheans. Achilles is one of the main characters of The Iliad and he is a great man. All he wants is blood. His friend Patroclus was killed and he fights to avenge his friend and earn glory in the process. He would not have achieved glory if his friend hadn’t died though because Achilles knew that when he fought he would die. His friend’s death is what led Achilles to the fame and glory he received even though he couldn’t really enjoy it since Achilles died in the war.
Achilles’ key to fame was not only in killing hordes of Trojans but also killing one of their beloved icons – Hector. “...Brilliant Achilles drove his spear and the point went stabbing clean through the tender neck...” He killed Hector as revenge for Hector killing Patroclus. Hector was the first Trojan icon to go down in The Iliad although the next ones went down later on in the war, perhaps not in The...
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...pt one) fled his side, he bravely fought the dragon. He did not survive the battle against the dragon, however, but Beowulf did manage to slay him. And death in battle also attributes to the glory he earned and will leave him to be a very famous man throughout history (in the story. The man might have really existed).
Sad to say though that both characters Achilles and Beowulf died in the end; however, we are all going to die someday and both of them died when it was important – in battle earning honor. Many of us in the real world will not get that kind of death and that is why people like to read and listen to these kinds of stories, so they can fantasize about being heroes and warriors in their own minds.
Bibliography:
The Norton Anthology, World Masterpieces, Vol 1. Beowulf: BEOWULF, translated by Burton Raffel. Copyright 1963 by Burton Raffel.
Beowulf fights till his last day living. That helps him achieve the cherry on top for his display of being an epic hero. He dies using all three characteristics of an epic hero: strength, bravery, and faithfulness. Till his dying day, he showed strength in his effort to kill the
Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.
Beowulf is the epic hero in the epic poem Beowulf, which chronicles Beowulf adventures fighting monsters and helping people. Similarly, Achilles is the epic hero of The Iliad which was written 1000 years before Beowulf and details the last year of the Trojan war. Achilles and Beowulf although both epic heros share the fatal flaw of being hubris meaning they possess excessive pride and self-confidence. Beowulf is shown to be hubris in his final battle against a dragon which has been terrorizing his kingdom after a thief stole a cup from the dragon. When Beowulf goes to fight this dragon he manages to kill it but is fatally wounded in the process, his dying wish is to have all of the dragons treasures brought to him so people can see his accomplishments. This shows that he cares more about fame, fortune, and his own pride then the people he is supposed to be protecting. In the case of Achilles his hubris is much more pronounced.
Demonstrating the qualities of a hero are always represented in different ways. Furthermore, Achilles is someone who fights only for what he thinks is right. With that mindset that, he shouldn’t have to fight for someone else, based on what they want for themselves. Unwillingly, he thinks of what is right for his people, and what should and should not be done. Having these traits allows people that he is fighting for and against, wishing to be like him. Qualities that people look for in a hero, is what Achilles exerts. On the other hand, Beowulf's qualities as a hero, differ from Achilles. Beowulf, is fighting the battle for his own honor. Nevertheless, he is fighting the battle to prove to the people of Heorot that he will do what is asked of him. Bravery is being showcased by going by himself to go kill Grendel and his mother. Beowulf, doesn’t want the help of others in killing the monster, because that will not give him the honor he wants to receive.
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
Who was this man named, Achilles, and why is he as known as he is? Achilles was a great man with a lot of Personalities. Achilles was introduced as the epitome of destructive might, in his, tent he realized his true force was more that martial dominance over another (Champagne 65). Achilles was a warrior and because of that, people wonder who he is. Achilles is one of the heroic Greek gods because of his help and saving of the Trojan War.
Hanning, Robert W. “Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Prudentius to Medieval Drama. Ed. William H. Jackson. New York: Scribner’s, 1983. Vol. 1 of European Writers. George Stade, ed. in chief. 14 vols. 60-62.
Literary heroes have been important to stories and poems throughout history. Each author develops his hero through a unique writing style, combining conscious use of detail, diction, tone and other narrative techniques to outline a hero's personality. Homer, in his epic poem The Iliad, develops two classic heroes who are distinctly different at first glance, but upon closer inspection are very similar in terms of their basic characteristics. Hector and Achilles both are courageous soldiers, relatively honorable men, and respected leaders, but they also both have human failings that eventually lead to tragedy. In Homer's lyrical verses and in his use of detail, diction, meter and imagery, he paints his own portrait of a classic hero through the brave deeds as well as the human flaws of Hector and Achilles that eventually lead to the downfall of proud and powerful Hector.
While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical hero displays a special quality that separates him from the rest of
The Greeks also had their share of icons and heroes. They admired Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, and Perseus, the killer of Medusa, but their finest heroes come from Homer’s Iliad: Hector and Achilles. Hector was the best warrior in Troy and the son of Priam, the king of Troy. Achilles was the great warrior of the Greek army and killed Hector. The Greek citizens, siding with their own nationality, declared the Greek warrior Achilles the hero of the Trojan War, but since ancient Greece no longer exists an unbiased view of the Ilia...
Throughout history, humanity has always been fascinated with the idea of a hero. Examples include wild west rangers capturing bandits, superheroes defeating villains, and parents saving their children from nightmares. Today, common people who accomplish a great feat are often elevated to the status of a hero. They are worshiped and praised beyond the point most mortal human being experience. The Iliad is the archetype for this theme. It tells stories of Achilles, the Greek hero from the 7-8th century BCE and his heroism in the Trojan War. These stories caught particular interest from the Greek society and have dramatically influenced cultures and societies in art, music, and literature for thousands of years. The Iliad is the stigma for the
The epic poem of Beowulf is a story filled with majesty and mourning. Heroes and villains, struggles and victory. Men die, all the time. Along with all of this there is an underlying theme ever present throughout the script. It is the basis for actions, the reason for such passion behind a man's own bloody sword, the lust in his hungry eyes for revenge and conquers. In this time where the afterlife is uncertain, and familiarity is only known to a name, true heroism is the only assurance of identity and remembrance.
Because he embodied Greek ideals, was ‘immortalized’ through his actions and glorious death, and was courageous, Achilles was an epic hero. Honor was of the utmost importance to both him and the entire Greek society, he chose to die a hero in battle, and he avenged the death of Patroclus even through mourning; Achilles is the true hero of the Iliad.
The Iliad is not a story about the Trojan War at all, the war is just to set the stage for Homer to bring together the swift footed Achilles and Hector, the Prince of Troy, so they can be compared. The Iliad starts with how Achilles is dishonored by Agamemnon and withdraws from the war and ends with his return to the fight and eventually falling at the end. Hector is brought into the story and displays through his character what a real hero should be like.