Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Gilgamesh

Madison Bowdish

Mrs. Buckhold

CP English 11

5 November 2014

Beowulf and Gilgamesh: Brothers From Another Mother

One two thirds god the other human, both great warriors and kings. Could their skills and greatness possibly be comparable? Beowulf, a protagonist in the epic poem Beowulf, battles various creatures and acquires many victories all while being human. The Epic of Gilgamesh, another epic poem, has a lead character named Gilgamesh who is two thirds god and has great battles and triumph also. Both epic poems have similarities in character traits, plot, and theme, despite Beowulf being written in the tenth century A.D. and The Epic of Gilgamesh in 2000 B.C..

The great geat-warrior Beowulf and the glorious god Gilgamesh are both dedicated and loyal beings. Gilgamesh has a friend named Enkidu who he fights his battles with, but when his

companion suddenly falls ill and perishes he becomes overwhelmed with grief. To display his mourning Gilgamesh tore the hair from his head and the clothes and jewels from his body. After this he decided to build a grand monument in honor of his comrade. Finding no solace, the god adventures out to find Utnapishtim to see if he can turn him completely immortal. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh, “Stop chasing sorrow. Death takes all.” Displeased with the answer he received, Gilgamesh demands another solution. Utnapishtim then gives the god a test in attempt to earn his immortality. He ultimately fails and has to accept that everyone dies. Gilgamesh’s actions demonstrate how loyal and dedicated he is not only towards his friends Enkidu’s death, but in finding the answers he wants. Likewise, Beowulf is a loyal and determined warrior. The great warrior’s help is summoned by a king named Hrothgar to rid the Herot hall of a beast named Grendel. When the future king removes Grendel's arm, he does not leave the monster at that. He then follows and slays him. Beowulf still does not leave, then killing the fiends mother when she comes seeking retribution. The geat makes it obvious that he has no intention of leaving until Hrothgar is no longer in need of his services, thus proving his loyalty and dedication. Gilgamesh and Beowulf both display great loyalty and dedication.
In the poems both of the characters won their crusades impressive ways. Beowulf, with his bare hands, fought with Grendel and tore the beasts arm off, all while only being human. Another great win for the geat was when he decapitated Grendels mother using the sword hammered by giants. Gilgamesh equally had some memorable brawls. Like the great warrior, the god beheaded a couple people, the more notable person Humbaba whom he tag teamed with Enkidu. He also teamed up with his comrade to kill the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu grasped the bull’s tail while Gilgamesh slit its throat. Both protagonists had memorable battles.
Glory and fame are vital values to Gilgamesh and Beowulf.

After the god befriends Enkidu he bluntly claims, “I need to increase my fame. I will obtain wood from the distant cedar forest and slay its guardian Humbaba.” When his new found companion is unsure of his idea Gilgamesh states, “ Has your strength left you, Enkidu? Even lions were once afraid of you. No man can live forever. If I die in this battle, at least my children will be able to say that I fought Humbaba.” Gilgamesh openly stated his opinion on how he feels about the importance of honor and reputation. Beowulf has corresponding thoughts on the topics as well. After the attack of Grendel’s Mother on the Herot hall, Beowulf assembled the men and declared, “Let your sorrow end! It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not to mourn them forever. Each of us will come to the end of this life on earth; he who can earn it should fight for the glory of his name; fame after death is the noblest of goals.” The brave warrior expressed the necessity for a man to leave the world with reputation and honor. To Gilgamesh and Beowulf, fame and glory are

quintessential.
A major theme in the epic poems of Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh was revenge. Beowulf exhibits this theme in the section Grendel’s Mother. The deceased beast’s mother came to Herot to avenge his death, ultimately killing King Hrothgar’s right hand man. In response to the attack, Beowulf set out to even the score. As a result, the lady monster lost the head on her shoulders. The poem displays many vindictive characters. In The Epic of Gilgamesh the goddess Ishtar sought revenge against Gilgamesh for being impervious and rejecting her. To punish the arrogant god she sent the Bull of Heaven down to earth to trample him. Her plan failed. GIlgamesh and Enkidu worked together and defeated the Bull of Heaven. The Epic of Gilgamesh and Beowulf have a common theme of revenge.
The themes, character traits, and plots of Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh are similar. Both warriors are dedicated and loyal. Also, the kings conquered their adversaries in memorable ways, as well as having identical values and alike themes. The epic poems are important for people to read so they can see the similarities between the two, even though they were written at different times.