Iliad Vs Beowulf

The epic poem The Iliad and the poem Beowulf both present the idea of revenge and its effect on an individual’s moral values. Both Achilles and Beowulf go on a journey of seeking revenge, which lets the readers see further into their characteristics before and after seeking revenge. Homer illustrates Achilles as a renowned warrior who goes on to kill Hector to avenge his friend, Patroclus, becoming infamous for his villainous acts. Similarly, Beowulf, also goes on a journey, voluntarily, to save fellow citizens from horrible monsters using brutal measures. Therefore, the desire for revenge causes a character to forget their sense of morality in both The Iliad and Beowulf.

Both poems use various characters to present the idea of aggressive and

violent behavior present in an individual when seeking revenge. In The Iliad Homer shows the effect of revenge on an individual’s morals by showing Achilles’ unforgiving side. Achilles portrays this behavior when, Hector has begged him to spare his life, but he says, “‘Beg no more, you fawning dog—begging me by my parents! Would to god my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw—such agonies you have caused me! […] The dogs and birds will rend you—blood and bone!’” (Iliad 22.407-410, 417). Homer uses diction, repetition, and tone to emphasize the unremorseful attitude Achilles have. In the phrases, “you fawning dog”, “hack your flesh” and “eat you raw”, Homer uses diction, more specifically negative connotations to point out the merciless behavior Achilles is presenting towards Hector. The phrase “fawning dog” shows how Achilles is degrading Hector’s standards as a warrior and as an individual by calling him an animal who portrays very obsequious behavior. Additionally, Achilles is displaying very vicious and hostile behavior when he wishes to “hack [Hector’s] flesh” and “eat [Hector] raw” because these words show a very animalistic behavior that is present in Achilles, which can be the cause of revenge taking over an individual. The repetition of the word “you” emphasizes Achilles’ unjustified accusations towards Hector. This highlights the idea of Achilles’ angry and unforgiving tone towards Hector. Consequently, Achilles’ sense of decency is forgotten by him because even though Hector has already lowered his standards, begging Achilles to refrain him from killing him yet because of Achilles’ focus on vengeance, he is unable to show justice and pity towards Hector showing his inability to refrain from excessive cruelness because of his goal to achieve revenge. On the other hand, in Beowulf, the author uses not only humans but also non-existing creatures to point out the idea of brutality that is introduced in a character. This idea is revealed through the dragon, who starts to create havoc, upon realizing that an individual has stolen one of his belongings, a goblet. For example, in Beowulf, the narrator describes the destruction the dragon is causing to Beowulf’s kingdom, “The dragon belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glow that scared everyone, for the vile sky-winger would leave nothing alive in his wake” (Beowulf 2312-2315). The author uses diction and kennings to highlight the idea of belligerence depicted in the dragon. The author’s usage of the phrase “belch out flames”, shows the presence of diction and it shows as to how destructive and evil the dragon is, spewing out fire that “burn bright homesteads” causing everyone to fear him and his malicious tactics. The author also uses a kenning, more specifically a hyphenated kenning, “vile sky-winger”, which describes the dragon as being a character who is horrible and extremely unpleasant, destroying everything by being merciless just like Achilles and this provides a very spiteful and malevolent characterization of the dragon. Lastly, this shows as to how an individual can forget their sense of morality because the dragon has been at peace for more than 50 years and finally anger and revenge replaces his mind when someone steals his goblet, similarly, Achilles was known to be a very powerful and respectful warrior but he lost all his honor and decency when he treats Hector savagely and letting the idea of revenge be his driving force.
Another approach the authors of both poems take to show the effect of revenge on a person’s morals is by describing the lack of consideration they develop towards others while seeking revenge.

For instance, in the battle between Sarpedon and Patroclus, the two warriors are so ignorant of their surrounding because they are focused too much on killing each other, that they kill an innocent horse standing by, “But Sarpedon hurled next with a flashing lance and missed his man but he hit the horse Bold Dancer, stabbing his right shoulder and down the stallion went, screaming his life out, shrieking down in the dust as his breath winged away” (Iliad 16.553-557). Homer uses imagery, diction and symbolism to emphasize the careless mistake Sarpedon had done to an innocent bystander. The words “hurled”, “hit”, and “stabbing” causes the reader to picture as to how the spear hit the horse and the words “screaming” and “shrieking” lets the reader hear the extreme pain that the horse is in after getting attacked by a spear. The dark connotations in the phrases “screaming his life out”, “shrieking down in the dust” and “his breath winged away” portrays the horse’s helpless and suffering situation causing the reader to pity him. Homer used the horse to symbolize as to how when people’s attention is in achieving revenge, they tend to ignore the harm they can cause to the innocent people around them. The author of Beowulf also presents the idea of lack of sympathy in Beowulf’s decision to kill Grendel’s mother, “So the Shieldings’ hero, hard-pressed and enraged, took a firm hold of the hilt and swung the blade in an arc, a resolute blow that bit deep into her neck-bone and severed it entirely” (Iliad 1563-1567). The author uses diction to highlight the idea of hostility in Beowulf. In the words, “hard-pressed” and “enraged” show the extreme anger and hatred that is built up inside of Beowulf causing him to take harsh actions towards Grendel’s mother. The phrases, “resolute blow”,

“bit deep” and “severed it entirely” shows how brutal and pitiless Beowulf is of Grendel’s mother and his inability to comprehend the justified motive of Grendel’s mother: to avenge her kinsman, Grendel. The only motive that drove Grendel’s mother to attack Heorot was to avenge her son, Grendel, which appears more justified than Beowulf’s motive in punishing a grieving mother without considering the pain and agony present in her. This shows as to how a warrior’s sense of sympathy towards an individual disappears when it comes to getting revenge and fulfilling their satisfaction.
An individual’s forgotten sense of morality is the result when that individual’s main intention is to seek revenge. This is present in both The Iliad and in Beowulf using various characters to show the brutal measures the characters take and the loss of justice and kindness they present towards others. The authors’ intentions of using various characters to show this idea, lets the reader see the different aspects of the effects revenge has on morality.