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

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”,