Roland And Beowulf Comparison

The use of an epic hero in english literature been displayed throughout many cultures and time periods. The epic heroes in Beowulf, Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Song of Roland can be analyzed and compared throughout the ages as well as shown contrastly depending on the culture. In this paper the writer will compare and contrast the characteristics of each of the epic heroes, determine their influence on the culture in which they lived, and detail why these characters are considered archetypal.

The epic hero’s within Beowulf, Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The song of Roland can be compared and contrasted to showcase the similarities and differences between each hero. In the epic Beowulf, the epic hero, Beowulf, displays

qualities of loyalty, courage, and he is boastful. The reader can observe his qualities of loyalty when he says to Wiglaf “To the everlasting Lord of All, to the King of Glory, I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been thus allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die. Know that I have bartered my last breath to own this fortune, it is up to you to look after their needs. I can old hout no longer” (Beers 37). This quote epitomizes loyalty because Beowulf is staying devoted to the people of Herot and asking Wiglaf to look after the people's needs. In addition, Beowulf shows courage when he says ”This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (Beers, 34). This statement that Beowulf makes displays mass amounts of courage because he is wanting to fight the dragon on his own to save the people of Herot. Furthermore, Beowulf is boastful when he declares “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make food my boast as I did against Grendel in days gone by.” (Beers, 33). In saying this, Beowulf is bragging about the fact he defeated Grendel without a weapon and he is confident that he can also defeat the dragon in this manner. Similar to Beowulf, in the epic Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is a strong, brave, and ambitious hero. His strength is presented when the epic states “And then he raised his ax up higher and swung it in a perfect arc into Humbaba’s neck” (Beers, 53). Given that Humbaba was a giant monster, superhuman strength was needed to defeat Humbaba and Gilgamesh did just that. Furthermore, he shows ambition when he says “I will defeat him in his cedar forest, the youth of Uruk need this fight. They have grown soft and restless” (Beers, 48). In saying this, Gilgamesh is showing he is determined to defeat the giant while also showing he wants to inspire the youth of Uruk. Gilgamesh shows bravery when the epic states “Suddenly it was Gilgamesh who was afraid, Enkidu who reminded him to be fearless. The watchman sounded his warning to Humbaba. The two friends moved slowly toward the forest gate.” (Beers, 49). In this quote, Gilgamesh is fearful for a second but moves past his anxiety and continues on his journey because he knows it is what is for the best. Comparable to Gilgamesh, In the epic The Iliad, Achilles is a proud, headstrong, and confident epic hero. He is headstrong when he says “don’t talk to me of pacts. There are no binding oaths between men and lions- wolves and lambs can enjoy no meeting of the minds- the are all bent on hating each other to the death. So with you and me. No love between us.” (Beers, 61). Achilles is being headstrong when he says this because he is firm in the belief he and Hector will not be friends. Contrastly, he shows he has courage when he says to Hector “Come, call up whatever courage you can muster. Life or death- now prove yourself a spearman, a daring man of war! No more escape for you- Athena will kill you with my spear in just a moment.” (Beers, 61). When he says this, he is stating that Hector cannot run away from him and will fight him until Hector dies. Achilles shows confidence when he states this quote as well because he tells Hector that he will be killed. Achilles shows he is proud when he says to Hector “Left behind there, down by the beaked ships his great avenger waited, a greater man by far- that man was I, and I smashed your strength!” (Beers, 63). This quote goes to show how proud and boastful Achilles is because he exclaims these words while Hector is dying because of Achilles’s attack. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is easily observable as an epic hero displaying qualities of courage, intelligence, and sensitivity. Odysseus shows intelligence when he says to his friends “Dear friends, surely we are not unlearned in evils.

This is no greater evil now than it was when the Cyclops had us cooped in his hollow cave by force and violence, but even there, by my courage and counsel and my intelligence, we escaped away. I think that all this will be remembered some day too. Then do as I say, let us all be won over.” (12.208-213). He is showing his intelligence in this quote because he convinces his friends not to give up because they have already escaped and they will be remembered for this in the future. In another quote, Odysseus’s courage is shown “Then I shoved the beam underneath a deep bed of cinders, waiting for it to heat, and I spoke to all my companions in words of courage, so none should be in a panic, and back out.” (9.375-377)This shows his courage because even though his friends want to give up he is persuading them to keep on going. Odysseus’s sensitivity is revealed when the epic states “So the famous singer sang his tale, but Odysseus melted, and from under his eyes the tears ran down, drenching his cheeks...Such were the pitiful tears Odysseus shed from under his brows, but they went unnoticed by all the others” (8.521-532). This epic simile

really showcases the depth of Odysseus’s emotions which make him an even stronger epic hero because he cares about his people so deeply.

Simalar to the epic hero Odysseus, in The Song of Roland, the epic hero Roland has virtues of strength, charisma, and well-spokenness. Roland’s ability of being well-spoken is shown when he says “Wage war the way you set out to do: lead the army you have summoned to Saragossa, lay siege to the city, put all your heart into it, and avenge those the villain had killed!” (14.210-13). He is being well-spoken here because he is convincing the army to go out and do what it set out to do, avenge those the villain killed. Roland’s charisma is shown when he says “Ganelon, come forward and receive the staff

and the gauntlet. You have heard it, the Franks have nominated you.” (24.319-21). This statement Roland makes is very kind towards Ganelon, and he is very charismatic about it. Finally, Roland shows his strength when he says “We must make a stand here for our king: one must suffer hardships for one's lord and endure great heat and great cold, one must also lose hide and hair” (79.1009-12, 1015-16). This quote shows Roland’s strength because he is stating they must fight through any obstacle to come out on top.
In contrast, Epic hero's influence culture in many different variations. In Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, to be a hero was to be a warrior. A hero had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous. Similarly, warriors had to be willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for their glory and people. The epics Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and The Iliad all display elements of Anglo-Saxon culture. Beowulf is shown as an epic hero of Anglo-Saxon time when the narrator in Beowulf states “Together Beowulf and the young Wiglaf kill the dragon, but the old kind is fatally wounded. Beowulf, thinking of his people, asks to see the monster’s treasure” (Beers, 37). This quote displays Beowulf’s loyalty to his people, which was a vital characteristic of an epic hero during Anglo-Saxon time. Similar to Beowulf, Achilles is shown as an Anglo-Saxon epic hero when he says “Know come, you sons of Achaea, raise a song a triumph! Down to the ships we march and bear this corpse on high- we have won ourselves great glory. We have brought magnificent Hector down, that man the Trojans glorified in their city like a god!” (Beers, 66). This statement made by Achilles shows he took Hector down for his people in order to save their town. In comparison, Gilgamesh is displayed as an epic hero during the Anglo-Saxon time when the epic clarifies, “Gilgamesh in horror saw him strike the back of Enkidu and beat him to the ground until he thought his friend was crushed to death. He stood in horror saw him strike the back of Enkidu and beat him to the ground until he thought his friend was crushed to death...And then he raised his ax up higher and swung it in a perfect arc into Humbaba’s neck.” (Beers, 52-53). This quote shows Gilgamesh as an epic hero because he slays Humbaba in order to save his friend as well as to inspire the youth of Uruk. Odysseus is seen as an obvious Bronze-Age hero when the epic states “But when Alkinoös of the hallowed strength had heard this, he took by the hand the wise and much-devising Odysseus, and raised him up from the fireside, and set him in a shining chair, displacing for this powerful Laodamas, his son, who had been sitting next him and who was the one he loved most. A maidservant brought water for him and poured it from a splendid and golden pitcher, holding it above a silver basin for him to wash, and she pulled a polished table before him. A grave housekeeper brought in the bread and served it to him, adding many good things to it, generous with her provisions. Then long-suffering great Odysseus ate and drank.” (7.167-177) This shows how epic heroes during the Bronze-Age were treated like gods and people wanted to serve the epic hero for all of his/her hard work. Roland is seen as an epic hero of the French culture when the epic states, “Lead the army you have summoned to Saragossa, lay siege to the city, put all your heart into it, and avenge those the villain had killed!" (14.211-13). This shows the common belief during this time that people should get what they deserve. Roland wanted those the villain had killed to receive avengeance.
In addition, epic heros can be seen as archetypal. Archetypal characters are typical characters that represents universal patterns of human nature. Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and Achilles represent beliefs during the Anglo-Saxon time period, while Odysseus represents beliefs during Bronze-Age time period and Roland represents beliefs of French culture. Anglo-Saxon heroes typically fought to protect their town/friends, and were very brave in doing so, meanwhile during the Bronze-Age, heroes were typically very popular and widely recognized, people often wanted to serve the Bronze-Age heroes. In contrast, the French culture believed in war and fighting to protect what was theirs as displayed in the epic The Song of Roland.
In conclusion, characteristics of epic heroes can be compared and contrasted, their influence on the culture in which they lived can be concluded, and their archetypal qualities can be analyzed. The writer detailed each of these by including examples from epics such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Song of Roland. As shown, English literature throughout many cultures utilize epic heros in their works to represent the ideals and beliefs of society.