Similarities Between Beowulf And Achilles

All men naturally seek heroes We intuitively sense our incompleteness, which results in an innate anxiety.  

A hero is someone that is able to lead this people into battle or just to safety. He has bravery, courage, and charisma as characteristics that everyone likes. He is able to not just think about himself but for other people also. Beowulf and Achilles are these types of heroes, who teach the reader their shared values and lessons in their action they portray in each of their epic poems. However, each hero has is own values he follows, thus creating a hero who is celebrated for what they represent to the society. 

Beowulf is the king of geats, where he fights monsters for a living, he is called to defeat Grendel, a horrific monster who terrifies Herrot.  Beowulf was born with hell-forged hands giving him strength and with that strength he

slays monsters. He arrives at Herrot where the town has been terrorized by Grendel. Beowulf and his men act as if they are sleeping, then attack Grendel when he strikes the pub. Beowulf is able to kill the creature and then journeys to Grendel's home where he slays his mother. After 50 years of peace a dragon begins striking havoc in Beowulf's kingdom. Again he is tasked with defeating the monster, but this time shall be his last, for he killed the monster but was injured just enough for him to die.  In similar fashion, Achilles is the hero from the Iliad, where the Greeks fight the Trojans over Helen the most beautiful women in the world. Achilles holds back from fighting the Trojans because king Agamemnon took his girl away from him. As revenge he sits out part of the war. It is not until his cousin puts on Achilles uniform and goes out into battle. Hector sees this Achilles impersonator and strikes him down thinking it was the noble Achilles. Achilles becomes inflamed with rage and challenges hector to a dual where Achilles is victorious and kills hector. Even though each hero was from a different story they both showed hero traits throughout their poems and were victorious. 
Achilles and Beowulf are two different heroes that share many similar values.

One value they share is the fact that they are both courageous. They are willing to lead from the front and not just give orders. They respect their men and their men follow them. For example, Achilles takes the fight to Hector after patroculus dies, not knowing who the better warrior is. No one would dare take on Hector as he was the champion of troy. Achilles, without thinking finds Hector and challenges him to a duel Similarly, to Beowulf when he takes on Grendel without sword or shield, his men still follow him into battle and he takes on a monster with bare hell-forged hands. Another similarity these heroes share is that they will fight for glory. Achilles leaves for Troy with only one thing on his mind and that is to have his named remembered throughout history. He is willing to die to be remembered as a hero. In a similar way, Beowulf sets out to the land of the Danes for glory since there is no monster Beowulf cannot slay. These two heroes are very similar to one another, even though they are in two different stories with different

values.  
Achilles and Beowulf have many similarities, but they also have many  differences between the two of them. Achilles, for instance, was a selfish man at times throughout the poem. At the beginning he would not fight for king Agamemnon, for he took away a women that Achilles wanted to make friends with. Since Achilles did not fight at the beginning it was a blood bath for the Greeks losing many men Unlike Beowulf who is more of a selfless man, because he travels to a foreign land to help a small kingdom with a terrible problem. Another difference is how Achilles is built on rage and vengeance. When protuclous dies the only thing that is on his mind is to kill hector and to avenge his body. On the other hand Beowulf keeps his demeanor throughout his story. Beowulf is able to think with a open mind instead of rage and revenge, this is how he is able to kill Grendel and Grendel's mother. Both heroes have differences between them, but only one can be the better hero.  
The better hero between the both of them is  

Each hero has many similar and different values that sets them apart in their society, which is why they are celebrated and loved in their stories. Both heroes fight for glory and are courageous in battle. Achilles is a selfish man, whereas, Beowulf is more a selfless man in the stories. Beowulf keeps his demeanor throughout his battles, opposed to Achilles, who is filled with anger in the end. Everyone has the ability to be a hero in their own way, they just have to dig deep and figure out a way to channel it in to something worth doing.