Compare And Contrast Beowulf And The Iliad

Heroes bring a hope to people whom they protect. Heroes bring people joy and bring a sense of relaxation to the people of their society because they play such an important role in lives everywhere. Heroes are complex rather than unembellished because they can fight dragons to defend their kingdom, or create a non-profit foundation to enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged kids. Heroes in our present day can be very complex because a person’s viewpoint on a hero’s life can be a completely different than the way another person looks at that same hero. Thomas Davis Sr. can be extremely comparable to Beowulf but they also have major differences.

Even though the hero’s in these stories are very interesting their tales would not be as rewarding if they did not have to face many adversities on the way. Some of the monsters in these stories like Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon from Beowulf, while the Odyssey has many monsters but some if the main ones are Cyclops, the suitors, and Poseidon. The culture in Beowulf was more about believing in a higher power and related monsters like Grendel and the dragon to religious meanings while the Odyssey is about looking inward because they are all things in your daily life. Even though there are similarities in the monsters in these stories are different in the way they are perceived.

Spirituality is a prominent theme in both books. More specifically, the dichotomy between good and evil is one of the main themes in Beowulf, while existentialism and nihilism are the main beliefs in Grendel.

These epic poems have different functions for their respective monsters. In Beowulf, the monsters Beowulf, the main protagonist, fights are his way of becoming an epic hero. Defeating Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are the main ways that Beowulf becomes a hero. These monsters are his ultimate goal. The monster’s defeat in this epic mean much more to the main protagonist because they are how he achieves his glory and fame. When Beowulf defeated the monsters he was heavily praised. For example, “Then away they rode, the old retainers with many a young man following after, a troop on horseback, in high spirits on their bay steeds. Beowulf's doings were praised over and over again.” (Beowulf, line 852-856.) On the other hand, Polyphemus, Scylla, and the sirens in The Odyssey are obstacles to Odysseus’ main goal. Odysseus must fight his monsters in order to get back home and win back his kingdom. The monsters from this epic are simply steps the main protagonist must take to get to his ultimate goal and become an epic hero. These monster’s defeat do not mean nearly as much to Odysseus. When Odysseus defeated each one, no one celebrated him the way they did for Beowulf. For example, “-men around me trying to check me, calm me, left and right: So headstrong-why? Why rile the beast again?” (The Odyssey, line 548-550) His men did not

The epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh are about a pair of heroes who had many common characteristics as well as characteristics that contradict one another. Beowulf is a Christian epic that roots from the Anglo Saxon culture. Throughout the plot, there are numerous biblical allusions. “Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God,” (from Beowulf part one, translated by Burton Raffel pg. 21, lines 17-21) Gilgamesh is a story from the Mesopotamian culture, which is now present day Iraq. As Beowulf, Gilgamesh also has

     There are many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and the heroes of the two Icelandic sagas, The Saga of The Volsungs and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. The former saga is an Icelandic saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun was fighting on the northern fringes of the Roman Empire; the latter is an Icelandic saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written.

There are many factors to consider in comparing the two poems of the Old English society – Beowulf and The Wanderer. While they have many similarities; they have, within their structure and plot, many differences we can easily find or eventually make out.

The second comparison is how they both get rewarded for what they have achieved. After Beowulf defeats the monster, he receives a ton of treasure and gives back to the people. If that was me, there is no way I am giving that back after I defeated three monsters. The soldiers get rewards such as a signing bonus, money for college, and better job opportunities. It’s almost as if they have a win-win situation. Don’t get me wrong though, these guys deserve more than anyone. You couldn’t pay me enough money to join though, I’ve see too many videos of the war to convince me otherwise, and there is no way in hell I would ever consider fighting a monster.

The first example of the similarities and differences between the poem and the movie is the representation of religion. For example, both the movie and the poem of Beowulf included Christianity and Paganism. However, in the movie it was more about the Pagan religion, trying to make Christianity look bad. As an example, in one scenes of the movie, Beowulf says the Christianity killed the time of all heros. On the other hand, in the Beowulf poem, Beowulf is compared to the gods of Christianity. For example, in the passage The Battle With Grendel the scop describes “... Now he discovered- once the afflictor of

King Arthur and Beowulf are both heroes in their stories which causes them to have many similarities in their traits but, they have differences in their traits as well. Arthur and Beowulf are both courageous leaders. They fight fearlessly for themselves and their people in battle. A difference between Arthur and Beowulf is their ability to depend on others. Arthur depends on others many times in The Once and Future King while Beowulf depends only on himself in Beowulf. Despite the differences, Beowulf and Arthur still have many things in common such as their wisdom. Both men are wise and make incisive decisions in battle and in leading. Their wisdom on the battlefield is a heroic trait that both men possess. Another heroic trait that they share is their courageousness.

Finally, Grendel the novel and Beowulf the epic poem are so similar yet so different. The stories both have different point of views and have different moods, but tell the same story. Also, the theme of nature vs. nurture is a common theme throughout the novel Grendel while good vs. evil is the theme of the epic poem Beowulf. Grendel’s

These two characters made incredible actions that influenced that their names were remember for a long time; Beowulf looks like any other warrior, he followed the code of a great warrior and also the code of the heroes, things that just a few people used to do but Beowulf had and special kind to be he was arrogant because he know the strong that he had and he did crazy things that always at the final those actions looks very intelligent for example when he fought with grandal, he decided to fight without armor because he wanted a right fight without to have advantage everybody thought that he was crazy but at the final they saw that it was very intelligent because grendel was immune to weapons so he only could be affected by normal hits like punch or kicks that was what Beowulf did. Achilles had a unique kind to be it was similar to the kind to be of Beowulf but it was not equal; Achilles was arrogant too but the difference between Beowulf and Achilles was that Achilles was more arrogant and he never did things that will not benefit to him in something.

Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior by being courageous, respectful and prudent, a protector and servant to their king (only in the beginning of Beowulf, as he later becomes king and Gilgamesh already is) and their country. In both poems the fights of the main

The first way in which both characters are similar is in the fact that they both travel from great distances to take part in a battle against some evil. In the medieval Germanic epic, Beowulf leaves his people the Geats of Scandinavia to help Hrothgar, the king of the Danish people, to kill Grendel, a monster who attacks the king's hall and devours the king's men. Beowulf slays Grendel but then must challenge Grendel's mother in order to restore Hrothgar's kingdom to safety. Likewise, Achilles joins the other Greeks and travels to Troy to do battle against Paris, Hector and the other Trojans for having abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus. Achilles performs many heroic deeds on the battleground and adds renown to his name among the Greeks.

Beowulf and The Iliad are both famous works of literature that have been studied for hundreds of years. Both Beowulf and Achilles are great heroes in their Epics. An important component of these Heroic Epics are their heroes and their how the act. Beowulf always exhibits the traits that would make him an epic hero, and would never do anything dishonorable or that wasn not for the benefit of everyone around him, while Achilles had moments that made him look dishonorable and not heroic. Overall, Beowulf is the better hero because he never gave up and fought for God, while Achilles refused to fight and disrespected Greek traditions such as respecting fallen foes.