Achilles And Beowulf Comparison Essay

Both Beowulf and The Iliad tell stories of great heroes and their tales. As presented in his own tale, the Geatish hero of Beowulf is presented as a large and prideful man who fears nothing and no one. Within him rest the beast who carries the most brawn and courage to lead his men. To demonstrate his prideful nature, Beowulf challenges Grendel without armor or weaponry as a means to fight as equals. This shows how Beowulf truly honors his pride in battle. The Greek hero of The Iliad, Achilles, gives off his own heroic traits that are unique to his character. His cunning attitude and passion as a warrior are the traits he uses while in battle. He also despises being shamed and takes dishonor to heart. He gives off no respect for his enemies and only sees them as obstacles towards getting to his goals. Before his battle with Hector, a request was made to not defile the bodies of the defeated man. Achilles relentlessly refuses and desires nothing else but to get revenge for his lost friend. This shows that once Achilles feels he or his men have been violated of their honor, he’ll stop at nothing to ferociously reach the top again.
A trait that compares both Beowulf and
Beowulf is a fiercely individual and shows this multiple times throughout the poem. But he channels that anger to benefit him through his battles. He doesn’t let his rage get the best of him and does it with ease. This is shown see this when he challenges Grendel; after seeing dozens of his men be massacred by the best, Grendel takes on him with a calm but determined attitude. Achilles, however, does not harness his anger as well. When he is startled or thrown off guard, he loses balance. He is sensitive and lets his rage dictate his actions. After the death of his best friend, he searches for the one responsible to take out his anger. He doesn’t show any remorse or respect for those who stand in his