Verified Document

Beowulf And Achilles As Hero-Figures Term Paper

This is perhaps a significant difference between the two characters. While on one hand, Beowulf is undisputedly the leader of his kingdom, Achilles is an unofficial leader, unrecognized in function, but perceived so on the battlefield.

Achilles is also more human in reactions and the relations he ties with the other individuals than Beowulf. There is no mention of any close companion in Beowulf and the reader doesn't perceive that Beowulf has any friends. Part of Achilles' legend, on the other hand, is based on the legendary friendship with Patroclus. The relationship with his friend humanizes Achilles even more, along with the suffering he feels as Patroclus dies in battle.

The heroes' death is also significant in crayoning the two characters. Since we have already discuss the fact that Beowulf seems to transpose the human realm and become a mythological figure himself, it seems natural that his death cannot come from a simple mortal. He is, indeed, killed by a dragon, during his last fight, when he is stabbed by one of the dragon's horns. He does, however, manage to kill the dragon and thus complete the final mythological...

From this point, he seems ready to join the mythological realm of afterlife, despite the simple burial as a human being.
On the other hand, Achilles dies by mortal hand, being slain by the arrow shot by Paris. There are a couple of worthy mentions to be made here. First of all, despite the fact that Apollo guides the arrow towards Achilles' heel, essentially, it is Paris who shoots the arrow and who is credited for killing Achilles. Second, Paris lives on to fight again and Achilles' death is only revenged by Philoctetes. Finally, Achilles dies as he has lived, as a simple mortal and there is no mythological perspective that might induce the idea that he will live in myth.

The discussion sustains the idea that while both Achilles and Beowulf are heroes, Beowulf fights and lives on a superior level than Achilles. Beowulf's figure approaches more and more, throughout the poem, through his battles and his image, the idea of a mythological figure. On the other hand, Achilles, despite the charisma he has with the troops and the way he does battle, remains to the end an ordinary human being. Even in death, he is killed by a mortal, while it takes another mythological being, a dragon, to actually kill Beowulf.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Beowulf As a Hero Lesson
Words: 8817 Length: 19 Document Type: Journal

Your answer should be at least five sentences long. The Legend of Arthur Lesson 1 Journal Entry # 9 of 16 Journal Exercise 1.7A: Honor and Loyalty 1. Consider how Arthur's actions and personality agree with or challenge your definition of honor. Write a few sentences comparing your definition (from Journal 1.6A) with Arthur's actions and personality. 2. Write a brief paragraph explaining the importance or unimportance of loyalty in being honorable. Lesson 1 Journal

Beowulf As a Hero Lesson
Words: 2900 Length: 10 Document Type: Journal

Those with issues to overcome are always more heroic. Hector also becomes a hero when, after at first running from Achilles, he eventually stands up to him and dies a heroic death. The Iliad is primarily a war epic. In your opinion, is the Iliad condemnation of the it could easily be argued that the Illiad glorifies war, as much of the poem is spent portraying the warriors as brave

Hero As a Model of
Words: 782 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Revenge, too, is prominent in all of these works: Beowulf must destroy the monster our of revenge for the havoc on the Kingdom; the Greeks must avenge the kidnapping of Helen and the slights against their lands; the Knight, the Miller and the Wife of Bath all must seek revenge for perceived wrongs. Poems like Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, and the Iliad and Odyssey, especially as oral tradition, frame the journey

Hero The Definition of "Hero"
Words: 2709 Length: 10 Document Type: Journal

Madam Eglantyne the Nun, is also an ironic charater. She eats in a very refined manner and attempts other fine characteristics such as speaking French, although she fares poorly at this. Ironically, not all her language is pure, as she swears cosntantly by "St. Loy," a saint renowned for not swearing. Unlike the general conception of the Nun, she is very concerned with outward appearances and did not much care

Epic Hero and Beowulf
Words: 1233 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Epic heroes are drawn from ancient mythology and similar long narratives and epic poems. The term is variously used to refer to any celebrated figure in ancient legends. The heroes belong to a princely stature that is usually born to royalty, gods and special circumstances. These heroes are usually set apart from the ordinary people that lived then. They accomplish extra ordinary things and exceed the abilities of normal humans.

Heroism in Literature the Word
Words: 2114 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

The Tale of the Heike The Tale of the Heike focuses on heroic qualities as depicted by the Japanese culture of the 12th and 13th centuries. It is deeply ingrained in the Buddhist tradition, with its central morality focusing on the foolishness of an attachment to material things. Pride and arrogance are undesirable qualities that inevitably lead to a fall. These qualities are embodied in the anti-hero, the arrogant Taira no

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now