Achilles Vs Beowulf Essay

A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Beowulf is someone that has a strong will and mind. He believes that he can not be defeated and has the confidence that says so. He is an incredible fighter not letting anyone intimidate him no matter what their strength might be. Beowulf has a strength that some others did not.

This proves that Odysseus is very selfish in his seemingly heroic ways. As Odysseus exhibits selfishness during his journey, he also has remained loyal and committed to his wife and children. He reveals more true heroic traits than not. He also shows loyalty to his soldiers by keeping them alive throughout his devastatingly long adventure. He loves his wife and children and also provides for and cares for the men who help him fight.

Heroes, are everywhere. They are an aspect of our lives, culture and mind. This often leads us to ask what exactly a hero is. A hero is someone who has courage to do the things that they may not want to, they have the strength to pull through what they want or need to, and they are kind and compassionate to the end. That is what a true hero is, and that's what they will remain throughout time no matter how the challenges change.

What qualities should an individual have to be considered a hero? Some may say that a hero is an exceptional warrior whereas other may argue that a hero is an individual who uses clever tricks and pure wit to defeat his enemies. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, there are many heroes who display qualities such as bravery, loyalty, and courage that make them a heroic individual. However, it can be said that there is no character who is more of a hero than Odysseus is for numerous reasons. Odysseus has displayed outstanding achievements, persistence, wisdom, and all other characteristics mentioned above which make him the ultimate hero in the poem.

All three heroes put others above themselves at some time in their lives. Beowulf, Arcite, and Sir Gawain all made many noble or heroic choices throughout their tales. They chose to fight, were willing to die, and put others before themselves. Sir Gawain was the most heroic because, although he didn’t die he learned a valuable lesson and was willing to sacrifice the most in order to do the right thing. This matters because the most heroic thing isn’t always the bravest thing, and being willing to sacrifice even for the little things can be more important than any act of bravery.

“Life doesn't cost him a thought” (Heaney 1536). This quote shows bravery because he is brave and confident in himself that he will fight to the fullest when he battles monsters it's like he's not scared of death and real quick to risk his life to save or help others. “Yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army” ( 2345-2346). This quote shows bravery because it shows he’s too proud to fight with an army he rather fight one on one and that shows that he is brave and not afraid. “I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2535-2537).

These heroes are similar because they both embark on a quest to defend their kingdom against an enemy. Both heroes prove themselves noble in nature, honoring their commitments to their kings. Both possess great strength, both keep their vows, battle on behalf of another, and have a sense of justice. The same could be said about our more modern heroes - firefighters, for example. However, there are also differences between the Beowulf and Sir Gawain.

Not only does the noble hero express self-sacrifice for his people at this instant, but he also contradicts this act by having prideful means in his decision to fight the dragon. Beowulf is merely reassuring his audience with gallant, proper pride that he is absolutely qualified for the task at

Beowulf, an Epic Example The story Beowulf is an epic, It features many different examples that prove that it is an epic. Beowulf himself is an epic hero, He supports the values of the people who wrote the story, he is courageous,smart and considered the best warrior in the world, nearly undefeatable. This story has examples on an epic story such as: superhuman feats, supernatural beings, catalogs, and kennings. this story also features a universal theme (good vs evil),and weather Beowulf succeeds or not will affect the fate of the kingdom. Beowulf is superhumanly strong and defeats Grendel with his bare hands, Grendel and his mother are supernatural or mythical beings,Beowulf (the good ) must defeat Grendel and his mother ( the evil).

So because of this you can see why respect and loyalty as so closely linked. Because Aeneas does lead from the front, because he is out in the fight, because he does take personal risks in order to protect his men there is a strong since of loyalty between him and the men that accompany him to Italy. We can see this when Aeneas continues to fight through the hardships he faces on his journey. Not only is he fighting because of his loyalty to his men, he is also fighting because he is loyal to his father and the Gods. Again this is an attribute that most successful leaders throughout history have mastered.