Beowulf And Achilles Research Paper

Heroes are a rare and amazing phenomenon. Two heroes that stand out in literature are Beowulf and Achilles. Beowulf is a Herot who is a selfless, even tempered, fate fighting warriors who saves his kingdom numerous times from threats, such as monsters and enemies. Achilles is a Greek, selfish warriors in Greece but has a hot temper and is often unforgiving. Achilles wants to help take the kingdom of Troy, but doesn’t agree with the war.

Beowulf and Achilles are both heroes with similar traits, such as both cunning in battle and they are both looking to seek revenge on a certain nemesis. Beowulf shows his dominance in battle by killing the dreadful monster, Grendel by ripping its arm off. He also then eliminates Grendel’s mother; while Achilles kills his arch nemesis, Hector, by stabbing him directly in the neck. Beowulf wants revenge on Grendel for killing the innocent Danes of his kingdom, while Achilles shows his trait for revenge by killing Hector, the man who killed Achilles’s cousin. An example of this trait is stated by Achilles “Now my soul would have he stand and fight, whether I kill you or am killed. So

Differences are their traits and their personalities, especially in life or death situations. They differ in war and with the people participating in it. During a battle with Grendel, Beowulf is to sacrifice his men so he can continue on his own to kill the enemy. “Waiting to see his swift hard claws. Grendel snatched at the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins and bolted him down, hands and feet; death and Grendel’s great teeth came together, snapping life shut.” (Beowulf, 51). Unlike Beowulf, Achilles doesn’t like to lose men for war. He claims he doesn’t like war and it doesn’t want to put his men before him. The trait about feelings of soldiers is completely different between both of these