Beowulf And Gilgamesh Research Paper

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Beowulf is an epic Anglo-Saxon poem of the eighth century. In this poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats sets on a journey to defeat a monster known as Grendal and becomes the king of the Geats. Later, he fights a dragon until his last breath and defeats it. After his death, he is buried in a tumulus in Geatland. Epic of Gilgamesh is another epic poem written in Mesopotamia which is about the hero Gilgamesh, who is half human and half God. In this poem, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find the secret of an eternal life. He completes every challenges and defeats all enemies to reach to his destination. Beowulf and Gilgamesh are both great heroes of their times and and although they posses great heroic characteristics, they also differ in certain…show more content…
He has a great physical strength and he does not fear death. He is wise and kind to the people who seek for his help. He will do anything for his people no matter how hard and impossible the consequences might be. Beowulf has never lost a battle before because of his amazing strength and courage. He goes to the kingdom of Danes to fight a monster named Grendal and defeats it making the kingdom once again filled with joy and happiness. Later, Beowulf also kills Grendal's mother with a giant sword that can only be lifted by a strong man like Beowulf. This physical strength was one of the traits of his heroism. Another heroic trait Beowulf possessed was to put the safety and happiness of his people before him. He went on a long journey to help the people of Danes without fearing for his own life. He wasn't sure if he could defeat the monster, yet he traveled that far to face the challenge hoping to prove his heroism. Fifty years later, a dragon terrorizes his people. Beowulf was old and weak but he still went to fight the dragon on his own to protect his people. Without caring for his life, he fought the dragon and defeats it but at the cost of his own life. Even in his death, he prayed for the safety of his people. The most heroic traits Beowulf had was that he wasn't afraid to die. Every time he went on a battle, he requested that all his belongings shall…show more content…
Gilgamesh was a king himself so he had his own rules. However, Beowulf followed a strict code of ethics as an Anglo-Saxon. Also, the idea of Gods in these two poems is different. Gilgamesh basically fights against Gods and win them. Gods used to send evils like Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgamesh but he defeats them all. Beowulf however praise God and relies on God to help to win his battles. We can also say that both of these heroes tend to get obsessed with things easily. Sometimes, they get greedy and inconsiderate. When Gilgamesh was on his final quest, he doesn't realize the plant's value and the plant is eaten by a snake. He couldn't stay awake all those days and fails the test. Yet he insist on getting the eternal life. Similarly, when Beowulf hears about the dragon, he wants to bring all that treasure home and goes on to fight the dragon without even thinking for a bit. Upon his death, he wants him to be buried by the sea so people will remember him. Both of them have their motivations to fight but in different ways. Beowulf only fought for fame and glory. He wanted to accumulate as much wealth as he could and also be remembered as a brave warrior. We can see this from one of the quotes in the book which says "Save us/ once more, and again twisted gold/ Heaped up ancient treasure, will reward you for the battle you win". Gilgamesh not only fought for fame and glory but he wanted to set an example for the

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