The characters of Hamlet and Achilles, even though from very different time periods, encompass many of the same themes and characteristics. These two characters have many close comparisons, but upon closer inspection they differ on a grand scale. This is immanently due mainly to the time period and culture that each character was submersed in and how each character was supposed to act and to extenuate the main essence of the individual culture. Achilles was considered one of, if not, greatest warrior of the Trojan War in Homer’s Iliad. What made Achilles such an honorable hero was the fact that he fought for his own pride, not the desire to conquer the war.
In the story of the Aeneid by Virgil we see the continuation of the Iliad by Homer through the eyes of a Trojan warrior. Each of these stories focus around a particular warrior and their journey to becoming great heroes. While these two stories are similar because of this, the heroes depicted vary in many ways. The types of heroes that we see in these stories are unlike in the fact the qualities required by the hero in each story are different. The easiest difference between the heroes is that Homer's hero, Achilles, is a self-centered warrior, while Virgil's hero, Aeneas, is obedient warrior.
The poet refers to Beowulf saying, “There was no one else like him alive. / In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, / highborn and powerful” (ll.196-198). This clearly states his very special role and his importance to those who need help defending themselves. One could say that with such power it is his duty to fight these monsters and save the kingdom. Beowulf is aware of his duty, and whether he likes it or not, he is obligated to live for the sole purpose of winning battles and fighting monsters to save those who are weaker than he.
Achilles vs. Agamemnon Throughout history, humans have been fighting since the dawn of time. Whether it’s between two people, a family against another, or wars between countries that claim countless lives. With every argument, conflict, and war, the two sides are not as different as one may think. In the book The Iliad, the two main Greek characters, the warrior Achilles and the leader and king of the Greek forces, Agamemnon, fight and argue with each other all the time. Even though they think they are totally different from each other, they actually have more in common than they realize.
Although, they both were raised as warriors, they each had different personalities. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh was an abusive leader, who loved war because he loved the thought of being powerful and was selfish king that wanted to live forever. Gilgamesh’s major concern is obtaining eternal life because he realized that even though he’s powerful among his people, one day he too will fall victim to death. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, He did not pay attention to his people and was always concerned with conquering other city-states. Meanwhile, Arjuna was
Achilles and Hector as Contrasting Heroes in The Iliad Achilles and Hector are both great warriors for their armies. Achilles commands the Greek army, while Hector commands the Trojan army. Both of them have pride and glory and they want everybody to respect them. They are both heroes of their respective sides. However, even with all these similar characteristics, they actually differ more than they are alike.
Comparing Odysseus and Telemachos in Homer’s Odyssey Both Odysseus and Telemachos are tangled in several battles throughout the Odyssey. They have to overcome very similar sufferings. Though the relationship between them is father-son, but morally they are very different. In Homer’s Odyssey we see the difference of their characters. At one side the epic hero, Odysseus is the toughest man of the world.
Beowulf Versus Achilles: Who Is More Epic? “What makes one heroic?- Going out to meet at the same time one’s highest suffering and one’s highest hope.” The previous statement made by Nietzsche can strongly relate to Beowulf and the Iliad because when the heroes of those two epics went into battle they each suffered; however, they were also able to find hope at the same time. Both Beowulf and Achilles are epic heroes due to their dangerous quests for glory and their superhuman qualities. However, Beowulf is the better example of an epic hero because while he and Achilles both possess the qualities that make up an epic hero, Beowulf is able to use his abilities to not only glorify himself, but to help others as well, while Achilles does not. Both Beowulf and Achilles are epic heroes who take dangerous quests for glory; Beowulf must slay the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and eventually a dragon while Achilles must find and kill Hector, the commander of Trojan forces.
All gods also have personal weapons; Ares being a soldier is always seen using a sword. Ares is a cunning, courageous warrior capable of inspiring any of his comrades to fight to their deaths, aside from his braveness he is unseemingly cowardice at times and can be very rude and belligerent. From
In ancient Greece, a hero was described as a person who would fight hard and die hard. Many people would describe Odysseus as a selfish and cocky person who didn’t really care about his crew and what they have gone through to help him. Though in my opinion, Odysseus and his men are all heroes because they all are fighting their hardest. Odysseus starts out with his act of heroism when he is fighting on troy with all of his men. Odysseus had a plan to get in and get out.