For an example, when Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu dies he is left broken hearted and thinks, “If my grief is violent enough perhaps he will come back to life” (Mitchell, 445). Furthermore, He begins to think the fear of death sends him on his quest for everlasting life, “This fear of death that restlessly drives me onward” (Mitchell, 451”). Gilgamesh has this great fear of death and begins to believe it can be overcome. This quote begins to develop the idea through Gilgamesh’s journey that maybe death can be overcome that there
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the main character initially demonstrates qualities of being a tragic hero, but by conclusion of the play his deceitfulness and his overwhelming gullibility lead him to be portrayed as a criminal. Macbeth has serious issues with power, greed, and even his own self- esteem and self- conscious. He knows when he kills Duncan and Banquo that it is the wrong thing to do but he still does it anyways. He also becomes obsessed with idea of power and becomes more power hungry as each day passes. He has become an unstoppable killing machine who believes he is invincible once the three witches reveal their prophecies and their apparitions to Macbeth.
Like in every man’s life, his life included plenty of trials and troubles such as the death of his friend which pushed him to seek for immortality. This made him to be opposed to himself and that is why he went to look for Uta-napishti. “I’m afraid of death, so I wander the wild, to find Uta-Napishti, son of Ubar-Tutu” (tablet 9, 5). Moreover, this experience changed Gilgamesh’s view of the human condition. It helped him become a better person because it taught him what is to be a man which means that every man is called to die one day or another.
With all of this going on, Victor receives a letter from Clerval saying that he would like him to join him on his expedition. Victor accepts his proposal, and plans on using that time to escape from all of his problems, as he exclaimed “The letter in a degree recalled me to life (Page117).” Victor associates nature with forgetting about anything and everything. Although on the other hand he says, “If I returned, it was to be sacrificed, or to see those whom I most loved die under the grasp of a daemon whom I myself created.” Victor realizes the fatalities of bringing to life a creature that he, himself, is afraid of. Although, it’s too late to start realizing this
Truth be told, I feel the whole battle is symbolic for his overall battle with morality. It was a Beowulf that was never shown before in the text, a completely human figure. Something more was lying in this battle; Beowulf showed anxiety before the battle and was “sensing his death.” (165, line 2419), showing his human-like sense of fear. Beowulf was being challenged by something larger than he ever had before and was aware of his chances of falling. He was at a point where his challenge was not the actual battle but recognizing that it was the end, “; what was is no more.” (167, line 2458); Beowulf was faced with human challenges as to challenges of a warrior which makes me feel like the whole battle was a battle within himself.
After fifty years pass Beowulf still feels the passion to help those in trouble from terrible monsters. He then vows to kill an angry dragon. “I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins” (lines 675-677), meaning Beowulf is unwilling to flee from harms way for the betterment of his people letting fate decide whether it is his time or not to die. With his last dying breaths he is only thinking of his people, “For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank Our Father in Heaven…I sold my life for this treasure, and I sold it well. Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help them” (lines 802-809).
“Because I am afraid of death I will go as best I can to find Utnapishtim”. (16) With this we understand that Gilgamesh is terrorized and at the same time intrigued with the ways of life. There is a plant that grows, Gilgamesh understands that this certain plant has the power to make your life eternal, “it has a prickle like a thorn, like a rose; it will wound your hands, but if you succeed in taking it, then your hands will hold that which restores his lost youth to a man”. (22) Gilgamesh became aware there is no way of avoiding death, because immortality is unachievable. Even though he found out the hard way he understands the way of life.
I know I couldn’t but I guess that’s where bravery kicks in for this well-known hero name Beowulf. Beowulf is very wise and i stick with my statement because he thinks before he talk or do anything. Like with Grendel, the whole entire land of the kings’ men was trying their hardest to kill him. But Beowulf stayed up all and analyzed Grendel as he killed one the men. He prepared for every fight thoroughly.
As the deaths continued and the monster’s vengeance inclined, Victor became increasingly enthralled in his problems and seemingly ignored others’. He could have killed the creature after he found that he killed William and Justine.. Instead, Victor san and reduced to face his problems face to face, he escaped. To call Victor a “hero” would be ignorant. He did create life, however he never took flu responsibility, always took the easy way out and was the force that created the suffering of the novel.
The characteristics of superhuman strength and courage are seen throughout the story of Beowulf and define why he is an epic hero. Beowulf gets these characteristics because the people want to show that only Beowulf could be the only one to defeat Grendel because everyone else who tried failed and got killed. Beowulf is an epic hero because he performs brave deeds. We can see this in the scene after he fights Grendel. Even though that is all that he planned on doing he stayed and went to go find Grendel’s mother and kill her since she was in distraught of her only son dying, and she took Hrothgar’s friend.