Beowulf And Iliad Essay, Research Paper
Beowulf and The Iliad Picture this. Inside the hall, mighty shields and
glittering blades await the visitants? reaching. Skillfully crafted armour
ornaments proclaim great conflicts and ferocious Hunts. The prevailing warrior
ethos and his manful power are apparent throughout. It is these strong patriarchal
images which gave birth to two heroic poems from two wholly different civilizations: The
narrative of Beowulf from Scandinavia and The Iliad from Greece. To better understand
the plant themselves and their analogues, it is best to first specify an heroic poem. In
order to be considered an heroic poem, there are certain makings and criterions
that a piece of literature must run into. These heroic poems are long verse forms that were
originally expressed orally and later were put into authorship. Both narratives tell
the narrative of brave immature heroes, ever believing that their battle, their cause,
is the true cause. In both narratives, the heroes understand the function of destiny. In
Beowulf, the hero of that name understands that the monster Grendel may stop his
life, but is non deterred. He is non cognizant of his fate, but realizes without
scruples that if Grendel does kill him, so that was his clip to decease. In Iliad,
both Hector and Achilles are keenly cognizant that their lives will stop in conflict.
Although there is an emotional battle in these characters non seen in Beowulf,
their cognition of their ain destinies does non halt them from contending. This is
what we might name courage today, but in the yesteryear it was better idea of as a
? warrior codification? . And in both narratives, it is non destine that affairs in the terminal,
but glorification. The attitude is that if decease shall come, so be it. But better to decease
combat, immortalized in glorification. The hero codification itself is based on patriarchal
injunction. In Beowulf, the first character introduced in the prologue is the
king Shield Sheafson, who bears the name of the laminitis of the Danish state,
doing him a kind of male parent to his land. The prologue of Beowulf takes on an
Old-Testament signifier of kinds, presenting the characters by their line of descent. Shield
is father to Halfdane, who is father to Hrothgar, one of the chief characters in
Beowulf. The hero himself makes his debut on the Danish shore by stating,
? We belong by birth to the Geat people and owe commitment to Lord Hygelac. In
his twenty-four hours, my male parent was a celebrated adult male, a baronial warrior-lord named Ecgtheow?
( 260-263 ) . Like Beowulf, warriors in Iliad are introduced by their line of descent. The
foremost line begins, ? Sing, goddess, the choler of Peleus? boy
Achilles? ? ( 1,1 ) . By this gap, we see how of import a male parent? s name is
in depicting the individuality of the hero. In book 3 there is an intercession by
Aphrodite. ? But Aphrodite caught up Paris/easily, since she was Godhead, and
wrapped him in a thick mist/ and set him down once more in
his ain perfumed
bedroom? ( 379-382 ) . Aphrodite? s manner of salvaging Paris? life ruins his
repute, and in the long tally she has done a greater incorrect than if she had Lashkar-e-Taiba
him dice. She has taken away Paris? opportunity to turn out himself as a warrior, and
populate up to the paternal injunction. Although Homer nowadayss these characters
which are opposing the heroic codification, these counter-voices are lone vehicles by
which the devising of the hero is solidified. However, Beowulf besides has characters
who do non stay by or unrecorded by the paternal warrior ways. Unferth, for illustration,
is a low adult male who does non sit high with the warriors, but crouches at the
king? s pess. He is a covetous Iago who does non joy at Beowulf? s
presence. ? Unferth, a boy of Ecglaf? s spoke contrary words. Beowulf? s
coming, his sea-braving, made him ill with enviousness? ( 500-502 ) . In this regard,
Unferth is every bit foolish as Aphrodite and every bit spoiled as Paris. King Hrothgar is
possibly the closest comparing to Agamemmnon. Both seem to watch as their work forces do
all the combat ( and all the deceasing ) . Although Hrothgar has done good at maintaining
his people loyal, he does non populate up to the warrior codification and is seen as
something less than heroic. Beowulf and Achilles learn to maintain their soldiers
loyal, and how to animate them in conflict. After Agamemmnon is forced to return
his trophy bride to her male parent, the priest, he takes the bride of Achilles, lest
he be without spoils to demo his illustriousness in conflict. Achilles is unwillingly
dishonored by his ain leader, therefore making a niche in his warrior repute.
Achilles, in requital, refuses to contend. Without his leading in conflict
Hector? s forces rapidly subdue the Grecian ground forces. There are both similarities and
striking differences in Beowulf and Iliad on the function of adult females. In Beowulf, the
most dramatic female character is Grendel? s female parent, a monster like her boy.
She comes out of the hills to revenge her boy? s decease, and is killed by the
hero. In Iliad, there are plentifulness of female characters. Helen, Aphrodite,
Minerva, and Juno ( Hera ) are the most often mentioned 1s. The person
adult females fought over, both Helen and the trophy-bride of Achilles. However, the
Goddesss seem to ever be flim-flaming and traveling against both ground forcess, and are more
like plagues than divinities. These illustrations of the adult female? s function in antediluvian
literature provide a nice image of how adult females were seen in the eyes of
warriors: monsters, plagues and awards. This goes back and topographic points even more
accent on where the function of the patriarch. Paternal injunction is the cause of
preparedness and bravery before decease, with which the warriors go to war.
Designation with the male parent and the male parent? s name is the consequence of the
patriarchal society, which created two chef-d’oeuvres of ancient literature,
Beowulf and the Iliad.
