Literature Class of 2014
Fyffe Senior bloggers worked on Battle of the Royal Epics
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Not Just Battling Monsters
Not every epic hero necessarily has to battle a monster, as seen in the Iliad. Unlike Beowulf and Gilgamesh, the brave prince of Greece Achilles must fight a fellow warrior like himself. After learning his best friend Patroclus was killed by his rival Hector, Achilles seeks to take revenge on him. As seen in the other two epics Beowulf and Gilgamesh seek to win a battle against an evil monster. Even though all three of these heroes had to engage in battle, Achilles proved that not every epic hero has to fight a monster to earn glory.
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Good point Emily, and I agree with you. Not only does Achilles differ from the others by battling a human instead of a monster but, he also does not seek immortality like Beowulf and Gilgamesh.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, however i do think that of the three Beowulf was the greatest hero. He didn't have the satisfaction of knowing the fate of the battle before fighting. Achilles was granted this satisfaction by Athena, which I find somewhat unfair.
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