Beowulf And Gilgamesh Essay - 1975 Words

Comparative English Essay Compare the Beowulf poets presentation of the battles with Grendel and his mother with the Gilgamesh poets depiction of Gilgamesh battles with Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven. Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior by being courageous, respectful and prudent, a protector and servant to their king (only in the beginning of Beowulf, as he later becomes king and Gilgamesh already is) and their country. In both poems the fights of the main†¦show more content†¦This was the place the guardian demon guardedÂ… (p. 25, line 12 ff.). Even though the forest is dangerous, still and full of shadows, it is inversely also described as beautiful and full of confusion and noise: There was the noise of swords, daggers and axes, confusions of noises in the Cedar forest. This is how nature is: wild, dangerous, unpredictable but also beautiful. And this is also how Huwawas home and therefore also himse lf is described. This image of Huwawa being representative for nature is straightened by Shamashs interfering to help Gilgamesh fighting Huwawa, Seven terrors are Huwawas garments. The aura of Huwawa is the terrors. Helpless is the one who enters the Cedar Forest wears the seven.(p.25, line 6ff.), by raising up thirteen storms to beat against the face of the aura of the demon Huwawa, beating their tempest feet off the earth wide open, splitting the mountains, (Â…) Gilgamesh was able to get at him (p.27, line 14ff.). As Huwawa then realizes that he is overwhelmed, he offers himself as a servant for Uruk, but Enkidu, who himself is a child of the wilderness, but now got civilized by Gilgamesh, insists on killing Huwawa. On the one side this is strange as Enkidu is also wild, like Huwawa, but Enkidu entered the social life of a civilized nation and adapted its standards. Huwawa is wild and cant protect a cultured nation; therefore he must die to let civilization win. The wood of the Cedar Forest that is used for new city gates also showsShow MoreRelatedBeowulf and Gilgamesh2014 Words   |  9 PagesEnglish Essay Compare the Beowulf poets presentation of the battles with Grendel and his mother with the Gilgamesh poets depiction of Gilgamesh battles with Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven. Fame and glory have been the most admirable characteristics in the middle Ages and even before Christ in the ancient civilizations. The epics of Gilgamesh and Beowulf are stories of heroism and immortality gained through fame. The aim of the main characters, Beowulf and Gilgamesh, is to be a good warrior byRead MoreBeowulf vs. Gilgamesh1212 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf Vs. Gilgamesh The two cultures I chose to compare heroic values for are the ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Anglo-Saxon cultures. The texts I used in the comparison are Gilgamesh for Mesopotamia and Beowulf for Anglo-Saxon. Although they posses many similar heroic characteristics they also differ greatly. Beowulf is the earliest surviving epic poem written in a modern European language. It was written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem describes the adventuresRead MoreBeowulf And The Epic Of Gilgamesh1667 Words   |  7 Pagesknown epic poems of their time were Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh embody traits known exclusively of a hero. 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