Beowulf and Gilgamesh Comparison

A detailed Summary of Beowulf and Gilgamesh Comparison


All authors, who actually produce well written stories and novels, tend to have one thing in common: the way that they describe and characterize each character. The diction and tone that they incorporate into the work assists in producing characters with extreme qualities, both good and bad. Two such characters are known as Beowulf and Gilgamesh. These two beings possess similar qualities but are expressed by the author in extremely different tones and word diction. Gilgamesh has a slightly negative tone while Beowulf contains a vibrant tone. The two characters possess two characteristics that are quite similar: strength and confidence.

While strength usually concerns muscular shape and build, in the novel Gilgamesh, it is not used in that particular way. This strength concerns the power in a kingdom. Gilgamesh is king of Uruk, a section of ancient Babylonia. He "was a tyrant to his people" and "demanded the privilege of sleeping with their brides". At times he could be even crueler that that by "pushing his people half to death with work


". This type of strength derives from his reign. The author used words such as 'demanding' and 'pushing' to bring on a negative, basically condescending tone. Although Gilgamesh portrayed strength in a powerful way, Beowulf used it in the literal sense of the word. Beowulf is a very strong and noble character. He is a member of the Geat tribe and is described by the poet as "greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world". A Danish soldier, a character in the story, has "never seen...Out of all the men on earth, one greater than has come with you". Beowulf's appearance--his size, his armor-obviously commands immediate respect and attention. The poet utilizes 'greater' and 'stronger' to produce a positive, vibrant tone, which in turn fills the reader with a high regard for Beowulf. Although Beowulf and Gilgamesh each obtain the quality of being strong, the author of each novel portrayed it in different ways.

Authors of all novels use tone and diction to describe characters and their actions. Gilgamesh and Beowulf were both extremely strong and confident, yet they

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Approximate Word count = 733
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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