Introduction
Epic heroes are considered to be referred to as the most important figures in history and literature, representing the best human qualities and traits, illustrating proper morals and values, and teaching the reader what it means to be a fair, honorable, and respectable person. As a rule, epic heroes symbolize numerous cultural and religious beliefs of a nation. Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Agamemnon from The Iliad, and Beowulf from the epic Beowulf may serve as the best examples of epic characters, which represent the image of a hero properly and clearly; the analysis of the epics will allow evaluating the contrast between the morals and temptation, wealth and nobility, status and desire to protect the world from the foes.
Characters’ Criticism
The analysis of epic characters is to be stated from the detailed overview of the basic concepts disclosed in the old English poem ‘Beowulf’; the Anglo-Saxon epic is considered to be the reflection of the great hero story fighting for justice and national values. The hero presentation in epic literature provides the perception of the work as the tale about battles, revenge, heroism, honor, and God. The prince Beowulf is presented as a hero fighting a Dragon and Grendel’s mother, helping the king of the Danes to get rid of the foes. The epic underlines several Anglo-Saxon elements characterizing the depth of its character illustration through the morals of that period; the concepts of wealth and honor are considered to be of great importance in Beowulf’s image disclosure.
It is necessary to stress the idea that the status is the principle identification of the characters; as it is the status that is the determination of honor in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The elements of wealth and honor in the characters’ description were not only identified through their status and richness but based on fame and accomplishments. It should be noted that the bright example of important measurement in Anglo-Saxon culture is the king of Danes, Hrothgar. One can observe from the very beginning of the work, that the importance and wealth of the character are described as the ability to lead the people to glory. The status of the Danes’ defender is one more significant characteristic of the epic character in Beowulf.
‘Our Holy Father had sent [Beowulf] as a sign of His grace, a mark of His favor, to help us defeat Grendel and end that terror’ (Liuzza, 281)
Beowulf is depicted as the messiah symbolizing the chance given to the people being saved from the evil; this image is described through the good in the character’s heart and strong desire to follow the key mission of his life. It is necessary to underline the fact that Beowulf was represented through a perfect picture of a courageous person, who wanted to gain recognition and fame using noble actions. According to Laurence Looze, 1984, the concentration on Christian elements was brightly illustrated through numerous symbolism used in the characters’ descriptions and goddesses. The symbol of corruption and evil is presented in the image of Grendel making his home in hell haunting the moors and wild marshes; strong contrast depicted in ‘Beowulf’ characters’ description, underlines the author’s purpose to show challenges in epoch values domination. The values are not only based on wealth and status but on the strong soul of the hero being able to resist evil and defeat the majority. (Fulk, 242)
‘His eyes being poor, he determined not only to see not just as well as other people but better than most’ (Liuzza, 117)
Beowulf was described as a person with a strong inner world being able to promote his morals transforming his weaknesses into strengths, being typical for Christian nature; biblical motives can be observed throughout the whole work characterizing the characters’ actions, intentions, and behavior.
The second epic to analyze is considered to be the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, which is focused on the human longing for immortality through the story of Babylonian hero depiction striving for glory and prosperity. The hero Gilgamesh helps to realize how important the issue of morality could be. His numerous quests for fame and immorality and his attitudes to friendship and devotion explain what people should appreciate most of all. (Dalley, 39) The poem is predominantly focused on the idea to show the impact of immortality on mankind’s comprehension and perception of the world. It is necessary to stress that the character of Gilgamesh is one of the most important for world literature, as it provided basic characteristics determining the hero of epic poems. According to Ludmilla Zeman, ‘Gilgamesh is the first hero of Western literature. All heroes since have borrowed his virtues: courage, loyalty, selflessness, and unwavering dedication to a goal. (Tigay, 211) The Gilgamesh epic has a strong relation to the Old Testament, drawing a line between the Bible and the ancient values; it has a rich reflection of mythological traditions and the elements of comparative religion study.
Gilgamesh is considered to be a youthful ruler and a historical character being referred to as the Uruk Dynasty; this image reflects the elements of ancient myths and legends illustrating associations with an epic period. He was the son of Ninsun, who was the wife of the god; the epic shows how this character becomes the lower world god being the embodiment of high power. As Arthur Brown stressed, ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh style of writing depicts the act where the narrator attempts to convince us that Gilgamesh was an actual king and that the story that follows is a true story (Tigay, 145) It is necessary to underline the fact that the description of the epic image appeared to be the underline of the whole epoch concepts and values to be taken into account; the poem describes the city of Uruk, allowing the readers dive into the epic world.
‘Look at it still today… Touch the threshold, it is ancient… Climb upon the wall of Uruk; walk along it, I say; regard the foundation terrace and examine the masonry…’ (Sandards, 61)
The poem is considered to be the background for literature epic understanding symbolizing the true epic hero model; it is necessary to underline the fact that the character sets the readers to find immorality which appeared to be reflected in the good accomplished by mankind in the battle for justice and harmony.
The final analysis of the epic character depiction in the literature world is dedicated to the real masterpiece called Iliad; the illustration of the central characters Achilles and Agamemnon is to be demonstrated through their conflict depicting the basic themes and values of the work. Homer managed to construct the story of Troy through proper behavior representation; he allowed the readers to refer to Greece history. The author showed the gradual transformation of Achilles from youth to maturity, underlining permanent changes and growing of the character’s personality. Agamemnon is contradicted to Achilles, who possessed superhuman power and having relation to the gods. Achilles is considered to be the reflection of the mythological image with religious elements; his thirst for glory and prosperity interacts with the concepts of revenge and arrogance portrayed by Agamemnon. According to Bruce Louden, the Iliad is the literature example of successful heroism contrast which can be demonstrated through two powerful characters leaving the print in mythology and history of the whole world. (Louden, 201)
Agamemnon is completely different from Achilles through his subtlety appreciation; Achilles is devoted to the people loving him and is completely vicious to those harming his life. It is necessary to underline the fact that Agamemnon is merely concentrated on his personality striving to manipulate the situations and people for the satisfaction of his own needs. The epic depicts the character as a distrustful personality showing the power of controlling himself and other people. Achilles and Agamemnon are the methods of symbolizing key features and values dominating in the ancient period; the work managed to underline the fact that emotions and feelings were the identifications of weakness and threat to be manipulated, embodied in Achilles.
The fight between good and evil, the contrast of white and black are considered to be the symbols of Achilles and Agamemnon’s representation; it should be noted that the author strived to depict the global conflict between the individual and the society based on the characters’ features reflection. The themes of strife, anger, reconciliation, and alienation are the motives of underlining relations between the characters under consideration. Homer demonstrated the process of Achilles’ gradual personality development showing the features transformations and challenges of his nature. It is necessary to underline the idea that the poem centralized the concept of honor being of special value for the heroes of the epic time. By J. Smith, ‘Honor for Greeks, and specifically heroes existed on different levels’ (Louden, 111). The scholar strives to explain the fact that honor could have the meaning of nobility, battle accomplishment, or excellence pursuit. The image of Achilles’ character was characterized by every ‘concept of honor’.
The analysis of the three epics demonstrated the idea that the concept of the hero was centralized from the period of ancient literature development, embodying the principle elements of mythology and values of mankind; the work under analysis demonstrated the most considerable religious and cultural beliefs, as well as best human qualities and traits, illustrating proper morals and values, through the greatest epic characters of the literature world.
Conclusion
It is necessary to stress that the analysis of these works appeared to be a unique chance to plunge into history and take one of the most significant lessons in this life – to believe in the power of the past and its close connection to the present and future. Our history is too important to any person; the history that is presented in literary works is not only educative but also easy to read and analyze. This is why such works like the Epic of Gilgamesh,The Iliad, and Beowulf and their major characters are a good start for creating an image of a real hero. These four epic heroes created a splendid picture of how an image of a hero should look like. Abilities to prove own points of view, to appreciate friendship and external help, to comprehend the outcomes of own actions, and to distinguish moral and immoral principles – these are the main traits, the heroes under consideration presented.
References
Bazelmans, Jos. By Weapons Made Worthy: Lords, Retainers, and Their Relationship in Beowulf. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 1999. Print.
Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Fulk, R. Interpretations of Beowulf: a critical anthology. Indiana University Press, 1991.
Homer. The Iliad. Augustus Taber Murray. 1963.
Louden, B. The Iliad: structure, myth, and meaning. JHU Press, 2006.
Liuzza, R. Beowulf: a new verse translation. Broadview Press, 2000.
Sandards, N. The epic of Gilgamesh. Penguin Classics, 1972.
Tigay, J. The evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2002.