In Matt’s Beowulf blog (http://lwithforce.blogspot.com/2011/10/beowulf.html) he made the point that Beowulf and Gilgamesh similar. I like the points he made about how they both earned the title of king, and how they both “pursued” challenges. I also agree that Beowulf maybe considered a “better” person than Gilgamesh. I think this is the case because although both Gilgamesh and Beowulf seemed to be pursuing challenges, they seemed to be for different reasons.
Gilgamesh seemed to be pursuing his challenges on more of a self-fulfillment basis, while Beowulf’s pursuits seemed to benefit others more than himself. Even though Beowulf did gain fame and fortune through these quests, I don’t believe he set out with those goals in mind. In the cases of Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, he is simply rescuing the peoples of his country, or even neighboring countries, from these beasts that are plaguing their lands. And that’s why I agree that Beowulf is a “better” person, character, hero, than Gilgamesh.
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