The Greeks and Assyrians both had heroes that exemplified their cultural values- Oedipus and Gilgamesh. Both undertook journeys leading to immortality; however, the form of their immortality differed vastly. The Assyrians and Greeks both believed that one could only live on after maturing into an ideal citizen, usually after suffering; however, the Assyrians believed one lived on because of his contributions to his city, while the Greeks believed one lived on through his city. In both cases, physical immortality is shown to be less desirable than a legacy given to those who upheld cultural values. The Assyrian belief that immortality is gained by helping others is illustrated in Gilgamesh, who was immortalized for being a great king. However, …show more content…
In Oedipus at Colonus, everyone seeks to gain Oedipus’s hero cult and the subsequent blessing for their city. Although this would not help them live forever, they did not care since it would help their cities live on. Since the cities are put first, those who helped them are immortalized through them; however, suffering was often required before an individual learned to put the city first. For instance, Oedipus does not put the good of the city first when Teiresias tells him he is the killer of Laius. Rather than save the city then, he stays because he believes “ I must be ruler.” (101). Only after suffering through the tragedies in the latter half of the play, does he learn to put the city’s needs above his desire to rule. This high valuation of group goals over personal desires, led to the Greeks desiring immortality for the city rather than the individual. Although Oedipus does eventually gains a form of immortality, it is only by helping Athens with his hero cult. Even then, the immortality he gains is much different than Gilgamesh’s personal immortality. Although the kings of Athens would remember him, no one else would even know where he was buried. Like the Greeks Oedipus did not seek to gain immortality for himself, but for his
Gilgamesh and Odysseus are two heroes from two different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the gods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about death and friendship.
'No two men are alike in the way they act, the way they think, or the way they look. However, every man has a little something from the other. Although Oedipus and Gilgamesh are entirely different people, they are still very similar. Each one, in their own way, is exceptionally brave, heroically tragic, and both encompass diverse strengths and weaknesses. One is strictly a victim of fate and the other is entirely responsible for his own plight.
The first criterion of a Greek tragedy is that the protagonist be a good person; doubly blessed with a good heart and noble intention. Sophocles reveals immediately at the start of the play that Oedipus is such a man. As is common in the Greek tragedy Oedipus is also an aristocrat. Born of the King and Queen of Thebes he is of true nobility. Oedipus on the other-hand believes his parents are the King and Queen of Corinth. Oedipus was abandoned as a baby and adopted by them. Because that information is known to the audience, and not to Oedipus prior to the start of the play, it is a perfect example of tragic irony because when he declares that he will find the murderer he is the man that he pursues. Here he is told by Tiresias,” I say you are the murderer you hunt” (1235). The theme of Oedipus the King is not clear-cut. The theme in this tragic play seems to be you can‘t escape your fate. Contentment leads to ignorance as Oedipus lends fate a hand in his bitter end. This trait is touched-on in these lines spoken by Creon. “Look at you, sullen in yielding, brutal in your rage- you’ll go too far. It’s perfect justice: natures like yours are hardest on themselves”(Sophocles 1242-1243). Oedipus is a true hero in the Greek tragedy. He has the fate of the community in his hands along with the noble character to take care of it himself. He announces his convictions to take this problem into his own hands and do whatever is necessary to lift the curse. Oedipus addresses the priests assembled before him, “ You can trust me; I am ready to help, I’ll do anything (Sophocles 1225). The city has this faith in him and the priest come to tell him so he will help them lift the curse. “Now we pray to you. You cannot equal the gods, your children know that...But we do rate you first of men,”(1226). He also appears to have Apollo’s ear, which makes him seem all-powerful to the audience; this is another standard of the classic Greek tragedy. Oedipus told his people, ”After painful search I found one cure: I acted at once.
Ancient quests have been told in many generations for over centuries. Each adventure brings strenuous challenges that the character faces in order to achieve their objective. These certain quests have been characterized as archetypes. Joseph Campbell, a literary philosopher, managed to study different types of archetypes ; Campbell revealed myths tend to have the same patterns or stages that are constantly repeated. Any type of archetypal myth has three stages that the character undergoes: birth/separation/departure, initiation, and the return (A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces). Birth/separation/departure consists of five elements that the character undergoes
Destiny & Character - Discuss in relation to the stories of Gilamesh. Oedipus the King, and The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam. Destiny can be defined as a predetermined course of events that is beyond human power or control. It is considered a force which creates, shapes, guides, rewards, and afflicts human life.
Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh The search for immortality has been a major concern for many men and women all throughout history. True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many. To spend time with a special someone, the person one feels closest to, and never have to say good-bye would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh explores the possibility of immortality following the saddening death of his friend and brother, Enkidu.
The stories of the hunt for immortality gathered in the Epic of Gilgamesh depict the conflict felt in ancient Sumer. As urbanization swept Mesopotamia, the social status shifted from a nomadic hunting society to that of a static agricultural gathering society. In the midst of this ancient "renaissance", man found his relationship with the sacred uncertain and precarious. The Epic portrays the strife created between ontological nostalgia for a simpler time and the dawn of civilization breaking in the Near East. In this Epic, Gilgamesh is seen trying to achieve immortality through the methods of both the old and the new. His journeys through the sacred and the profane in many ways characterize the confusion arising from the unstable social climate. Therefore, the society, by writing the story of Gilgamesh, guarantees not only his immortality, but the immortality of the new order being established.
The theme of death being inevitable leads to another theme, similar to the first. This is that immortality is unachievable, shown through similar examples as the first theme. Gilgamesh realizes that immortality is not obtainable after his quest for it. He discovers that the quest was pointless, because he will die regardless of the steps to prevent his death in the future. "'Never has a mortal man done that, Gilgamesh'" (Tablet IX, Column III, 8). "'The fate of mankind overtook him... In fear of death I roam the wilderness...Me, shall I not lie down like him, never again to move?'" (Tablet X, Column II, 3, 8, 13-14). "'From the beginning, there is no permanence'" (Tablet X, Column VI, 32).
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that deals with various sub conflicts that are known to create a lasting impression on how we view the characters and their status in the general schemes. Sub conflicts like Immortality vs mortality, betrayal, death, violence and sorrow, gives us a grand perspective of how negative and pessimistic the general schemes and plot of the Epic truly is. Today I will be arguing that The Epic of Gilgamesh takes a pessimistic view on mortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh is conflicted with the death of his best friend Enkidu, in fear of death; he goes to Utanapishtim who is an immortal that is also human. Utanapishtim tells Gilgamesh about the cure and where to find it; Gilgamesh finds the cure but sets it
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
Through the many of mankind’s tales of adventure the search for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the objective of their travels and adventures. This is no different in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. The heroes in both are tempted by the offer of immortality, however each of them turns it down for their own reasons.
The characters Oedipus and Gilgamesh are very similar in that they both are fearful of their fates. After the death of his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh is distraught with worry, asking, "shall I too not lie down like him./And never get up forever and ever?"("The Epic of Gilgamesh" 76). The prospect of laying forever in a grave is not appealing to Gilgamesh. He dreads it so much that he tries to prevent his inevitable fate from happening. Seeing his friend die and rot away has scared Gilgamesh beyond belief. He cannot bear to think of himself being lost forever, not remembered by anyone. Likewise, Oedipus is afraid to fulfill his prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, making him a sinner not fit to rule his kingdom. He knows that if he commits this horri...
In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall.
Oedipus was a very proud man. I believe that his pride was his biggest character flaw and because of his pride, the conclusion of the play was tragic. He feels that he has to take responsibility for his actions even though he had no control over them. He doesn't want to live anymore because he married his mother and killed his father and so the oracle had come true. "Lost! Ah lost! At last it's blazing clear. Light of my days, go dark. I want to gaze no more. My birth all sprung revealed from those it never should, myself entwined with those I never could. And I the killer of those I never would." (Oedipus page 67).
Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.