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Comparison contrast essay examples
Comparison contrast essay examples
Comparison and contrast essays examples college
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The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the modern-day film Hercules are tales about heroes and their search for immortality. The heroes of these stories, Hercules and Gilgamesh, share similar character traits regarding their strength, stature, and origins. Both heroes are depicted as attempting to fulfill their respective destinies and achieve immortality. The heroes in Epic of Gilgamesh and Hercules have similar character traits. Both Hercules and Gilgamesh are part God and part human. Gilgamesh is the son of the Goddess Ninsun and the deified King Lugalbanda; this means that Gilgamesh is two-thirds divine and one-third mortal. Similarly, Hercules is the son of the God Zeus and Goddess Hera but is stripped of his divinity by a jealous Hades. …show more content…
The contrast between Epic of Gilgamesh and Hercules is found in the ancient perception of heroism versus the modern understanding. Gilgamesh is a classic example of an ancient hero. His strength and power are valuable assets while his is not considered especially morally upright or noble. Typically, ancient heroes are legendary or mythical figures that are capable beyond human capacities. Gilgamesh as an ancient hero is most exemplified in the treatment of his people. He exhausts his people with ceaseless torment; he rapes the women and forces the men in to hard labor. He is characterized by his people, “Gilgamesh, noisy Gilgamesh! Arrogant Gilgamesh! All young men gone- Defeated by Gilgamesh, and no son left to his father. All young girls made women by Gilgamesh. His lusts are such, and no virgin left to her lover.” This ancient hero contrasts with the modern version. Hercules is considered morally good and acts in the interest of others. Once he discovers who he truly is, Hercules travels to Thebes to defend its people from various monsters that have attacked the city. He risks his own life to selflessly save others. Hercules realizes that it takes much more than just God-like power to be a hero; Zeus expresses this, “For a true hero is not measured by the size of his strength, but the strength of his heart.” While Gilgamesh is described as arrogant, impulsive, and cruel Hercules is said to be well-loved by the people of Thebes. It is not until the end of the myth that a change is witnessed in Gilgamesh; once he realizes that immortality is unrealistic, he begins to devote time to the city he once treated poorly. Hercules begins his quest for a place among the Gods and devotes his time towards defeating villains to show off his strength. He, however, realizes that it takes much more than just mythical strength to be considered a hero and deems his own
Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh make for great representatives of the term “epic hero” by showing near legendary levels of greatness, might, and strength. However, their differences are significant enough that one can clearly
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.
... When one looks far enough into Hercules’ life, they will see that “struggle and strain are at the demigod’s mythic core” (Simmons, 2008, p. 635). The saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” proves to be true yet again. In order to see a person/god/hero for who they really are, we need to look deep. Yes Hercules was heroic but what led to his heroism is overseen by most.
After reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, I have come to realize that Gilgamesh is not a hero, but a failure. His journey does not follow the traditional circular hero’s journey and he does not posses the traits that an admirable hero should have.
The dominant factor in an epic is the heroic main character. This character often is the son of a god or goddess and is favored by the gods. Heroic characters are also always hounded by constant tragedy which drives them to fulfill their fates. Most heroic characters are high in social status and share close contacts with the gods. All of these qualities of heroic characters show up in the characters of Aeneas from The Aeneid and Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Often, literature is based on several heroes and their adventures. Most especially, the epic stories symbolize different countries, nations, and cultures. The authors usually shape the characteristics of these stars and profile their unique techniques of writing as well as their imaginative power. Gilgamesh is one of the most known heroes, whose character was developed in the famous “Epic of Gilgamesh” as the strongest of men, a fair judge, a brave warrior, and an ambitious builder who built the magnificent walls of Uruk to protect its people. On the other hand, there are some undesirable characteristics that he possesses such as selfishness, and arrogance mostly brought about by the fact that he is part human and part god. He is characterized
Gilgamesh was considered a hero because he had many great qualities, such as loyalty, perseverance, and heroism. Although these are heroic traits, he also had his flaws and was self-righteous, selfish, and prideful. Gilgamesh was a great man and was seen as flawless and “perfect in strength” (4). He represented almost a human version of a god; therefore, making it hard to see his flaws because he seems so ideal. He appeared like the perfect man that had absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was very courageous and this was evident when he states, “There dwells in the forest the fierce monster Humbaba, [You and I shall] kill [him] [And] wipe out [something evil from the land]” (18). This statement shows both a heroic quality and a flaw in Gilgamesh. It shows his heroism and how he felt that he could accomplish great things. His statement also shows how prideful he was because he always wanted the glory and wanted to be seen as the hero. This comes from the fact that he was part human and part god and he knew how amazing everyone thought he was and felt that he needed to live up to that expectation. This can be seen as both positive and negative because it shows his determination, but yet shows his pride. Being prideful is not necessarily a good thing because in this situati...
The main character in the book The Epic of Gilgamesh, is Gilgamesh himself. In the beginning of the book one realizes that Gilgamesh is an arrogant person. Gilgamesh is full of himself and abuses his rights as king. He has sexual intercourse with the virgins of his town and acts as though he is a god. Throughout the story, many things cause Gilgamesh to change. He gains a friend, he makes a name for himself by killing Humbaba, and he tries to become immortal because of the death of Enkidu. Through these main actions his personality changes and he becomes a better person.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Hercules the great hero and the son of the great god Zeus, was the most famous of all the Greek mythological heroes. Hercules was known for his strength, bravery, and adventuresome personality. Hercules like most heroes had a god as their father, and he had a mortal mother named Alcmene. Hercules like most heroes was not an ordinary mortal and a good example was his superhuman strength.
You may think Jesus isn't an epic hero or you may ask how is he an epic hero, but his story is more of an epic than you would think. On the other hand, Gilgamesh has the story and the characteristics of a good old fashion epic hero, that was brave, a strong fighter, and didn't back down for nothing. But Jesus never fought his enemies he fought them with love, and he was one hundred percent god on earth but Gilgamesh was only ⅔ god. Gilgamesh and Jesus have a good amount of differences. And in this essay I will be explaining the differences and similarities between these two godly figures abilities, the purpose of their quest,and what makes them very different from all humans on earth.
Gilgamesh is viewed as a hero because of his origin. Gilgamesh is a king who has done great things for Uruk. Although being King, he's also human and God, which he can die on his journeys. According
In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.
Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Gilgamesh's journey is larger than life, yet ends so commonly with death. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed.
Of all the many similarities of The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, the sharing of the main character’s archetype can be considered to be the most significant similarity of the two epics. Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, and Gilgamesh, the main character of The Epic of Gilgamesh, both fall under the character archetype of a hero, the man in charge of saving the day. This sameness implies that the two characters had similar fates and characteristics; both had the distinct traits of a hero. Both Odysseus and Gilgamesh were kings, strong, brave, and blessed by the gods. In addition, they both angered a god and suffered from the consequences. In The Odyssey, Odysseus had to change his route to avoid Poseidon’s wrath. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh angered Ishtar which consequently led to Enkidu’s death as a punishment ( “The Epic of Gilgamesh” 29). Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus had elements of arrogance in their personalities, and it was their arrogance that backlashed and caused...