In the Babylonian story Epic Of Gilgamesh and the American movie Batman Returns both of the main characters show hero like qualities and both realized their life’s purpose through the loss of loved ones. However, Gilgamesh’s ultimate desire for immortality was selfish compared to Batman’s desire to fight crime. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is introduced as a man who was two thirds divine, one third human, and the king of Uruk. His people only thought of him as a horrible king because he only ever cared about the well being of his city and not his people. Throughout his journey, Gilgamesh’s main purpose is to seek immortality itself. Unlike Gilgamesh, Batman is fully human and instead of a king, serves as a vigilante for Gotham City. …show more content…
Throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh and Batman Returns the main characters incentives came from the loss of close loved ones. For Gilgamesh his friendship started when the gods created an equal to him called Enkidu. Aruru, the goddess of creation, put Enkidu on earth to teach Gilgamesh on how to be humble. Together they were seen as soul mates. Side by side with Enkidu, Gilgamesh destroys Humbaba, the monster of the Cedar Forest, and the bull sent from the gods to kill him. After overcoming these two heroic battles Enkidu gets terribly ill and dies. The author of The Epic of Gilgamesh says, “[Gilgamesh] seven days and nights I sat besides the body, weeping for Enkidu beside the body, and then I saw a worm fall out of his nose. Must I die too? Must Gilgamesh be like that? It was then I felt the fear of it in my belly. I roam the wilderness because of the fear. Enkidu, the companion whom I loved, is dirt, nothing but clay is Enkidu.” Gilgamesh, now fearing morality, does everything in his power to try to find immortality. Unlike Gilgamesh, Batman had other things to seek besides immortality. As a young boy Bruce Wayne, the person behind Batman’s identity, was walking home with his parents and got mugged; both of his parents died right before his eyes. In this very moment, his life took a drastic turn. His life purpose was to kill the man who caused him that …show more content…
Gilgamesh at the end of it all was known to truly be a great hero to his city and people as Batman was the entire movie. There are more difference than similarities obviously between the two but the similarities are percent as I showed. Every heroic story follows a basis or events and that is what Joseph Campbell created. The two works did not watch up entirely with the steps of Campbell’s idea but shared the overall common goal. As many people would not see how Gilgamesh, a mythological being, and Batman, a modern superhero, share a lot in common, the facts are there. In the end Gilgamesh’s mind opened up from selfishness and Batman continues to do what he does best but both are looked at as the ideal cultural
But I do know one thing, Batman was there for us when we needed him the most. He separated us from our darkest nightmares every night. He guarded our houses and protected our families, our friends, and our children. Batman stood up for what he believed, he always had us, the people of Gotham in his best interest. What more could we have asked Batman to do? I could stand up here and say "I never knew the man," but that might not be the truth. During my life, I have known many men, many men who are full of strength, courage, and virtue. Any of these men could have been the Batman and I would have never been aware. However good men still walk among us today, even without Batman. These good men and women are my hope, my consolation for
Heroes, the unordinary beings with extravagant abilities, from powers and competence to skills and talents. Heroes are people who are idealized by society for their courage and individuality. Iconic and well recognized heroes like Hercules, Superman, Spiderman and Achilles are some of the few heroes known around. All heroes have a similarity to each other, for example Beowulf and Batman. While both can be considered great heroes, they differ significantly, yet are similar in other ways.
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.
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.
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
Batman is a hero during the night that protects the people of Gotham city to the best of his capability and is willing to sacrifice everything, even his true identity. Then there is Bruce Wayne, who is a very rich, spoiled playboy that does not care about anything other than him and the luxurious lifestyle he lives. The ideological struggle between Batman and Bruce Wayne is very important in this book because everyone at some point struggles between who they actually are and who they want to be. The way Frank Miller portrays the struggle in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is truly a work of
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 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.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known stories, recounts the tale of the reckless King Gilgamesh and his adventures with his friend Enkidu, a natural man created by the gods from clay to humble and teach Gilgamesh to become a better ruler. Through Enkidu’s death, the once fearless Gilgamesh becomes fearful of his own inevitable demise and journeys to find immortality. However, by finding compassion for his humanity, he is able to come to terms with his mortality and continue living wholeheartedly as the ruler of Uruk. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh learns to accept his mortality by gaining compassion for himself.
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...
The epic hero’s journeys hold the hopes for future of ordinary people’s lives. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in approximately 2000 B.C.E which is highly enriched with Ancient Mesopotamian religions, and The Ramayana was written by ancient Indians in around 1800 B.C.E. The stories were written in two different parts of the world. However, these two stories etched great evidence that show people from generation to generation that different cultures and religions are interconnected; they share ideas with each other. Both Gilgamesh and Rama traveled long journeys in these tales. These epic journeys played a role in the creation of different archetypes. We can clearly see that these two tales share similarities between these archetypes. Although
In the beginning of the Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh there are similarities in the behavior of the leading characters. Gilgamesh and Achilles both have problems managing their emotions. For Gilgamesh the issue is in the form of sexual conquest and abuse of power. For Achilles it is pride and fury that causes problems for the hero. It could be said that these behaviors show how the heroes deal with and internalize feelings as well as emotions. Another similarity is how the loss of their comrades causes a transformation in the protagonists. In the Iliad the hero Achilles suffers the loss of his close comrade, Patroclus, and likewise in The Epic of Gilgamesh he experiences the death of Enkidu. The deaths of these comrades serve as a catalyst
In this essay I will examine how Gilgamesh would be an example of Campbell’s hero. I will first introduce Joseph Campbell and his “hero”. By summarizing and analyzing the story, I came to the conclusion that Gilgamesh is a good example of a hero. I will point out in the text what lead me to that realization and explain the journey of the hero.
For Batman, he is a famous person with high social class. His image is a successful businessman and on the other hand he is a hero to save the city. He is very strong and well body shape. When he catches the thief, he acts independently. He will not ask for help and refuse the others involve although he gets hurt. He is very clever and very calm. He will first plan before he takes action.
The plot of Batman Begins mainly focuses on the origins and psychology behind Batman, and how he copes with the struggles he faces. One major thing that changed the course of the story, was the death of the Thomas and Martha Wayne. It formed an emotion change in the story that effects Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham to arise the struggles and problems that will be faced in the rest of the movie. Another key point in the story was the seven-year disappearance of Bruce Wayne. When in the Chinese prison it would also discipline him, which was something that he hadn’t had much of before. The meeting of Ras Al Ghul and his further training were also key experiences to develop Bruce Wayne into Batman. These were the some of the building blocks in the plot. The plot of The Dark Knight was very different to Batman Begins. The main plot is that Batman has limits and Gotham needed a different hero, whereas, in Batman Begins, Batman was the hero and didn’t think he had any limits. The foundation of the Dark Knight was more of what had happened in the few absent years between the two movies, and not what would happen. The