Gilgamesh Compared to Odysseus
In this epic, the biggest point was heroism. The heroes in this epic come from a god and are chosen to live amongst the humans. In this epic, each hero is constantly challenged with tragedy which in turn, brings them to their fates. The Epic of Gilgamesh, portrays all the heroes to be connected with the gods while also being in high society on earth. Gilgamesh and Odysseus have a common spiritual goal, and that is to find the true meaning of life. While both come from two different place, Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia and Odysseus from Greece, they were both kings. Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus start their journey’s as anti-heroes.
Gilgamesh, was the king of Uruk in Babylonia. Babylonia was on the river of Euphrates
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in Iraq, and he was given immense physical strength. He was a great king of the land, but not of the people. He raped and killed the men and daughters. Because he was made of two thirds gods he felt as if he were superior to the people that he was supposed to be protecting. But still, the people saw him as gorgeous and courageous. The people also saw him as terrifying, “there is no withstanding the aura or power of the Wild Ox Gilgamesh” (31-31). His big journey was driven by selfishness. He cares for his kingdom more than anything else. He gave up his safety and extreme desire for immortality for the greater good. He found the plant of eternal life, but immediately thought about giving it to the elder’s. Odysseus was the king of the island kingdom of Ithaca, son of Telamon. Odysseus was given great mental strength and with this gave his great self-confidence. Odysseus’s mental strength made him very clever and cunning. He needed those traits when battling a Cyclops and angry gods. He was known to be “The Hero of a Thousand Disguises.” The trials he faced would have broken any other, but his desire to learn and experience everything he could drove him to the end. He never strayed from his wife, no matter the temptations, but he wandered until he died. When he returned home from his journey’s he would set out again, because he had an amazing spirit and was respected until the very end of his epic. Unlike Gilgamesh who was respected all the way until his death, Odysseus turned selfish and mean. Odysseus lost respect from other when he died. Gilgamesh and Odysseus both acted god-like throughout their epics.
They represented them, physically, emotionally, and mentally to overcome every task that was handed to them. Although their strengths differ, they were both given strengths and with these strengths they prospered and at times were their down fall as well. Both were great heroes. Odysseus and Gilgamesh had to go through life and figure out its meaning. They had to go through all the trials and tribulations to discover what they were put on earth to do. Gilgamesh and Odysseus both had to go on the quest to find self-discovery, but in the end found themselves right back in the lives they started out with. The people during this time looked for a hero so express traits like, courage, faithfulness, leadership, bravery, and even humility. They needed their god like figures to represent them as people as well. The bravery is shown multiple times. Odysseus showed bravery when he traveled to the sea, passing the sirens. He told his men to put bee-wax in their ears so that they couldn’t hear the Siren’s song. He acted quick and in the end, saved his men. Gilgamesh was a true hero when he defeated the monster Humbaba. The creature lived in the Forest and frightened everyone around it. The people of Urok told Gilgamesh not to fight it, but Gilgamesh tricked the monster when he offered his sister to be his wife. Gilgamesh then beheaded the monster, this skill and bravery was extremely heroic. Odysseus and Gilgamesh
proved themselves, time and time again. And although their paths were different, their hearts were the same.
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.
Being able to compare such characters can lie in the fact that they were both a castaway at some point in their glorious lives and both were saved by a love that appeared as a result of such disdain. Contrasting them, on the other hand, is explained by a godly versus humanly intervention. For Pericles, there were no Gods that banished him or saved him. For Odysseus, however, in both situations it was an involvement of the Gods. This dissimilarity between the two characters can help ex plain why some readers, in my opinion, will fell that Pericles is more relatable than
Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus Mark Mcleod Strayer University HUM 111 World Cultures 1 Dr. Darryl Claybon Nov 7, 2017 Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Odyssey both feature strong characters with disastrous flaws meant to teach life lessons to the Mesopotamia and Greeks respectively. The Epic of Gilgamesh is told over eleven tablets and teaches lessons that include love is a motivational force, the importance of respecting the Gods, the power of friendship, and the inevitability of death. The Odyssey, an epic tale by Homer featured Odysseus and reinforced the lessons of the brain over brawn, self-control, pride, and perseverance to the Greeks.
Mortal and immortal women inspire many of the events that take place in The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh. For example, without the harlot, who “tames” Enkidu, the story of Gilgamesh would not be, as we know it. A chapter entitled, “Women in Ancient Epic” from A Companion to Ancient Epic by Helene Foley compares Ishtar in Gilgamesh to Calypso and Circe in The Odyssey. By comparing the role of immortal and mortal women in both The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, one will be able to discern how the feminine figures have played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the epic heroes, as well as, understanding the interrelation amongst the female figures of both ancient epics.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Frankenstein have two completely different story lines. The Epic of Gilgamesh was a piece of writing that was originally written over four thousand years ago on clay tablets, and was discovered by a man named George Smith in the late nineteenth century. It was a story that had been in completed, because of the fact that some portions of the Epic of Gilgamesh are missing, and it got lost in the broken off section of the tablets. Frankenstein on the other hand was a novel that a woman named Mary Shelly wrote. It was published almost 200 years ago on the date of March 11, 1818. Though these stories have very different plots, they also have something that is very similar.
'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.
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.
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
The idea of fate has baffled mankind for centuries. Can humans control what happens to them, or is everyone placed in a predestined world designed by a higher power? The Epic of Gilgamesh and Oedipus The King highlight on the notion that no matter what, people cannot control what is destined to occur. Interestingly enough, many other distantly connected cultures had, and have similar gods or goddesses who play a role in the fate of individuals. Oedipus, King of Thebes, was told by the Oracle at Delphi that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother. Determined not to let this prophecy verify his fears, Oedipus does all in his power to prevent this from happening, yet fails. Similarly, Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, attempts to obtain immortality, but fails as well. Gilgamesh's and Oedipus's intense fear and ignorance cause them to try to interfere with their fates, leading to their failures and realization of the futility of trying to control destiny.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.
Heroes are found everywhere. From movies that are being released today, to the most ancient tales of human history, there is always a hero. In the oldest, written story that remains today, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh exemplifies his role as the archetypal hero. This hero archetype is made up of many things; the greatness of said hero, their ability to conquer, their travels, their feats, and even the way they show their cultures and beliefs. Throughout the epic, Gilgamesh demonstrates role as the archetypal hero by proving that he is larger than life when the narrator explains he is part god,by representing his culture when he made sacrifices to their gods, and by embarking on a journey to find the key
The Englsih Dictionary defines a comrade as “a person who shares in one’s activities, occupation, etc; companion, associate, or friend”. In ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ translated by Benjamin R. Foster and ‘Beowulf’ translated by Seamus Heaney we see this comradship displayed in characters such as Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and Beowulf and his warriors. Gilgamesh and Enkidu work together many times to kill of monsters just as Beowulf and his men do with Grendle. They are willing to take any actions to fight for the person they believe. Comradship in ‘Beowulf’ and ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ is displayed through characters by their support for one another, actions taken, and the willingness to do something.
Are the characteristics of an epic hero cross-cultural? There are many beings who are classified as heroes or epic heroes throughout life. For example, children today look up to common superheroes like Spiderman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. An epic hero in literary works is portrayed as someone who fought in battle, usually against nonhuman monsters. Of course, the heroes of today, do not typically fight against nonhuman monsters, but simply evil heroes. But what characterizes a hero/epic hero? It is someone who is brave, strong, loyal, and humility. Gilgamesh and Beowulf are two epic heroes with many similarities and dissimilarities, originating from different cultures, there are many ways that they relate to today's concept of heroism.
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 of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest text in history. Gilgamesh is a powerful king and an awe-inspiring warrior who is 2/3 divine and 1/3 human. I think it is interesting that the epic has so many factors that I can relate to in our current time. There are a lot of lessons that can be gained from reading the epic. The text relates to me as a college student in a various ways. It has a few key experiences that reminds me of my own personal life experiences. The epic is an important text that should be read because it has life lessons for modern humans from centuries ago.