Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Odysseus

Gilgamesh and Odysseus both journey in pursuit of what they desire most. For Gilgamesh it is immortality, and for Odysseus it is home. Gilgamesh the king of Uruk and Odysseus, king of Ithaca must face their ultimate struggles and come in contact with their fears and suffering. These men seek for pride and honor on their journeys. Along the way, their fate is being held in the hands of the Gods. Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus search for the meaning of life through knowledge and perseverance, trying to make it alive until the end.

The epic of Gilgamesh has been stated to be written by the unknown, and has been dated back between 2700 B.C. and 600 B.C. in Mesopotamia. The main character in this epic Gilgamesh, is the strongest of men and the personification

of all human virtues. He is very different as he is two thirds God and one third mortal. He was brought to Uruk by the mother of all creations Aruru, as a perfect design. Because the king is an absolute monarch, no one dares to criticize him. Gilgamesh abuses his power in greedy and selfish ways. The people of Uruk cry out to heavens questioning, “…Is this how a king should rule? Should a shepherd savage his own flock?”(73). The people aren’t pleased with his ways and call out to Aruru to create a double of Gilgamesh; a hero to that will balance each other out so Uruk can have peace. This brutes name was Enkidu. Gilgamesh had two dreams about coming face to face with Enkidu. When Enkidu arrives to Uruk from the wilderness, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are challenged in the fight for strength against each other. In the end of that fight, Gilgamesh and Enkidu become companions.
With all the Gilgamesh’s strength and power and Enkidu’s knowledge they go to Cedar forest to chop down all the cedar trees. In order to make their way through the forest they must defeat Humbaba who wears seven layers of armor and is very powerful as he guards the forest. The two kings encourage each other to not back down from the beast and Gilgamesh follows through and cuts
Humbaba’s neck.

Before the death of Humbaba, with his last words he cursed Enkidu and Gilgamesh. “I curse you both. Because you have done this, / may Enkidu die, may he die in great pain,/ may Gilgamesh be inconsolable,/ may his merciless heart be crushed with grief”(127). Shortly after, the curse came true leaving Enkidu to become very ill and suffer for twelve days before he died. Gilgamesh continuously wept over the death of a man he called his brother and came to the realization that he would soon have to face death himself since he was part human. Gilgamesh was now in search for immortality. So he sets off on a journey to find the only mortal granted immortality. Utnapishtim was the immortal god who survived the flood. Gilgamesh traveled days and went through extreme lengths to see the God, but not all worked out in his

favor.
In the epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus the king of troy has been away from his land for twenty years. He and his men spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War and the last ten in search for a way home. Odysseus is known as a man of twist and turns to his people. He’s conscious of his actions and very clever. His home is back in Ithaca with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Both are still waiting upon his arrival with hope that he will return home. His wife Penelope for over a course of years has been taunted by the suitors of which man she will now marry. The suitors invade the Kings home, taking his possessions and disregarding all rules of hospitality. In disguise, the goddess Athena talks to Telemachus and tells him to set sail in search for his father. Hermes arrives at Calypso’s cave and sees that Odysseus is weeping and alive. Calypso is hesitant to let him go but he pursues his wish to return home to his family and land. Through the intervention of Athena, Odysseus washes up on the shore of Phaeacia. The Phaeacians end up welcoming him and give him a boat to set sail home that will lead there.
He heads off to an unknown land for gifts and comes across the Cyclops’s cave.

The monster is not inviting and eats two of Odysseus’ men and intends to destroy the rest. Odysseus offers the Cyclops wine and gets him drunk and unstable. Once he’s drunk, the king blinds the Cyclops by stabbing his only eye and escapes. Just as Gilgamesh and Enkidu were cursed, the Cyclops cursed Odysseus by having Poseidon, the god of sea and earthquakes and his father to make sure no man will make it home alive. Throughout the rest of his journey, Odysseus loses many of his men and struggles to find hope for himself to make it home. With his clever ways he is able to manage a plan and to not give up on his

family.
In the epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, both main characters are in search of the meaning of life including glory and everlasting fame. This of course meaning their name to last for eternity. Odysseus the mortal king of Ithaca rejects an offer to become immortal. Gilgamesh, who is semi-immortal is in great search for immortality. This makes a question for fate. Both insulted a god and had to face the consequences. Throughout both of the Kings journeys they show strength and determination for their seeking desires. Gilgamesh went to the extent of traveling days in the dark and crossing a sea of death just for immortality. He also can be looked at as a bit selfish is his journey as he craved this gift. Gilgamesh is eventually convinced that immortality is something reserved for the Gods only and he must eventually die, therefore taking pleasure and pride in what is best about life rather than worrying about living forever. Odysseus uses his knowledge to work his way through his rough sails. At certain he begins to believe his fate was to never arrive home. He thought he would die. As any human does, he will one day but not upon his journey back to Ithaca. His family and his land has become the most important thing to him, it’s his life. Odysseus’s strength, hope and knowledge give him a better outlook for the answer to the meaning of life.