Epic Of Gilgamesh The Epic Hero - 1641 Words

Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian hero, featured in the famous tale of â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh†, who embarks on a perilous quest for immortality. This idea, â€Å"†¦touches on the most fundamental questions of what it actually means to be human†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Homer 33), and gives us light into the minds of the people during the era. Gilgamesh’s tale gives us a glimpse at how the people of that day viewed a â€Å"hero†, and allows us to reflect upon what we consider a â€Å"hero† today. Using the Epic Hero Cycle, I will analyze Gilgamesh’s life and journey and analyze why I feel that he is truly a hero. In order to fully focus on why I feel Gilgamesh is a true hero, I must address and reflect on his life, who he really is, and most of all the views of the people of that era. Uncommon to popular belief, the Epic of Gilgamesh was not written as a single work by one particular author. The Epic of Gilgamesh has been told down from generation s and has been declared the oldest specimen of great literature. According to Abusch, â€Å"The epic of Gilgamesh discovered and reconstructed in the century and a half since the libraries of Nineveh were first excavated has taken its place with a biblical and Homeric text among the great literary text of the ancient word,† (8.) and rightfully deserves so. Where it is true that the epic focuses on Gilgamesh as being the protagonist and a powerful warrior, it is rarely credited that Gilgamesh was a real King Watson 2 who ruled around 2700 BCE. Whether or not the storiesShow MoreRelatedThe Hero Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh911 Words   |  4 Pagesstereotypical, sympathetic hero; the Batmans and Supermans who lose their parents in tragic circumstances and devote their lives to vanquishing evil. That however, is not the way heroes have always been portrayed. When we look at The Epic of Gilgamesh we see the archetype of every hero since, however, we are not overcome with a desire to see Gilgamesh succeed. On the hand, if we fast forward two thousand years and look at a hero from Africa named Sundiata who is very similar to Gilgamesh in many aspects, weRead MoreThe Hero Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh1759 Words   |  8 Pages In the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh†, it is easy to conclude that Gilgamesh, the protagonist of the story, is the hero. In â€Å"Like Mayflies in a Stream†, Gilgamesh is merely a scary person who appears in the story here or there rather than being the protagonist. Inst ead, Shamhat is the main person that the story focuses on, but the book is imprecise on one hero of the entire story. There are numerous characters that could reflect hero aspects such as going on a quest, having another to help guide them, or facingRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh : The Jeopardy Of A Hero1271 Words   |  6 PagesThe Jeopardy of a Hero The Epic of Gilgamesh was an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh, is often known as the earliest surviving great work of literature, by an unknown author but translated by N.K. Sanders. The epic poem, tells a creative story about a bold hero named Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that takes place in Summer of Uruk, in the Middle East around 2700 B.C. Gilgamesh is half man, half god. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s friend is a man that was created fromRead MoreEpic of Gilgamesh: a Hero Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesStill, there is a great difficulty that lies in defining what a hero truly is. Strength alone does not make a hero; nor does intelligence. Moreover, the Epic of Gilgamesh truly defines the definition of a hero. Gilgamesh is portrayed as a true hero through his skill, intelligence, willingness to die, reverence, and his respect for death. Throughout the entire epic, Gilgamesh demonstrates outrageous skill as a warrior and leader. â€Å"Gilgamesh is strong to perfection.† â€Å"He is an awesome beast with unmatchedRead MoreThe Characteristics Of A Hero Journey In The Epic Of Gilgamesh1035 Words   |  5 PagesIt it no surprise that the hero story is present in a variety of the arts ranging from the earliest surviving work of literature, to children’s books, to modern day motion picture masterpieces. The characteristics of a hero have withstood the test of time, and remained remarkably similar. Traits of a modern day hero can be traced back to â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† which dates back to two-thousand BC. This reflects the power of a hero and its message that it portrays to audiences of all ages and backgroundsRead MoreA Hero in the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Novel Monkey1858 Words   |  8 Pages Hero is a word that is commonplace in our society. We seem to always be able to turn on the lates t news story and find the newest local man who saved that beautiful kitten from that building that was burning down. When we say hero a vast array of different definitions come to people’s minds. Our definition of hero in our world is most definitely not a constant. In the Epic of Gilgamesh and the novel Monkey many would consider the main characters and their strongest companions nothing close toRead MoreThe Hero s Journey From The Epic Of Gilgamesh942 Words   |  4 Pages Gilgamesh was a powerful king of Uruk an ancient city in Sumer now known as Iraq. Created by the gods, Gilgamesh was 2/3 god and 1/3 man he thought of himself as undefeatable, and carried himself immorally, taking advantage of his people. Being tired of this the people of Uruk began sobbing, and the goddess Aruru heard their cries and created Gilgamesh s equal Enkidu. Together they would go on to venture into battles, one of which leads to the death of Enkidu that brings Gilgamesh to his veryRead Mor e Comparing the Hero in Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Iliad Essay730 Words   |  3 PagesThe Hero in Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad    One and the same lot for the man who hangs back and the man who battles hard. The same honor waits for the coward and the brave. They both go down to Death, the fighter who shirks, the one who works to exhaustion. (IX,385-88) Thus muses Achilles, one of epic poetrys greatest heroes. Epic poetry, one of the earliest forms of literature, began as an oral narration describing a series of mythical or historic events. EventuallyRead MoreOdysseus Or Gilgamesh - Will The Real Epic Hero Please Stand Up?1640 Words   |  7 PagesOdysseus or Gilgamesh - Will the real Epic Hero please stand up? â€Å"Gilgamesh went to the entrance into the mountain and entered the darkness alone, without a companion. By the time he reached the end of the first league the darkness was total, nothing behind or before. He made his way, companionless, to the end† (Book 9 p. 51, The Epic of Gilgamesh). In The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem translated by N.K. Sanders, Gilgamesh is a character who is by all accounts an epic hero. As a person of nobilityRead More Creation, Flood and the Hero in Epic of Gilgamesh and Book of Genesis of the Christian Bible1020 Words   |  5 PagesCreation, Flood and the Hero in Gilgamesh and the Bible    The Epic of Gilgamesh compares to the Bible in many different ways. The epic has a different perspective than the Bible does. This paper is a contrast and comparison between the two books. The three main points of this paper will be the Creation, Flood and the Hero.    The way these two books start out is creation. This is the first similarity that we can state. God created man out of the earth, â€Å"In the beginning God created