Achilles vs Gilgamesh free essay sample

Achilles vs. Gilgamesh Greg R Honors Humanities I For thousands of years, cultures have remembered their heroes through long, narrative poems known as epics. The most well-known Mesopotamian epic was the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Greeks were also well known for their writing ability. One of the most popular Greek epics was the Iliad. Just recently, ideas began to pop up that there are specific themes that are used to connect the Akkadian epics with the culture of the Homeric Epics (Gresseth 2). These connections seem to include how the epics were passed on from one generation to the next, the fact that death is a central heme in both, and how the main character develops as the story progresses. The Epic of Gilgamesh was a Sumerian epic about the king of Uruk. The Epic of Gilgamesh was recited orally for centuries before it was recorded at Sumer in the late third millennium (Fiero 19). We will write a custom essay sample on Achilles vs Gilgamesh or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Much like the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Iliad was also recited orally before being written down. Both the Iliad and the Epic of Gilgamesh were recited orally and were lost likely accompanied by an instrument to make the memorization process quicker and easier. In ancient times, memorizing and reciting poems such as these was seen as entertainment. For whatever reason this tradition of oral recitation died out and then the first forms of the epics came about. We are unsure if both epics were recited orally for the same reasons, but we do know that they provide with a multitude of information to help us learn about their cultures. When looking at both epics, it is clear that death is a central theme throughout each story. Although each one contains aspects that are similar, the Greeks clearly viewed death differently than the culture that produced the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the epic of Gilgamesh, death is nowhere to be found in the beginning of the story. Gilgamesh is explains how he would go from wedding to wedding sleeping with the virgin brides before the groom was able to. His behavior becomes so bad that the gods decide that something must be done. This is where Enkidu comes in. The gods find Enkidu, who at the time lives in the fields with all the wild beasts, and decide to tame him. They do this by seducing him with a priestess from the temple, or a prostitute (it is unsure which one was actually used). Once this happens, Enkidu goes off to fght Gilgamesh and kill him. They have a long epic battle that lasts days but eventually ends with Gilgamesh having the upper hand. After their battle they become best friends. Enkidu is his right hand man for everything and even goes with Gilgamesh to help him on his quest for immortality which was said to be unobtainable (Wolff 396). A sense of death does not arise until the gods decide that either Gilgamesh or Enkidu has to die. They eventually decide to kill Enkidu by striking him with a deadly disease. It is important to note that Enkidu is upset with the fact that he dies from a disease rather than from fghting on the battlefield. This is the first time Gilgamesh really is made aware to the fact that death exists. While the Sumerians clearly feared death, the Greeks welcomed it. The Iliads main character is a man known as Achilles. He too is semi-divine and is only concerned with war. One of the main causes for their opposing views on death is the definition that each of them gives to the word immortality. The Sumerians see immortality in the literal sense: living forever; but the Greeks see it in a metaphorical sense: having their names live on long after they are dead and gone. Achilles is fully aware the death exists because his whole life is based on killing enemy soldiers and winning battles. While Gilgamesh feared death, Achilles welcomed it. He knew that for his name to live on forever, he would eventually have to be killed. He was unsure how this would happen, but he knew that if he went to Troy, he, along with one of the best of the myrmidons, would be killed. His mother was not able to tell him which Myrmidon it was; Just that it would be one of the best. An interesting point to make would be that Achilles mother is a goddess and because of this, she is able to see the future and tell Achilles what will happen. One of the things that make Patrocluss death so horrid is that Achilles was not aware hat he was the one who was going to die. While Achilles seeks his death and wishes it upon himself, Gilgamesh does everything in his power to avoid his own death. So although each culture had different views on the idea of death and whether or not it was something to be welcomed or feared, each culture did realize that it a necessary thing. Up until the time of Enkidus death, Gilgamesh was not even aware to the idea of life and death. He was only concerned with being king and doing whatever he pleased. After Enkidus death, Gilgamesh is completely changed. He fears death so uch that he sets out to find a plant that is supposed to make whoever consumes it immortal. He is affected by the death of his friend so much that he changes his ways as a king. He no longer sleeps with virgin brides and even builds a wall around the city. Gilgamesh transitions from being a fearless, semi-divine king, to someone who fears death and tries to avoid it at all costs. Much like Gilgamesh, the main development of Achilles comes after the death of his dearest friend Patroclus. However, it is important to point out a few key things that happened before the death of Patroclus. Prior to Patrocluss death, Achilles is fully aware that he must die to have honor that was promised to him from Odysseus. However, Achilles view completely changes when Agamemnon, the Greek king, takes his slave-woman from him. Once this happens, Achilles refuses to fight for the Greeks. He becomes depressed and decides that his death is not worth the honor that he would receive. Eventually, Patroclus becomes disgusted with Achilles and asks if he can go to battle without him. Achilles says yes but asks that he only wards off the Trojans from the beach and nothing more; for fear that this would take away from his glory. This is contradictory because while Achilles is still worried about his glory and metaphorical immortality, he also believes that after a man dies, nothing is left of him. After the death of Patroclus, Achilles decides that life is no longer worth living and he wishes to die. He knows that his death will come shortly after he kills Hector so this makes him want to kill Hector even more. So through the deaths of their closest friends, we are able to see the development of both Achilles and Gilgamesh. They each go from being uncivilized, to civilized, and then back to uncivilized and they both acknowledge that hey will eventually have to face death, not knowing what will become of them after they are gone. In both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad, we find two semi-divine heroes on a quest for some form of immortality. Although their views differ, they are developed through similar events. Each begins as uncivilized, with no regard for others. Both also have mothers who are goddesses. They both also have a very close friend that means more than anyone else to them. Each of these friends also dies, which is an essential part to each story. The biggest difference between the two eroes is that Gilgamesh is completely unaware of death and does not even think about it until after the death of Enkidu.