For both hero’s, Gilgamesh and Odysseus, the entire theme is set around their journey of finding their purpose as a man, and more importantly a ruler. They both set out on a quest for dominance of some degree and ended up becoming humbled while finding the great leader they were capable of being from the beginning. The two separate journeys of Gilgamesh and Odysseus help each of them to develop from kings to mature leaders.
While Odysseus’s journey in The Odyssey begins at the end of his defeat in the Trojan war, his return home is his biggest triumph. His trials and tribulations from the God’s are brought on from his own over-confidence of his cleverness and wittiness - his greatest assets also proved to be his biggest downfall. Odysseus’s quest was only to return home to his wife and child with his crew, but that fell short when he offended the God of the sea, Poseidon, by blinding his son the Cyclops to escape. Odysseus’s fault came when he decided to mock the Cyclops and announce his name to him in such a taunting manner, “You savage! But you got yours in the end, Didn’t you?” (Pg. 436 line 475) In which the
…show more content…
Even though her role is not significant in the beginning, Shamhat is the person who brought Enkidu out from the wild and became the medium between him and the civilized world she was attempting to bring him into. Shamhat ‘raised’ Enkidu to be civilized and the shed to wilderness from him. This is a protagonist role because without Enkidu, Gilgamesh may have never been able to feel remorse for his kingdom and become humble enough to be proud of his people. Shamhat’s role differs much from Gilgamesh in the fact that she may not have fought any physical battles, but she did fight an emotional battle with Enkidu, forming him into a man. I know how difficult it is to make a modern man civil, so I can only imagine how much of a daunting task this was with a man raised in the
Odysseus yells, “...tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son whose home’s on Ithaca (The Cyclops 505-506).” The most well-connected Greek evil thought is the abuse of false pride in the name of seeking praise in which it is not deserved, this is important to the context of the story because of Odysseus feeling the pride of harming a son of a god and wanting to see the praise showered upon him and not his other men. In the scene where Odysseus meets the Cyclops, he boasts about where he is from and what he had to do to get to the island to meet the
Odysseus was used to receiving hospitality back at his homeland, Ithaca, so when he arrived on the Cyclops’ island and did not receive the same treatment, he did not know how to react. But at the end of the day, Odysseus still manages to defeat Polyphemus, who is a god. But then Odysseus faced Poseidon’s wrath because he disrespected his family. Odysseus realized what his fate was going to be when he blinded the water god’s son: “A god may even send a great sea-monster, the kind that famous Amphitrite rears. I know Poseidon wants to do me harm'' (5.421-423).
He gets the Cyclop drunk, claims his name is nobody, then stabs his eye and leaves him blind. The next day, when the Cyclop open the door to let his sheep out, Odysseus and his men make a run for it. When the reach the boat Odysseus reveals his true identity and brags to the Cyclop that he got away with what he did to him. Since the Cyclops was son of Poseidon, Poseidon curses Odysseus with a bad trip home because of what he did to his son. Overall, Odysseus is arrogant, making him nt fit to be labeled as a modern
Shamhat is a type of person who would change a man perspective mentally, emotionally, and physically. She was sent to bring Enkidu back to his civilize human ways. In Book I, Shamhat uses her love-arts and held nothing back, and showed him what a woman truly is (79). As it explained in the book Shamhat uses her beauty to accompany a new side of manhood. Her appearance
But, after angering Poseidon by blinding his one eyed cyclops son, Odysseus must go through brutal situations to get home thanks to the fuming god. The theme, the search for justice, is very prevalent in this text because of the fight between Odysseus and the suitors, the reunion of Odysseus and his wife Penelope and when Odysseus visits his father Laertes and Athena must restore peace because of the fight that breaks out there. To begin, the theme searching for justice is shown clearly when Odysseus returns home and kills the suitors. The text states, “Odysseus took aim and hit him with an arrow in the throat.
Odysseus and his men were fleeting from Polyphemus’ island, he said, “ Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye…” (book 9, lines 416-418, textbook). Odysseus is being to boastful and therefore it caused him and his man to become cursed and their journey to last for several years to come. Odysseus’ actions caused his men to pay for just being too full of pride and egotistical. After encountering Aeolus, king of the winds, odysseus received a bag full of wind so they could finally return home to Ithaca, “ nine whole days we sailed, nine nights, nonstop.
In the epic, within which many episodes are interlinked, depicts an image of a kind who underwent development and tends to understand the world where he was living. Within the version of the Babylonian, hero Gilgamesh 's character is best compared to Achilles. While comparing the characters of Achilles and Gilgamesh, he (Gilgamesh) changed and his nature was affected duet the presence and absence (loss) of Enid his comrade, thus the nature of Enkidu was static. Achilles ' nature and character followed the same pattern as that of Gilgamesh as he was also influenced by the presence and loss of Patroclus his comrade.
Naturally, he has much to be proud of: his sexy and loyal wife, his bravery, and his victorious battles from the Trojan War and beyond. However, his arrogance creates a weakness in his character that negatively impacts himself and the people around him. The evolution in Odysseus’s personality turns him from an arrogant flaunter to a humble man, and demonstrates that the strifes he encounters during his journey home is not simply new experiences, but also his beginning of a profound revelation. Starting from the middle of the mountain, Odysseus’s new transformation will allow him to soar to the top with eagle
TS1 (Thesis): In The Odyssey, Homer depicts Odysseus’ real foe as the theme of temptation with displays of hubris and lustrous goddesses, which portrays the importance of being vigilant to not submit to temptation. ST1: Homer depicts that Odysseus is determined to get home, but Odysseus succumbs to temptation when he leads his crew into the cyclops lair, eats the cyclops’ food, and demands for a gift, resulting in a protracted journey home. 1: Homer displays Odysseus as recklessly brave when he requests, “we’re at your knees, in hopes of… a guest-gift”(9.300) from the cyclops. 2: It is apparent that Odysseus has given into the temptation to be arrogant when he declares for the cyclops to give them, “a guest-gift,” after Odysseus and his men have broken into the cyclops lair, showing even further Odysseus’ isn’t vigilant to
Homer delivers very universal themes, such as loyalty is respected, but the epic also provides meaningful themes that are not as recognizable. The Odyssey is very focused on leadership and courage, as it centers on a hero's journey. There are many parts in the epic where Homer explains the actions of an admirable leader. In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplifies the true meaning of being a leader through courage in the face of danger, which is shown by Circe, the Sirens, and the suitors. One might wonder why it takes Odysseus ten years to return to his homeland after he has achieved victory for Ithaca in the Trojan War.
The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.
In the “Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey” by Homer, all the gods are portrayed as being very near, and having a very close relationship with the mortals. The authors showed this through their interactions, even though each epic portrayed a unique mode of interaction between the gods and the mortals. For instance, in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” this interactions are mostly indirect, whereas in Homer’s Odyssey, they are direct. Another thing the authors tried to show is that the gods are limited in their powers, at least some of them. The authors portrayed this through the gods favoring or disfavoring certain mortals.
This character is brought to light using several incidents and events that help to analyze and interpret the ancient Greek world and the values surrounding them. Each episode supports and allows for the development of Odysseus’ character and acknowledges the effects of these features. Through these specific incidents, the reader uncovers the quality of Odysseus and how his characteristics relate to those praised by Greeks and those that were criticized. Persistent components of Odysseus’ character include cleverness and pride, while major themes that are reiterated are Greek ideals and the struggle to reach home. Conclusively, definitive occasions in “The Odyssey” establish and expand upon the character of Odysseus and how it impacts himself and
When creating a story, many great minds will use a pattern to enthrall readers and shape them into a hero. Established by Joseph Campbell, The Hero 's Journey is the iconic template many utilize to plan their imaginative tale. The Hero’s Journey is the cycle in which the protagonist ventures into an unknown world where he or she will go through a series of adventures and learn moral lessons. Heroes in ancient myths such as Homer 's epic poem, The Odyssey follows this formula since the protagonist, Odysseus, faces hardships throughout different regions that ultimately change his once arrogant character. Throughout Homer 's monomyth, Odysseus undergoes challenges that teach him the importance of humility.
Later then he was no longer accepted by the wild animals and he joined civilization in the city of Uruk. But Shamash, who is singled out and protected by a god is blessed by Enkidu. “Woman I promise you another destiny. The mouth which curse shall bless you”. Even a prostitute woman is given much praise and position in the story of Gilgamesh.