Similarities Between Gilgamesh And The Iliad

The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Uruk, an ancient city of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, now modern-day Iraq. The epic was said to be written by Sin-liqe-unninni, but it is based on five earlier Sumerian poems with no known author. The piece was difficult to translate, and there are two main version for the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the result of the environment during the time the piece was being written. Early Mesopotamian people are bilingual, and since there was no unified form of writing, the text is written in Akkadian and Sumerian.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and In the Beginning have many similarities. Both incorporate the Hero’s Journey and three archetypes: character, situational, and symbolic. Both are about man's relationship with God(s), including man’s struggle with temptation, and the serpent as a symbol. Likewise, they share a common theme that man should not disobey the gods. The outcome when man disobeys the gods is always bad. Man should not try to be like the gods by disobeying them.

Gilgamesh uses warrior values to motivate himself and those around him. The Sumerians, which were Gilgamesh’s people, were located in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians expanded and developed the city of Uruk. The Sumerians survived due to their expansion of wheat and irrigation system. They prayed to their gods and went to the temple to bring upon blessings. Though we see priestly values in The Epic of Gilgamesh, warrior values hold more power in Gilgamesh’s life through out the story.

Throughout history epic tales have been told about heroes attempting to explain various occurrences such as the ones in the Gilgamesh and Beowulf. Gilgamesh and Beowulf compare and contrast in beliefs, their leadership styles, and the journeys they go on. Although both Beowulf and Gilgamesh can be compared to each other, because of their opposing locations and personalities, they are contrasting to each other.

Gilgamesh and Thor are both extraordinary heroic characters. The purpose of Gilgamesh’s quest was to gain fame, knowledge, and immortality. Thor on the other hand, wants a world that is peaceful and free of wrongdoings and he will go to any measures necessary in order to gain peace for the people of the world and for the world to be free of wrongdoings.

In the epic Gilgamesh, the characters traits of both Gilgamesh and Enkidu help to build a lasting friendship through their differences. For example, Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, a city of culture, and personifies the highest of human virtues, such as fairness, bravery, and courage. However, Gilgamesh is often unstable. In sharp contrast, Enkidu was raised in the wild and is foreign to civilization. Enkidu is caring and thoughtful and equal to Gilgamesh in strength. Enkidu balances out Gilgamesh and acts as a foil in the epic. I think the two traits best represented in the epic are Enkidu’s wisdom and will to not fight and Gilgamesh’s passion for battle. These traits are shown in the epic when the elders describe the two characters stating,

Have you ever found a movie that was similar to Gilgamesh? Well i have and the movie is Hercules the disney version. Gilgamesh and Hercules are very similar because of their personalities, goals, and actions.

Everybody likes rooting for a hero. And throughout the evolution of storytelling, from stories written in stone to those in tablets, heroes have always played a huge role in the stories we tell. As literature evolved, and more legends and tales began to appear in different cultures, the idea of a traditional epic hero was established. Stories like "The Epic of Gilgamesh," and "The Odyssey," set the mold for this type of heroes, an influence that can clearly be seen when analyzing literature. In fact, most of these characters, regardless of the time and place they were created in, shared similar characteristics to the two kings. A huge number possessed skills that mere mortals didn 't have, which helped them defeat their "infamous" enemies. These

Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronting with painful circumstances in our lives, we often ask ourselves why is life so difficult and wonder if suffering is necessary. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both go through suffering either physically or mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ sufferings are the results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of to be remembered. Through suffering, they learn the nature of reality and accept their limitations.

In conclusion, Gilgamesh and Achilles are considered some of the greatest of warriors. There are many similarities and differences between Achilles and Gilgamesh. As discussed before both Gilgamesh and Achilles had a quest that they desired.  The only difference between the two is the certain desire they wanted to obtain. Gilgamesh was looking for immortality while Achilles wanted glory and fame. Although they both went  through similar ordeals they dealt  with in different ways. Each man was considered a heroic to their cultures for different reason.    We can tell a lot about the priorities and values of Gilgamesh’s and Achilles’ cultures through their heroic actions. It somewhat proved an answer to the way they did things and why

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible have a few similar events and historians think that they may refer to the same event. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible share a similar event, the flood, and a similar character, the serpent. Though there are still several distinctions between the two stories.

The Epic of Gilgamesh conveys numerous themes. Among those are the inevitability of death, the eminence of the gods, and strikingly the importance of love as an impetus. Love, defined in a consummate sense is intimacy, passion, and commitment. These traits are exemplified in Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship, and they are also implied between Enkidu and Sham hat. Despite the violent and abrasive nature of the happenings of this text, love is displayed blatantly throughout. From Enkidu's introduction to civilization, to the defeat of Humpback, love is the driving force in many salient events.

As I began think about similarities both the epic heroes in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey have I also begin to see the many differences too. Gilgamesh and Odysseus are two heroes from two different lands and at two different time periods that were both in search of something, Gilgamesh was searching for life whereas Odysseus was searching for his way home. Gilgamesh, was a real king from early Mesopotamia and Odysseus is also a king but from early Greece. Two men, two different lands so much alike and also so different.

In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.

I can compare and contrast Gilgamesh and Simba in many ways. How they treat their friends, how their are the same or different. And how their journey goes. Gilgamesh is ⅔ god and ⅓ human and Simba is a lion and he rules of the part amazon. Those were a few ways I can compare and contrast Gilgamesh and Simba.