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A Comparison Of Achilles And Gilgamesh: A Hero's Journey

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Achilles and Gilgamesh venture into epic journeys that change the trajectory of their lives. It is evident that Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s journeys fit into Joseph Campbell’s stages of a hero’s journey. Through analyzing each of the stages that Achilles and Gilgamesh endure, both characters indeed grow as heroes. Nonetheless, the growth in Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s characters are different due to their different journeys. Each of the stages in Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s journeys are essential to their growth; however, the stages known as the road back and the return with the elixir reveal how they have ultimately grown. In Homer’s The Iliad, each stage of Achilles’ journey, especially the road back and the return with the elixir, is vital to …show more content…

Gilgamesh's ordinary world was his selfish and arrogant reign in Uruk. For example, the statement, “He mates with the lawful wife, he first, the groom after,” reveals his abuse of power (Foster 46). Gilgamesh’s call to adventure begins with the creation of Enkidu due to his poor use of power. The pair venture to battle in the Cedar Forest, which ended with the death of Enkidu. Gilgamesh cries out, “Shall I not die too? Am I not like Enkidu? Oh woe has entered my vitals!” (Foster 72). Such a phrase shows the beginning stages of Gilgamesh’s journey to discover immortality. Upon approaching the inmost cave, Gilgamesh meets his mentor, Utnapishtim, to find the reason for his immortality. Gilgamesh’s road back consisted of finding the plant of immortality. Gilgamesh has yet to learn his lesson regarding immortality as evidenced by his doubts, “I will take it to ramparted Uruk, I will have an old man eat some and so test the plant...I myself will eat it and so return to my carefree youth” (Foster 88). Subsequently, he loses the plant to a snake and begins to learn the lesson that being a worthy king is much more valuable than

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Since the ancient times of literature, the hero’s journey has been a consistent literately theme used by writers as they adapt its steps to suit their writings. The Odyssey is no exception. From the start poem, Odysseus, the principle character, is seen attempting to return home after the Battle of Troy therefore concluding his hero’s journey while Telémakos is setting out on his personal hero’s journey. Both characters contain a family bond which holds the hero’s journey within their heritage. In Homer’s, Odyssey, Odysseus and Telémakos both voyage on their own hero’s journey showing that honor, chivalry, along with heritage play major roles in ancient Greek society.

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Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.

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Ruled by the patriarchy in Greek society, women were left behind to attend to household needs while the men left home to fight or hunt. Outside of this societal rule were the Amazons, a race of women that were shaped to be the strongest and bravest warriors. During the Trojan war, the Trojans ask for the Amazons to aid them in battle and fight against the Greeks. Among these warrior women is Penthesileia, the female counterpart for the Greek hero Achilles in The Iliad. Despite the tragic death of both Achilles and Penthesileia, they both exemplify what it means to be a Greek hero.

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Source of Strength In both The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Andrew George, and The Odyssey translated by Stanley Lombardo, the royal protagonists are kings. In both, Gilgamesh and Odysseus are renowned kings who go on harsh journey’s being obstructed by the gods. Both are considered one of the strongest people of their times. Interestingly, Gilgamesh and Odysseus are reasonable different types of king, the former being more harsh.

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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

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“... a serpent of the place became aware of the fragrance of the plant, … and stole it away… ‘I descended into the waters to find the plant and what I found was a sign telling me to abandon the journey and what it was I sought for.’” (Ferry 80). This hints where Gilgamesh finally realizes that he cannot earn what he sought for, which was immortality. If he had not have lost the plant, there might have been a possibility that he would have become immortal. The plant had inspired him in thinking that he had a possibility in gaining immortality, but when the plant was lost, Gilgamesh lost all

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In his epics The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer provides an even-handed portrait of the heroes Achilles and Odysseus. By choosing not to idealize these heroes, Homer provides an insight into the values of ancient Greek culture; both Achilles and Odysseus represent prized characteristics, but also illustrate the dangers of hubris and excessive individualism. Both Achilles and Odysseus cause numerous deaths through their own inflated sense of individualism and pride, but both also illuminate the benefits of their personal strengths when faced with problems throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey. Odysseus, in The Odyssey, thinks he knows what’s best for himself and his men, which on occasion is true, but just as often leads to issues that he could have easily avoided with proper communication. For example, when Odysseus and his crew encounter the Lotus-Eaters, he acts on their behalf, to their benefit: I hauled them back

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In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).

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Odysseus keeps his men from hearing their tune and they make it past. Next, he goes by the beast Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Five men are eaten, and the rest go to the island of Helios Hyperion, the sun (Homer, Odyssey). Circe warned him not to eat the cows but rather they did at any rate. When they cruise away, Zeus demolishes their boat to rebuff their irreverence (Homer, Odyssey).

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The Epic of Gilgamesh shows and describe the journey of a successful hero. Throughout his quest, Gilgamesh goes through a departure, initiation, and a return stage. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu sets out to go on the heroic journey to defeat Humbaba he experiences the first departure stage. The initiation stage occurred when Enkidu died and Gilgamesh started the second heroic journey searching for immortality. Gilgamesh search for immortality was beyond the initiation stage he searched for it through every quest and journey he encountered.

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I feel like this is a relatable concept—not many people realize the permanence of death, let alone that the young are not immune to death, until it occurs close to home. His search for immortality, in part, is symbolic of the stages of grief. The days Gilgamesh spent in the grassy fields represent the early stages

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Achilles is the greatest Greek hero. He is the greatest hero because of his large contribution to the Trojan war. The text said, "Achilles excelled in battle and sacked no less than 23 cities." These 23 cities, although not exciting battles, made a big contribution. The story said "Hektor, although a great warrior himself, was no match for Achilles" Hektor was one of the greatest fighters for the Trojans and led the Trojans.

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Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.

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