ipl-logo

Essay Comparing Hamlet And Gilgamesh

720 Words3 Pages

Plenty of characters share traits that Hamlet, from the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, possesses. A protagonist that shares traits with Hamlet, while also separating himself from this character is Gilgamesh, from The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by the ancient Sumerians. These two characters suffer from a tragic flaw, encounter a supernatural being, and change the way they view life after the death of a character close to them. However, these similarities contain major tweaks within them making them significant differences amongst the similar features. These two characters share more than one similar experience, in a broad sense, but one in particular allows for a comparison. Hamlet and Gilgamesh encounter a supernatural being, …show more content…

Hamlet’s theophany occurs between him and his dead father’s ghost, while Gilgamesh communicates with multiple supernatural beings by discussing with his mom and Ishtar, who are goddesses. Their requests after the death of the significant person in their lives also separate them. Gilgamesh goes through tremendous lengths searching for eternal life, while Hamlet wonders if life is worth living by contemplating suicide. Their greatest difference occurs between their tragic flaws. Hamlet’s indecisiveness, his tragic flaw, becomes clear in the scene where King Claudius, his uncle, prays and Hamlet obtains the opportunity to slay him. “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying and now I’ll do ‘t: and so he goes to heaven: and so am I revenged. That would be scanned; a villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Shakespeare 1860). Hamlet ponders on the idea of getting revenge on his uncle, but fails to achieve the goal at that moment. Gilgamesh’s arrogance becomes his tragic flaw and it appears often, such as in the scene where he encounters Ishtar. “What would I get if I marry you? You are a brazier that goes out when it freezes, a flimsy door that keeps out neither wind nor draught, a palace that crushes a warrior, a mouse that gnaws through

Show More
Related
436 Words | 2 Pages

Gilgamesh is the worst ruler to have. He is arrogant, he disregards everyone, and he even exploits both males and females for his own desires. However, later on in his life, a change in personality is seen in Gilgamesh. He took it upon himself to help rescue the world, “’ Now we must travel to the Cedar Forest, where the fierce Humbaba lives. We must kill him and drive out evil from the world ‘” (Mitchell, 91).

Read More
275 Words | 2 Pages

James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” is about selfishness and reveals that you can't push someone to gain something as demonstrated by the authors use of characterization. Specifically James Hurst use of characterization is when the narrator is wanting the brother to do something that they don't want to do. The first insight to characterization occurs when the narrator tells doodle to touch the coffin when he doesn't want to. “I won't touch it, “He said sullenly” “Then I’ll leave you here by yourself” (318). The narrator's reference to “I’ll leave you here by yourself” illustrates that the narrator is very selfish and furthermore demonstrates how the narrator is careless about doodle and wants to push someone to gain something out of it.

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

In this tale, a godly man, Gilgamesh, develops a friendship with beast-turned-man, Enkidu, who begins to teach Gilgamesh about the world and helps him to grapple with challenges. After one challenge in particular, a battle with the giant Humbaba, Enkidu dies abruptly, leaving Gilgamesh alone again, and forcing him to overcome adversities by himself. Gilgamesh is initially despondent, but these adversities eventually give him the strength to grow in wisdom and appreciation. Gilgamesh flourishes from his failures because he can finally understand the meanings of life and death, accept

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

Response to Assignment #3 The story of Gilgamesh is about a man who is transformed from be a prideful king to being a realized king who people centered. Gilgamesh is a man who takes advantage of the women in his city. The men within the city truly hate him because they are unable to defeat him in any of his sporting events. Overall, Gilgamesh was a prideful man who no one can stand up to.

Read More
507 Words | 3 Pages

Gilgamesh was a legendary King from the distant pass. He was looked as a hero because of his travels with Enkidu to the cedar forest to kill its guard, Humbaba. He was famed for his great deeds as a king. He was a anti-hero and a hero in the Mesopotamians eyes. I think that Gilgamesh was a hero because it he has done many epic and risky travels.

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

The figurative language in his soliloquies contributes to the progression of his character within Aristotle’s Tragic Hero Model and illustrates his struggle to reconcile reason and emotion, a theme permeating the play. Hamlet’s struggle to reconcile reason and emotion is apparent in his opinion towards death and how it develops through the play. The first soliloquy establishes Hamlet's grief towards his father's death and Gertrude’s remarriage. This anguish manifests itself in his desire for death; and at the center of this discussion is the legitimacy of suicide, and if life is worth living amidst tragedy. Hamlet wishes “that this too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!”

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Because of his background, decisions, and consequences, one might say Gilgamesh meets the requirements to be a tragic hero. Gilgamesh is of noble birth, being the “son of King Lugalbanda, [and] the goddess Ninsun” (Gilgamesh 71; I). Characters that belong to noble families are the only such characters to ever end up being tragic heroes. Gilgamesh is about as noble as one can be, having a king for a father and a deity for a mother. In addition, he possesses a tragic flaw: arrogance.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

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. Beowulf and Gilgamesh leaderships styles, although very different, do have some similarities. Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh possess great physical strength, and courageousness as leaders of their respective cultures.

Read More
1290 Words | 6 Pages

Gilgamesh abilities in a physical aspect are something that cannot be matches by any other person roaming the earth. In addition to this, Gilgamesh physical appearance is imposing, “his build was perfected by diving Nudimmud … six cubits was his stride … by earthly standards he was the most handsome” (George, 3) and that when he walks, the people of city portrayed him as a wild bull. Gilgamesh is like no other specimen, his physical characteristics and knowledge that he possesses is unlike no other than that of a hero. Along with this, the courageous acts that he portrays helps further drive the point that Gilgamesh is in fact, a

Read More
929 Words | 4 Pages

The main character, Gilgamesh, wants to display his supernatural qualities and physical endurance. He does this by performing courageous acts that people admire. In many ways he acts out of the ordinary in situations in which most of society would not approach or act upon. To introduce the character Gilgamesh, he can be described as a rather large male with an attractive appearance, also two- thirds god and one-third man. Gilgamesh is also the king of a place named Uruk.

Read More
1071 Words | 5 Pages

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

The people of Ancient Mesopotamia believed in many gods. They also believed that there were some people amongst them who were part god part human. Of these people they told many famous stories. One story that we know of now is Herbert Mason’s adaptation of ‘Gilgamesh’. This is the story of a king who lived long ago named Gilgamesh and how he met someone one who made him a much better person.

Read More
1675 Words | 7 Pages

The ghost’s appearance has a significant impact on Hamlet’s behaviors and forms his decisions through the play. Hamlet, who is suffering from depression since he is dealing with his father’s death and the hasty marriage of his mother with Claudius, his uncle, became obsessed with the concept of life and death after seeing his father’s ghost. In the first appearance of the ghost, he reveals the truth about the how the king has been murdered, which drives Hamlet to seek revenge, and by revenge killing his uncle. The ghost establishes a dilemma and gives Hamlet time to think about his father’s request. But Hamlet has an uncertainty about the existence of the ghost as he notes “the spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power T ' assume a pleasing shape” (2.2.561–563) here, Hamlet is concerned that the ghost may be the devil and questions the motivation of the ghost for killing Claudius.

Read More
1156 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the play Hamlet, the main character, is struggling with events that have taken place in his life. His Father has recently died and his Uncle has now married his Mother. With sorrow and pain, Hamlet tries to understand and unravel the aberrant events that have taken place with his family. The events have amended the way Hamlet views death. After his Father’s death, Hamlet questions the afterlife; whether it offers a “peaceful slumber” or an “everlasting nightmare”.

Read More

More about Essay Comparing Hamlet And Gilgamesh

Related Topics

Open Document