Examples Of Leadership In The Odyssey

Another epic in which leadership is seen as a key theme is in Gilgamesh. In contrast to The Odyssey, Gilgamesh portrays bad leadership. Gilgamesh is a selfish, rude, and self-centered person at the beginning of the epic. He does things for his own good and satisfaction; some might even say he isn’t a leader at all. As stated earlier, courage is another important aspect of leadership. It is obvious that Gilgamesh is courageous considering that he went on a long journey with Enkidu and fights the dangerous beast in the forest that nobody has ever had the courage to do. However, when it comes to other qualities that a leader must posses, Gilgamesh does not have what it takes to be a leader. One of Gilgamesh’s seems to be immoderation. He is the

After Enkidu arrives, Gilgamesh starts to rule with violence and selfishness. For example, he forces labor, increases violence with war, and indulges himself in the pleasures of life by raping women who are already married, even women married to nobles and kings (Spark notes). All of the examples above emphasize how Gilgamesh portrays bad leadership. He acts upon his own desires, and does things for his own good. Whereas, the definition of leadership states that one must put another’s well being before their own. On the contrary, readers see that as the epic proceeds Gilgamesh starts to learn and grow from his journey, as well as the friendship and death of his brother and companion Enkidu. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh says, “How can I keep quiet? How can I stay silent? The friend, whom I loved, has turned to clay… Shall I not be like him, and lay down as well, never to rise again, through all of eternity”? As can be seen above by the quote, it can be concluded that Gilgamesh has developed a sense of love and respect for Enkidu, and hopefully for other human beings as well. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes into a state of not only depression, but also confusion because of the loss of his loved