Compare And Contrast Gilgamesh And Mulan

Published works of art are always found to have similarities with other published pieces. Whether they may be visual or audio, one is bound to find similarities that match their criteria of misery or happiness. This paper is about the similarities found in Mulan that relate to and are applicable to Gilgamesh. The story of Mulan is originally a Ballad. Published by an anonymous author, people assume that Mulan lived in the Northern Wei (386- 534) in the Northern Dynasties Period (386- 581) C.E. in China. Mulan is a girl that grew up in Ancient China. She took it upon herself to disguise herself as a man, and take her father's position in the army due to his advancement of age and fragility. She is accepted into the military as a male warrior.

One outstanding interpretation of both is their willingness to change. Indeed, change does not come easily. Their ability to change is slightly affected by secondary characters such as the following: Enkidu in Gilgamesh, and Mulan's father deteriorating health. This change drives both characters to become completely different, as each of them brings honor to their villages separately. As is described by Mitchell, “The city is his possession, he struts through it, arrogant, his head raised high, trampling its citizens like a wild bull” (72). 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). His goal is to better the world and help everyone including himself to be set free from evil. Traveling to Cedar Forest, while being haunted by nightmares. An interpretation of them is a form of reassurance for Gilgamesh about survival and victory by Lord