A Wise King Or A Foolish Hero? Gilgamesh is a character that evolves throughout the epic of Gilgamesh. Throughout the first half of the epic, Gilgamesh is depicted as courageous and heroic on a quest of terror with his great companion Enkidu. In the end after accepting that he too will have to die and be subject to fate, Gilgamesh settles back into his city setting, only this time to be a wise king rather than the foolish hero he once was. Gilgamesh’s character is something a reader might question after reading the first half of the epic, because Gilgamesh is forceful and acts as if he answers to no one.
Divinity In the epic of Gilgamesh divinity is defined by the presence of the gods and their actions in the epic. In the beginning of the epic it is clear that is a man who is self-centered and is focused on what is in the best interest of him and his place in the universe. The first presence of divinity from the gods in shown from the prayers of people that lived in uruk because of Gilgamesh rule of the kingdom from him raping women to just bullying people. The gods reacted from the people’s prayers which are a great sign of divinity for being loyal to the people that were praying to them and answering their prayers and creates Enkidu (Gilgamesh Tab.1 65-110) which is created by the goddess of birth to be a reflection of the King Gilgamesh. His creation was a result of the cries to the Gods for bad leadership and power of King Gilgamesh.
In Greek mythology there are a many stories that depict warriors that go out on these dangerous quests willing to sacrifice themselves and do whatever it takes for the goodness of mankind, completing extraordinary tasks that would be impossible for any mere man or woman to accomplish. Author and academic Lewis R. Farnell tells us “a hero in Greek religion is considered a famous person, who after his death, was worshiped as quasi-divine.” Which means one of the major elements that define a Greek hero is the way he is worshipped after death by the people he saved sacrificing himself in the process. Farnell also tells that the people worshipped the brave heroes in a different way to how they would attend and pray for the dead, differentiating the rituals heroes and mere men would receive, “In hero worship, as in the worship of all infernal powers, rituals were performed at night, black animals were sacrificed, and blood and other liquid offerings were poured beside the hero's tomb.” When we talk about Heroes in Greek mythology especially, they are usually accompanied by a number of different personal qualities and characteristics, the is always the protagonist in the myth fighting for justice and freedom against tyranny and showed great courage, strength, confidence and bravery when all things seemed to be hopeless and lost, which expressed a number of moral values. A Greek hero is usually half mortal half god (demi-god) where one of the parents would be mortal and the other divine. These traits are evident in the story of Perseus, one of the oldest and most celebrated heroes in Greek mythology, as we are told by Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, Perseus was a demi-god because he was son of Zeus and Danae princess of Argos, “Then
This puts a great set back in his journey. Odysseus does care a lot for his wife, Penelope, but he should have been thinking about her more while he was living in the lap of luxury with Circe. When he was relaxing, his wife was still back at Ithaca patiently awaiting his return. Odysseus should not have been so prideful and proud of the victory of turning his men back to humans from animals. Thinking he
The Roles of Zeus and Poseidon in The fate of the epic heroes in The Odyssey is influenced profoundly by the functions of Zeus and Poseidon. Throughout The Odyssey the function of Zeus is being a mentor whereas Poseidon’s function is being the nemesis of the epic hero Odysseus throughout his ten year journey back home from the Trojan War to his wife Penelope and son Telemakhos in Ithaka. The anthropomorphic gods represent both antagonists and protagonists in that they either assist or thwart the epic hero Odysseus directly and indirectly along with determining the fates of mortal men in the process. The gods in The Odyssey reflect ancient Greek cultural values and anxieties in the process of determining the fate of the epic hero, and for the reason they assist or thwart the epic hero through his troublesome encounters in route back to Ithaka. The gods assist and favor those heroes who uphold their values, but they also hinder them with tribulations when they show lack of regards for their values.
Yet even if they have unbelievably amazing powers and immortality, the gods have self-esteem issues. The gods fear of being forgotten has them constantly threatening the lives of others. In book 13 of the text, Odysseus, the great King of Ithaca, has returned home and Poseidon, the sea god, has caught of that news. He is angry and
The eyes of the gods watch carefully over all of Thebes, a city cupped in the hands of Fate. Those trying to jump out from those hands plunge to their death into the dark abyss below. In traditional Greek lifestyle, no one dared to challenge the gods and their infinite power, in fear of being smitten to Hades. However, there are, on occasion, holes in which the gods’ intimidation leaks through – this case being Oedipus and his true parents. Attempting to change the prophecy proved to be in vain, for obvious reasons.
From Trojan to Roman In Virgil’s The Aeneid, Aeneas, the story’s main character, transitions from being a Trojan warrior into the leader of the Romans. Aeneas has his journey set out in front of him and the gods have chosen him to lead because of his many virtues. He is a leader, he possesses obedience to the gods, and he puts his family first. Aeneas is fearful of the outcome of such a long hard quest as traveling to Italy. Yet, he faces his fears head on, as the Trojans are in a battle to stay alive during a violent storm caused by the jealous goddess Juno.
A hero is someone who will risk his life to protect others. A hero is brave, courageous and strong. Yet a hero also has weaknesses. Odysseus is a hero that has to leave his family to fight in the Trojan War, he has a clever idea and with the help of a god, the war ended. However, he insults Poseidon because he didn’t say thanks to him.
Telemakhos In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos, embarks on a journey to find information of his lost father. Being the heir to the throne of Ithaka, it is understood by the rest of society that Telemakhos’ behavior should match that of his father’s. However, Telemakhos does not mature into a man worthy of comparison to Odysseus by the end of The Odyssey. Only with the help of the people and gods around him does Telemakhos embark on his journey and return safely. The first chapter of The Odyssey is called “A Goddess Intervenes,” and rightfully so.