Comparison of Gilgamesh and Achilles Essay example

Every mythological hero seems to be on a journey in search of the thing he desires most in the world. The two heroes who stood out to me were Gilgamesh, and Achilles. Gilgamesh’s greatest fear was death, while Achilles feared his legacy being lost and forgotten. Technically their desires are different, but their journey share many similarities, and in the end, boils down to the same thing. Each man in his own way, both Gilgamesh and Achilles desired immortality above all else. Though immortality takes on very a different meaning for Gilgamesh, as it does for Achilles, every decision as well as all the sacrifices they make, are based on their fear of death and dying. Gilgamesh’s journey for immortality begins with the death of Enkidu.†¦show more content†¦Then there is Achilles who so greatly feared being forgotten, he went to war knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never return home. Both Gilgamesh and Achilles have a female character that offers wisdom and tries to sway the hero from his foolish journey. Achilles has his mother Thetis who warns him of his impending doom, and tries to convince him to stay in Greece and enjoy his life. It would have been a long and happy life filled with progeny, and he would want for nothing.(2) But she could not sway him from his course. Gilgamesh meets the veiled tavern keeper named Siduri. She warns him that seeking immortality is futile and that he should be satisfied with the pleasures of this world. However, she also fails to turn him away from his purpose.(1) The heroes seem to view a normal mortal life with distain. Even without using modern values when considering the choices, a happy mortal life does not seem like a bad deal. Plus nowhere did it say that their mortal lives would be boring. These men are both kings, they would never need to worry about poverty, and an endless array of beautiful women would eagerly flock to their side. For any rational person weighing the pros and c ons of both sides; face certain death and a life cut short for the chance of immortality. Or live a long and happy life with the certainty of death, I believe mostShow MoreRelatedAn Study Of World History, Word Of Mouth1056 Words   |  5 Pagesthat can be encouraged or circumvented in a Civilization. The stories of Iliad is a story where the Greeks are fighting the Trojans during the troy war. The leaders of the Greeks is Achilles and the leaders of the Trojans is hector. Subsequently, hector and Achilles fight near troy and Achilles kills hector. 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