Comparative analysis Gilgamesh and Odysseus
Nikki Porter
Hum Cultures 111 (world cultures 1)
Professor Monique Baucham
Strayer University

Comparative Analysis: Gilgamesh and Odysseus
This is a comparative analysis between two hero’s Gilgamesh and Odysseus who are two heroes from two different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the gods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about death and friendship.
Comparative analysis Gilgamesh and Odysseus
This comparative analysis is that of Gilgamesh and Odysseus who were both historical hero’s. Gilgamesh who lived from 2700 BC-2620 BC he died in uruk.
Gilgamesh compared to Odysseus
Gilgamesh, the hero from the epic Gilgamesh, was the historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the river Euphrates in modern Iraq: he lived about 2700B.C. Odysseus, the hero from the epic the Odysseus, was the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca. He was one of the most prominent Greek leaders of the Trojan War. Both of these men were equipped with certain strengths, the difference in their strengths were Gilgamesh had physical, while Odysseus had mental strengths. Gilgamesh was a very self-confident and at times that self-confidence led to him to have little compassion for the people of Uruk at the beginning of the story. He was their king, but not their protector; he killed some of their sons and raped some their daughters. He felt like he was superior to others because of the fact that he was two-thirds god, his mother was a goddess Ninsun and one third human. Because of this, this was the reason behind his actions but also, this is also what make him different in contrast to the hero Odysseus.
Odysseus
Odysseus’s character was also very self-confident and was most known for his cleverness and cunning, and for his eloquence as a speaker. Odysseus was known to be the “hero of a thousand disguises” He was the forever loyal husband, who eyes are fixed on the goal of, returning home. Although he faces great trials, tribulations, and temptations, nothing stands in the way of his ultimate imperative.
Both of the heroes represent godlike mental, physical, and spiritual power to the task of overcoming supernatural enemies. Gilgamesh and Odysseus are both men who have been granted certain strengths, one with physical, while the other one has been granted mental strength. Sometimes there were careful in the decisions they made with the extreme power they possessed, and at other times they were careless.
Gilgamesh and Odysseus had to experience many hardships and make certain mistakes. They seem to find themselves, through life lessons, just like any average man and the fact that Gilgamesh is part god ultimately has no bearing on whether he will live or die. The two heroes are compared as expressions of searches for this meaning of life through knowledge. The two stories are somewhat mirrors of themselves when it comes to that particular theme.
In the end, both of our great heroes, Gilgamesh and Odysseus were subject to the same challenges we face today. We all must go through our own trials and tribulations. We must all make our on journeys through life to find out its meaning. While both of the epics contain both fictional aspects, they also reflect historical aspect and situations you can apply to everyday life. With that being said I will leave you with a passage from Gilgamesh.
You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you Gilgamesh, fill your bell with things: day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man. If life could only be that simple.
References
http://www.utexas/courses/clubmed/gilgamsh.html. http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/ http://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/
The humanities culture, continuity and change third edition Henry M. Saye

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