Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Iliad, Odyssey, And Epic Of Gilgamesh - 1466 Words

The Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from other individuals. Although their incredible abilities may support the societal perception of strong leadership, their weaknesses caused these characters to hold vices that went against the cultural expectations of what a strong leader should be. Furthermore, they all shared similar experiences in terms of undergoing a difficult situation and changing their approach in an effort for redemption. This paper will be examining the virtues of these epic heroes and the†¦show more content†¦Hector’s pride caused him to be clouded with negative thoughts in his quest for revenge as he brutally slaughtered the Trojans and excessively tortured Hector. Nevertheless, Priam’s sorrow causes Achilles to empathi ze since he could imagine what it would be like if his father had to go through a similar situation like Priam. This change of heart causes Achilles to forgo hatred in exchange for compassion. Although Achilles shows flaws in his character, his heroism even in the brink of death along with this transformative change as a person demonstrates the cultural expectations of strong leadership in terms of taking physical and emotional qualities into strong consideration. In the Odyssey, Odysseus exemplified strong leadership and outstanding noble qualities. Like Achilles, Odysseus carried some flaws at the beginning of the story. A strong case can be made that his biggest flaw as a character was pride as it caused him unnecessary risks that only delayed his journey and possibly endangered his men. This is evidently shown when Odysseus and his crew wander around in Polyphemos cave. After the confrontation with the Polyphemos, Odysseus and his men escaped by stabbing Polyphemos’ in t he eye while he was asleep. Once Odysseus and his men were safe on board on their ship, Odysseus took it upon himself to reveal his true identity and proceeded to taunt Polyphemos. AtShow MoreRelatedSundiata Essay971 Words   |  4 Pages Epics Sundiata was written in Africa. Gilgamesh was the oldest one written. Other works include the Iliad and the Odyssey, which were written by the blind prophet Homer. What do all these works of literature have in common with each other? The similarity that all these works of literature have is that they are all epics. What does this mean? What is an epic? The definition of an epic is that an epic is a long, narrative poem with a hero that goes on a quest. What is the hero? Well, the characteristicsRead MoreThe Epic Of An Epic886 Words   |  4 PagesIn Literature, an epic is defined as a long poem, in which there are one or more heroes. 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This originated from England and writtenRead MoreThe Legacy and Legend of King Arthur and Heroes of Epic Poems: A Comparative Analysis734 Words   |  3 PagesFormerly and Future In many ways, the legacy and legend of King Arthur is in alignment with that of the myriad heroes that came before him in ancient times. These heroes include the likes of Achilles, Gilgamesh, and Beowulf. However, principally due to the fact that King Arthur and his exploits are decidedly more modern than those of the aforementioned heroes, there are certain points of variance between his characterization and deeds and those of the figures that existed in ancient times. Therefore

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