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The dictionary definition of a hero is “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Now, while all of this is true, a hero can be so much more. A hero can be someone who would risk himself for the better of humanity, get what they need need accomplished done well, be a great leader, know when to do the right thing, and be morally balanced and virtuous.…
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In the cedar forest, Humbaba lay lifeless on the ground, surrounded by the regretful Gilgamesh and the triumphant Enkidu. Before Enkidu was able to convince Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba, Gilgamesh was considering doing the right thing by allowing him to live. However, Gilgamesh succumbed to Enkidu’s persuasion, decided to kill Humbaba, and allowed Enkidu to strike the final blow. Gilgamesh should have listened to his conscience and should not have let Enkidu affect his actions. Enkidu’s persuasion harmfully influenced Gilgamesh’s actions, subsequently having a negative impact on both Humbaba’s and Enkidu’s…
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Even though both Gilgamesh and Enkidu display feminine behaviors they appear to start acting like normal men again. Shamhat the harlot is a character who is responsible to get Enkidu into appear more like a human and less like an animal through sexual intercourse. This was done by Gilgamesh himself to make Enkidu be just like him a human. What most noticeable about this is that the only time in the epic were the gender behaviors and reactions were normal meaning Enkidu acted just like a man and Shamhat acted like a woman. We are told of the process of when the two began to act like how normal relationships are supposed to be in an epic:…
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A hero does something for the greater good of mankind. A hero is courageous and brave in any situation. Beowulf and Irena Sendler a social worker who smuggled over 2,500 Jewish out of harms way put their lives on the line to protect their mankind. While each warriors have their differences both believe in courage and triumphing over evil.…
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The emphasis on the thoughts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu as they traveled to meet Humbaba reveals the nature of courage is to be able to face your fears. During the journey Enkidu worries about how he doesn’t have the strength to protect both himself and Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh tries to calm Enkidu’s worries by saying that it’s ok if they die fighting Humbaba, because if they do then at least they will be remembered for their actions. Gilgamesh also mentions that it is better to be known as the person who died doing something dangerous but corangage rather than be the one who is know for running away from the fight. As a way to make is point on the matter Gilgamesh says he won’t return to the city of Uruk until he has defeated Humbaba unless he…
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In order to fully utilize his utility and power opposite that of Gilgamesh, he had to be lured into civilization with the sexuality of a woman, “Spread out your robe so he can lie upon you, and perform for this primitive the task of womankind!”. Following Enkidu’s transition, there are two important signals reflecting the nature of his change: the reaction of animals to him and the depletion of his body, “But when he turned his attention to his animals, the gazelles saw Enkidu and darted off, the wild animals distanced themselves from his body. Enkidu ... his utterly depleted…
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At first glance, a hero make look invincible as he stands alone: however, a close look at Gilgamesh and Beowulf displays that heroes can only achieve victory when they discover the true power of solidarity. Many of the stories that we have covered so far have included some type of adversity. This makes sense because everything worth sharing in life starts with a struggle. The happy/bad ending at the end and the journey in between is the key to learning and growing. These stories are proof that it is ok to ask for help.…
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Even when Enkidu lived a savage life, he already had a sense of righteousness. He constantly released the animals from the hunter's traps as a way to express his gratitude for their milk. After the priestess transformed him into a civilized human being, he gained "a greater understanding and wisdom" (187). When the shepherds clothed him and nourished him with bread and wine, Enkidu displayed his appreciation by using his weapon "to kill the wolves and lions so the shepherds [could] rest at night" (188). Through slaughtering his former companions for the benefit of those who helped him, Enkidu demonstrated his knowledge of morality. In contrast, Gilgamesh did not understand the importance of respecting others. He interfered "in the lives of his subjects beyond his right as king" (185), which made him a resented individual among his people. As a result, the citizens of Uruk looked to Enkidu as their salvation from Gilgamesh's tyranny.…
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People from Gilgamesh’s kingdom seen him as a hero because outside of the wall there was a wild man who eat peoples’ animals, Gilgamesh came up with a plan, he sent a nice looking woman to tame the wild man who later became Gilgamesh’s friend. Because Gilgamesh was too proud and arrogant with the gods and so they decide to teach him a lesson by sending the wild man, Enkidu, to humble him. So they embark on adventures together. When Enkidu died, Gilgamesh falls into a deep grief and, recognized his own mortality through the death of his friend so he decides to search immortality.…
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First, Gilgamesh and Enkidu balance each other to form a formidable unit because of Gilgamesh’s stray away from tyranny. At the beginning of the story Gilgamesh is scary and omnipotent in Uruk. He sacrifices soldiers whenever he feels like fighting. He has sex with any women he chooses. He even takes whatever he wants from his people and kills anyone who gets in his way. The old men of Uruk start to complain, saying that a king is supposed to protect his…
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In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a partly recollected epic poem about the journey of Uruk’s King, Gilgamesh is forced to fuck confront his fear of death, question his choices and morality, and re-evaluate his own character. Given that he sleeps with newlywed women (Tablet II, Column P, 161) and kills Humbaba only to show his prowess and leave a legacy (Tablet V, Column V, 245), I am very hesitant to even call Gilgamesh a hero at the start. Nevertheless he has moments of self-development and turns himself around by the end of the poem. Enkidu and Humbaba serve to show Gilgamesh his own shortcomings and prime the process of change. The three represent the archetypical struggle…
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Stories have been around since the beginning of time as a way to communicate ideas, past experiences and history passed down from generation to generation. According to the presentation in class a hero story deals with adventures, a fight/quest and a transformation. In the stories of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both characters possess different and similar qualities involving the characteristic of a traditional hero story.…
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A hero is one who is not selfish, but one who sacrifices valuable things, at times even their own lives. A hero will do what no one else dares to do. They stand up in times of crisis, standing up for what they believe in, what they love, others, and themselves. When one does not stand up another person does.…
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The story of Gilgamesh revolves around two characters, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and their adventure throughout the story. Gilgamesh, being the king of Uruk, comes from a civilized background, while Enkidu comes from wilderness and nature. A major event is when Enkidu was introduced to civilization by a Harlot, who stripped naked and aroused the wild Enkidu. Eventually, the wilderness rejected Enkidu after being with the Harlot, forcing Enkidu to join civilization. Another key event is when the goddess of love, Ishtar, tries multiple attempts to win Gilgamesh as her lover, but Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar and chooses to be with a man and continue his journey in the wilderness even after killing the mighty Humbaba. It is as if Gilgamesh rejected…
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In the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh is a tyrant that exploits the people of Uruk. The people of the city were saying, ”He takes the son from his father and crushes him, takes the girl from her mother and uses her, the warrior’s daughter, the young man’s bride, he uses her, no one dares oppose him”(Mitchell, 73), which shows that he felt powerful, invincible and maybe felt untouchable by death at first. As the story progresses, he becomes best friends with Enkidu and they both travel to defeat challenging opponents to make a name for themselves. Gilgamesh wants to be famous amongst all people and remembered as a hero after his death, he tells Enkidu. "I will set up my name in the place where the names of famous men are written"…
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