Gilgamesh Andd Achilles

Aghamirza Muradzade
21002688

Compare and contrast Achilles and Gilgamesh. Are they villains or heroes?

Two oldest and greatest poems "Gilgamesh" and "The Illiad" begins with description of the protagonist works. Both main characters in the poems are very young, strong, brave, endowed with extraordinary beauty and indomitable energy. Each of them is a model of selfless friendship. We see that in poems the death of a friend pushes both of them to decisive action, leading to the end of poem.

There is no doubt that positive hero should have great physical strength in order to perform miraculous feats. And asking who is the stronger Gilgamesh or Achilles is pointless. They both are equal. Nevertheless, with Gilgamesh can complete only Enkidu, who for this purpose was established by the Council of the Gods. All other heroes are inferior to Gilgamesh, not because he is victorious in the battles with the lions and bulls, it is because he tackled with impossible task. How a person must possess the courage to act alone against the host of supreme gods? Is it comparable to self-will, the determination, the power of Gilgamesh and Achilles? The First is against the will of Gods, the second let to the faint of heart Agamemnon take away his concubine. First with his friend overpowered monster Humbabu and celestial bull, the second comes out the winner in a fight with inferior in strength Trojan, and it was because of the supreme Gods of Achaeans the outcome of the match was a foregone conclusion even though the armor that Achilles wore in the battle was made by Hephaestus. However the main thing is - the first administers the feat in the name of the human race and the second - in the interest of Agagemnon.

As for beauty of Gilgamesh, it is confirmed by his life circumstances. Ishtar is not immediately drew attention to the beauty of Gilgamesh, but in the moment of inner satisfaction after completed feat He washed his matted hair, he cleaned his equipment he shook his hair down over his back. Casting aside his dirty gear he clad himself in clean, wrapped cloaks round him, tied with a sash. Then did Gilgamesh put on his crown.

On the beauty of Gilgamesh Lady Ishtar looked with longing: ' Come Gilgamesh, be you my bridegroom! Grant me your fruits, O grant me! Be you my husband and I your wife!

So we see that do not Gilgamesh be beautiful, God Ishtar would not conceived a passion for him. However good looks of Achilles consists of his youthful appeal, enormous power, extraordinary courage and other qualities of the brilliant warrior who armed with perfect weapon and armor. So I think the image of Gilgamesh much richer and more complex than Achilles in the poems unlike the image of Gilgamesh Achilles is just constant view of epic hero.

Characteristic of his personality begins with the first verse: Gilgamesh who saw the Deep, the country's foundation. who knew.....,was wise in all matters!
The Illiad is also rapidly starts: Rage-Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus's son Achilles
However " The Illiad" poem is not about the anger of Achilles. Most of the Illiad is dedicated to another topic. The main character of it is war not Achilles. Achilles is just a Greek hero of the Trojan war, commander of his people and the greatest warrior in Trojan war. He is like Gilgamesh suffered the death of the closest friends, mitigated his rage and humanize himself through the events of poems, one through war events and another through friendship. However, unlike Achilles, Gilgamesh is present almost in every line of the poem, even where he is not, like as in the days of honey Enkidu with harlot. Moreover, he even involved in an event that happened long before he was born, because he brings us an evidence of Uta-napishti about the flood.

Gilgamesh is a cultural hero, God, tyrant, suffering man, prisoner of the rising civilization with the features of the epic hero. In the poem firstly we see that he wants to much, demand too many from people of Uruk thereby possessing a threat to his people by breaking traditions, and established canons. In the epic we see that Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk whose meaning of life is to serve people even if brutally. Then he found a friend who mitigated his rage and who help him in everything. However, the day when he lost his friend, he again started to kill, break and destroy things. He understood that even though two-thirds of him god, he is mortal and his end will be like the end of his friend - in a coffin. Therefore he decided to get justice, by demanding to share the eternal life with him from the Gods. That is why I think he is great hero who had an impossible goal, who fought with lions, Humbaba, bull of heaven, even stand against the gods, and more importantly he is a tragic hero who suffer a lot, lost his friend and who could not escape from his destiny and achieve his great desire-the immortality.