Iliad and Epic of Gilgamesh Topic Exploration
Topic Exploration
In the great works of literature The Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh there is one theme that stood out to me the most. This is the theme of heroism. In each of these stories a hero is shown in many different characters, but they all have some similarities. It also depends on the reader who is interpreting the story. For instance for me in The Epic of Gilgamesh both Enkidu and Gilgamesh could be considered heroes. Many times in ancient Greek stories the typical definition of a hero is to be strong, brave and courageous but they both possessed a friendship, which was very courageous also. In The Iliad Hector is the stand out hero in the story. Even though he is not the biggest and strongest warrior his motives are what make him a hero. He is not only devoted to the Trojans but he is devoted to his family. Hector shows courage and bravery in battle and also has the right intentions.
In considering these two readings The Epic of Gilgamesh was a lot easier for me to read than The Iliad. If a story looses me or doesn’t catch me right away it is very difficult for me to read. I believe that is what was hard for me in the Iliad. The way the story started off in the middle of the war, it took me awhile to figure out the characters and the storyline. In The Epic of Gilgamesh the story was very laid out. I did enjoy reading both of the stories but The Iliad was a big struggle for me. What surprised me in both of the readings is my judgment of characters. For instance in The Epic of Gilgamesh after the way Gilgamesh started story it was really hard for me to like him. Even though he did good acts in the end it was very hard for me to set that. Overall I did enjoy both after I understood the story
In the great works of literature The Iliad and The Epic of Gilgamesh there is one theme that stood out to me the most. This is the theme of heroism. In each of these stories a hero is shown in many different characters, but they all have some similarities. It also depends on the reader who is interpreting the story. For instance for me in The Epic of Gilgamesh both Enkidu and Gilgamesh could be considered heroes. Many times in ancient Greek stories the typical definition of a hero is to be strong, brave and courageous but they both possessed a friendship, which was very courageous also. In The Iliad Hector is the stand out hero in the story. Even though he is not the biggest and strongest warrior his motives are what make him a hero. He is not only devoted to the Trojans but he is devoted to his family. Hector shows courage and bravery in battle and also has the right intentions.
In considering these two readings The Epic of Gilgamesh was a lot easier for me to read than The Iliad. If a story looses me or doesn’t catch me right away it is very difficult for me to read. I believe that is what was hard for me in the Iliad. The way the story started off in the middle of the war, it took me awhile to figure out the characters and the storyline. In The Epic of Gilgamesh the story was very laid out. I did enjoy reading both of the stories but The Iliad was a big struggle for me. What surprised me in both of the readings is my judgment of characters. For instance in The Epic of Gilgamesh after the way Gilgamesh started story it was really hard for me to like him. Even though he did good acts in the end it was very hard for me to set that. Overall I did enjoy both after I understood the story