Similarities Between Gilgamesh And The Iliad
Despite being ages and cultures apart, The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Iliad share closely related characters, subjects, and ideas. Gilgamesh is the strong and powerful leader of Uruk who, against the Gods’ will, attempts to salvage immortality for himself. Achilles, the main character in The Iliad, is a mortal struggling with the thought of death and yearns for eternal glory. Interestingly enough, the two epics express similar themes regarding divine intervention, companionship, and pride while attempting to convey the key lesson of inevitable death. Countless times throughout each story, the Gods are portrayed with a sense of unattractive immaturity. While they can often be beneficial, similar to when Shamash, God of the sun, helps Gilgamesh
defeat the guardian of the Cedar Forest (Gilgamesh, 3 l. 166), they can just as easily invoke punishment, nuisance, and obstacles on the characters. The Gods are responsible for the fate of humanity and many times, they don’t appear to agree on what that is. Homer effectively illustrates this in The Iliad during the Trojan War.
defeat the guardian of the Cedar Forest (Gilgamesh, 3 l. 166), they can just as easily invoke punishment, nuisance, and obstacles on the characters. The Gods are responsible for the fate of humanity and many times, they don’t appear to agree on what that is. Homer effectively illustrates this in The Iliad during the Trojan War.