Gilgamesh vs. Achilles
Gilgamesh Vs. Achilles
Back in the days of ancient Greece and before this time, epic heros have had their lives chronicled and the stories of them passed on from generation to generation, all the way to our present day in our lives. Two of the greatest heros that have been expressed in past epic stories were Gilgamesh from the epic named after him, and Achilles from Homer’s Iliad. The two of their stories however, transpired in two different eras, their lives both had a surprising number of common points. Of course with things in common, there always comes differences, in the way they lived and the ideals they believed in. The first aspect that expresses both Gilgamesh’s and Achilles similarities and differences is divinity. Both Gilgamesh and Achilles are the sons of divine mothers. Gilgamesh a strong warrior in his own right, is two-thirds divine and one-third mortal, he is the son of Ninsun. By Gilgamesh having divine blood it has lent him to have unmatched strength and skill as a warrior. But Gilgamesh instead of accepting the way he was, he saw himself as a full god. He was blinded by his actions and how this view portrayed to his people of Uruk. This caused the people to view Gilgamesh as a god and capable of doing anything; we find out later he was unable to conquer all like he would have hoped to accomplish. Achilles another strong warrior in his own right, was the son of Thetis, he also had divine blood flowing through his body. Achilles however, was well aware of his mortality. As a result of this he choose a shortened life full of glory, over a longer not as glorious life. Well with Achilles realizing his mortality, like Gilgamesh he was given unequal strength and skill as the gods lingered and watched over him, making him a valuable asset to who ever he fought, as well as earning him the respect of both friend and foe. Unlike Gilgamesh who was looked upon for his accomplishments, but still despised for the way he ruled.
Back in the days of ancient Greece and before this time, epic heros have had their lives chronicled and the stories of them passed on from generation to generation, all the way to our present day in our lives. Two of the greatest heros that have been expressed in past epic stories were Gilgamesh from the epic named after him, and Achilles from Homer’s Iliad. The two of their stories however, transpired in two different eras, their lives both had a surprising number of common points. Of course with things in common, there always comes differences, in the way they lived and the ideals they believed in. The first aspect that expresses both Gilgamesh’s and Achilles similarities and differences is divinity. Both Gilgamesh and Achilles are the sons of divine mothers. Gilgamesh a strong warrior in his own right, is two-thirds divine and one-third mortal, he is the son of Ninsun. By Gilgamesh having divine blood it has lent him to have unmatched strength and skill as a warrior. But Gilgamesh instead of accepting the way he was, he saw himself as a full god. He was blinded by his actions and how this view portrayed to his people of Uruk. This caused the people to view Gilgamesh as a god and capable of doing anything; we find out later he was unable to conquer all like he would have hoped to accomplish. Achilles another strong warrior in his own right, was the son of Thetis, he also had divine blood flowing through his body. Achilles however, was well aware of his mortality. As a result of this he choose a shortened life full of glory, over a longer not as glorious life. Well with Achilles realizing his mortality, like Gilgamesh he was given unequal strength and skill as the gods lingered and watched over him, making him a valuable asset to who ever he fought, as well as earning him the respect of both friend and foe. Unlike Gilgamesh who was looked upon for his accomplishments, but still despised for the way he ruled.