Similarities Between Roland, Aeneas, And Gilgamesh In The Song Of Roland

What Makes a Hero?

The characters Roland, Aeneas, and Gilgamesh are similar in that they possess the principal qualities of an epic hero. What makes an epic hero is an individual who is, righteous, gallant, impressive in war, an advocate for his society, and has impacted history in some way. In The Song of Roland, Roland transpires as a hero as his deeds are motivated by his gallantry and dedication to the ruler. He represents the good in the epic’s theme: good versus evil. The evil is embodied by Ganelon, Roland’s stepfather who is responsible for his death. Roland is one of the strongest warriors in King Charlemagne's military. He is a courageous and daring soldier who is unafraid to fulfill and carry out his obligations.
He is a hero in the end as he steers the Trojans to conquer. The story closes with the death of Aeneas, “with a groan for that indignity his spirit fled into the gloom below.” Aeneas dies a hero having fulfilled his mission and duty of founding Rome. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, even though Gilgamesh is egotistic and self-centered, he proves to be a hero while on his mission to discover eternal life. Different from Roland and Aeneas, Gilgamesh was born one-third human and two-third god. He felt that he was superior to everyone else. Arrogance was one of his flaws that also made him different from other epic heroes. During his journey to find immortality, Gilgamesh is unaware that the gods were observing him from above. Throughout his adventures he endures many obstacles. One of his obstacles is battling the giant Humbaba; Gilgamesh uses his might and conquers the giant. “He took the axe in his hand, he drew the sword from his belt, and he struck Humbaba with a
He quits his mission without putting up a fight till the very end. Roland, on the other hand, fought until his life’s end, staying true to his nation, his emperor, and his Christian faith. He would sacrifice his life before he would ever walk away from his duty. Aeneas completed all of his tasks and conquered his homeland Rome. Not once did he throw in the towel or go running back to Dido, the woman he loved. When the gods give Gilgamesh opportunities to obtain everlasting life, he falls short at both chances. When the test of going without sleep for a week comes, Gilgamesh fails miserably. This was the first challenge Gilgamesh was unable to achieve. This taught him that he does not need to overpower to be powerful. When given a second chance at immortality, he is unsuccessful in his task to protect the secret plant when a serpent steals it from his possession. He decides to quit his journey after his failure to find immortality and return home. Even though Gilgamesh could not find eternal life, it was discovered through his legend which he carved into stone. While The Epic of Gilgamesh will continue to be told to future generations, he will forever be celebrated as a wonderful king and hero who created the sturdy walls of Uruk. He recognizes that he will eventually die, a concept