of Gilgamesh and The Iliad often try and answer this question by showing the various obstacles a hero faces along his or her journey. Although they have different trials to overcome, in the myth “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, translated by N. K Sanders, and in the “Iliad” by Homer, both heroes learned a valuable lesson from their experiences and looked to the gods for help, answering the timeless question of “Why do bad things happen?”. After facing difficult hardships, both Gilgamesh and Achilles overcome
legends. The Sumerian and Greek civilizations bred great warriors, like Gilgamesh and Achilles. Their legacies are exaggerated in tales of fantasy and excitement, written by some of the most skilled writers of all times. Both of their epics portray them as epic heroes, but key events and character traits make them differ. Certain characteristics determine literary characters as epic heroes. One reason Achilles and Gilgamesh are described as the classic examples of epic heroes is that they are both