Gilgamesh And Achilles Research Paper

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Gilgamesh and Achilles, Superheroes of the Past Introduction: An epic hero is a legendary character who is somehow related to the Gods, and goes on an adventure that will never be forgotten. All heroes go through many stages; they start off in their ordinary life, and then are called to action in the form of an adventure, they go through many struggles, tests, and ordeals. After they complete their task, they come back with a new attitude and a changed mind. In this paper I will be comparing and contrasting two ancient hero tales: The Epic of Gilgamesh and Achilles, in Homer’s Iliad. Both of these epic stories’ main characters are demi-gods who are fighting intrinsic problems because they don’t feel normal among mortal people; they both…show more content…
The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in 2000 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, or modern day Iraq. It was written on 12 clay tablets in the ancient Akkadian language in cuneiform script. The Epic of Gilgamesh wasn’t even translated into English until 1872. On the other hand, the Iliad was written around 750 BCE in ancient Greece, during the Bronze Age. It was written on paper in ancient Greek language. The Epic of Gilgamesh was written by multiple, ancient, anonymous authors, who we have very little information about. The most complete version of the story was found around 600 BCE where an author or editor signed his name, Sin-Leqi-Unninni. Other than that, we have no idea who the authors actually are. The opposite is true for the Iliad. The author of the Iliad and the story of Achilles is Homer. Homer is a legendary Greek poet who is also the author of the Odyssey. The Epic of Gilgamesh originated from ancient Mesopotamia, there have been many discoveries of the story, but there is only one “complete” story that has been found up to this date. It is written on 11 tablets and a fragment on the 12th one. The language of Akkadian is the Babylonian’s language, which author Sin-Leqi-Unninni must of belonged to. The Iliad came from the Ancient Greek culture from Homer. The Iliad was intended for an audience of ancient Greeks citizens and soldiers. It is said the Iliad was…show more content…
This quote shows that the whole natural world cares about Enkidu, and this passage is the first real connection between the natural world and humans. In the Iliad, Partoclus fights a major battle in Achilles’ armor. He turns the tide of the battle and even kills Zeus’s son Sarpedon. Because Partoclus killed Sarpedon, Zeus kills, Partoclus. “There is nothing alive more agonized than
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