Gilgamesh Culture

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Three Heroes from Three Cultures Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh, Odysseus from The Odyssey and Rama from Ramayana are all considered by today’s society to be examples of epic heroes. Though they all do fit into this broad category, they are by no means identical in their heroism as each character reflects the ideals of their individual culture. Looking at Gilgamesh, we can conclude that the Mesopotamian peoples valued strong friendships and the immortality that comes from fame. Studying Odysseus reveals the importance which the Greeks placed on courageous and violent deeds as well as on a clear and clever mind. In the character of Rama we can see the Indians’ emphasis on deep devotion both to one’s family and to their concept of goodness…show more content…
One similarity which each of these three heroes share is their strong leadership roles and abilities. Not only is each ruler a political leader, but each of them also possess strong leadership qualities in themselves. However, this leadership takes on different forms for each of these three heroes because of the individual cultures which they portray. For Gilgamesh, his public leadership takes on the form of a demanding king who works to build a magnificent city for his citizens to live in, though his concerns are for himself and he cares nothing for the desires of his people. Gilgamesh’s strongest leadership quality is his power of persuasion. Gilgamesh is able to persuade others to follow him not only by the use of his power as king, but also by gaining their admiration and calling upon their pride and sense of duty. This is the way that Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu to help him fight the monster Humbaba, even when Enkidu feels strongly that the idea is foolish. Enkidu points out the uselessness of defying Humbaba, but Gilgamesh shames him into coming along, saying “Here you are, even you, afraid of…show more content…
Gilgamesh experiences his inner struggle when he must come to grips with his own mortality after the loss of his friend Enkidu. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, we read that Gilgamesh weeps bitterly after Enkidu’s death and says “Shall I not die too? Am I not like Enkidu? /Oh woe has entered my vitals! /I have grown afraid of death” (134). Gilgamesh eventually gives up his struggle against death and instead boasts of the work he has done while he is alive; at his final arrival home, he boasts to Ur-Shanabi about the greatness of Uruk, which Gilgamesh has built. Odysseus on the other hand, must struggle to control his fear. Odysseus faces many a terrifying situation in which an attack of panic could mean disaster for himself and his men, but he weathers them all with a cool head. Even when Odysseus must sail past the monster Scylla, whom he knows will take six of his men, he does not panic or even mention this fact to his crew simply because “there was nothing we could do about that” (Homer 472). Rama’s inward struggle is that he must gain control over his grief and self-imposed guilt so that he will be able to use judgement in finding his wife. Soon after he discovers that Sita is missing, Rama laments to Laksmana “No one in the world is guilty of as many misdeeds as I am, O Laksmana: and that is why I am being visited by sorrow upon
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