A Comparison Of Gilgamesh And Sir Gawain

Often, literature is based on several heroes and their adventures. Most especially, the epic stories symbolize different countries, nations, and cultures. The authors usually shape the characteristics of these stars and profile their unique techniques of writing as well as their imaginative power. Gilgamesh is one of the most known heroes, whose character was developed in the famous “Epic of Gilgamesh” as the strongest of men, a fair judge, a brave warrior, and an ambitious builder who built the magnificent walls of Uruk to protect its people. On the other hand, there are some undesirable characteristics that he possesses such as selfishness, and arrogance mostly brought about by the fact that he is part human and part god. He is characterized

Gilgamesh proves his heroism by doing daring things with the aim of being famous while Sir Gawain does daring things like battling the green knight to act as a service to King Arthur. When Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu went to slay Humbaba the god, Gilgamesh was telling Enkidu, “but if I do this, even if I fail, they will still say I died a hero’s death” (Grundy 42). Another similar characteristic is that both Gilgamesh and Sir Gawain are loyal. Gilgamesh demonstrates loyalty to his friend Enkidu such that when he dies, Gilgamesh is grief-stricken that he tries to do the impossible simply to bring his friend back to life. On the other hand, Sir Gawain is loyal to King Arthur such that he prefers to fight the Green Knight just so to save the life of his

Being brave is one fundamental element of becoming a hero and it is a condition that is expected from all heroic characters. In both the tale and the poem, Gilgamesh and Sir Gawain are identified as brave individuals. In the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” Gilgamesh shows courage when he sees lions on the mountain. He only shields his eyes for a moment then “he takes courage and approaches,” and draws his sword and “fall upon them like an arrow from the string, and strikes, and destroys, and scatters them” (Grandy 37). In the poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” displays Sir Gawain in a confident manner. In line 2274-2280, the Green Knight challenges anyone to come forth and strike him with an ax. Nobody except Sir Gawain accepts the challenge to save King Arthur. Besides, this bravery is also evident in the conversation between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as he answered, “Enough! I will not flinch when you hack” (Borroff 81). The reply indicates the bravery on the part of Sir Gawain, who does not move despite the attempts by the Green Knight to chop his head