Epic Heroes: Gilgamesh and Achilles

Hector was distained to death before his pride took place, however he often over talked his abilities in a haughty way, and this contributated to his death. As Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Homer uses Hector and Achilles, along with others, to inspire readers to be rightous, humble, and respectful.

An Unconventional Hero According to Greek mythology, a hero is one who values glory above life itself and honorably dies in the battle during his prime period of his life. After the gods and demi-god of Greece, heroes probably are the most admirable figures in society. However, Odysseus seems to defy the conventional definition of a hero. He is overwhelmed with tremendous obstacles and difficulty, often beyond that a normal man could endure but he determines to stay alive rather than die young. Achilles states in Book 11 “I’d rather be a hired hand back on earth…, | Than lord it over all these withered dead”(Odyssey 11.510-512).

Out of rage, he takes advantage of his supernatural lineage and requests that his mother, Thetis, sway Zeus in favor of Trojans. Agamemnon alone offended Achilles by insulting him and confiscating his war prize, yet Achilles’ rage cost the entire greek army “incalculable pain, pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades dark” (1.3-4). Hector’s actions in Book VI show him to be a selfless hero. Unlike Hercules, who concerns himself with the gods when they assist his desire for timé, Hector reveres the gods. He refuses to pour a libation to honor Zeus with hands covered in dirt and blood blood.

The Immortal Heroes of Homer’s Iliad In Homer’s Iliad, a warrior can only attain heroism and immortality by embracing an early death. Jean-Pierre Vernant describes this paradox in his essay, “A ‘Beautiful Death’ and the Disfigured Corpse in Homeric Epic.” According to Vernant, heroes accept the fact that life is short and “devote themselves completely and single-mindedly to war, adventure, glory, and death” (53). 1 Curiously, this is because heroes overcome death only when they embrace it (57). The importance of death stems from the fact that the individual is defined by his reputation and esteem among others, as Vernant points out when he argues that . .

Both of these men were granted certain strengths, Gilgamesh had physical, while Odysseus had mental strengths. Gilgamesh was a very self confident and at times that self confidence led to him to have little compassion for the people of Uruk at he beginning of the story. He was their king, but not their protector; he kills their sons and rapes their daughters. He felt like he was superior to others due to the fact that he was two-thirds god, his mother was a goddess Ninsun and one third human. This fact is the key to all of his actions.

It is obvious that Achilles was an amazing warrior, but the question still remains of whether or not Achilles resembles a typical Greek hero based on r... ... middle of paper ... ...eople knew that Achilles was the greatest warrior of their time, and he didn’t have to do much other than be himself to prove that. Also, trips to the Underworld are often common in hero’s myths, yet even when Achilles died by an arrow to the heel (the only weak part of him), there was no mention of him traveling to the Underworld. Achilles, as mentioned before, was also a-typical due to his parents being both mortal and immortal. Overall, I feel that the story of Achilles was not typical, as he was a unique and original warrior, although he did reflect some of the reoccurring motifs that are common in Greek mythology, as most myths do. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/achilles.html http://mythagora.com/bios/achilles.html http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/motif http://mythagora.com/bios/achilles.html

Hector does not act like a child in difficult situations like Achilles does, but he acts like a mature man. Along with Hector being a good person, he is also a great warrior on top of all that. The modern world needs somebody they can look up to who acts in a positive way. Hector never turned against his own country like Achilles did when he wanted Zeus to be on the Trojan’s side (Homer 13). The people in ancient times chose Achilles rather than Hector merely because Achilles is an outstanding warrior and he is part god.

Athena, the god of wisdom, chose to aid in Odysseus’ journey because of his abilities to quickly think of a clever plan that succeeds in saving not only himself but his crew every time. Odysseus is the most famous of the ancient Greek heroes, and for very good reasons. Odysseus is both strong and extremely clever and is able to continuously use his brains to manipulate others into falling for every plot he concocts. The comparative incompetence of the other characters in The Odyssey served very well to highlight his true greatness, allowing him to be remembered for so many years and for many more to come.

Being born a demigod, he exemplifies the power and leadership of the gods before him (The History Channel, 2014). Of course, he also shows leadership in his moral decisions during the war against the Trojans. This is shown by his sense of grief and mercy when he is faced with the Trojan king, Priam (Fiero, 84). Achilles is also very moral in the way that he strictly follows the rules of the gods. While his story occurred so many years ago, his legacy has come to influence many people in today’s age.

Without them, Aeneas would not be the hero he is. This gift does not come without a price, though; he must endure the things heroes endure to become what they are. Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor. Aeneas is the son of Venus. This fact alone brings about much of the hero in him.