This shows that the gods are doing something to benefit one candidate (people), but in the other hand it’s going to hurt Gilgamesh in a way they weren’t expecting. Enkidu was created to correct Gilgamesh, but he ends up becoming Gilgamesh’s best friend which angered the gods. Gods live by their own laws and frequently behave as emotionally and irrationally as children. Piety is important to the gods, and they expect obedience and flattery whenever possible. One could ask the gods for guidance or help and they were often helpful, but angering them is sheer madness—and a character’s revere... ... middle of paper ... ...s up a mirror to the king's own violent and impulsive misadventures, and the epilogue and prologue of the epic both suggest that he took it to heart.
From his compassion, his respect and his leadership qualities, Gilgamesh creates a memorable mark in the vicinity of the people of Uruk. He is an exemplary figure who challenges other leaders in their ability to take risks. Whether or not he would find immortality did not depend on him but he took a leap of faith to know his fate and that of his people. The truth sometimes requires bravery as in his case. Therefore, Gilgamesh stands out as an impressive character in the text.
Yet, when provided the divine wisdom, Oedipus rejects it and creates his own wisdom. He feels he is above the gods and anything foolish enough to get in his way. However, this incident is not the last time Oedipus’s arrogance rears its ugly head. For instance, he accuses Creon of plotting to kill him with no proof. After his violent argument with Teiresias, Oedipus summons Creon to confront him about his plot to over throw him.
Secondly, he proves that at any given time he could be deceived, such is the case with realistic dreams. Further, Descartes is able to doubt absolutely everything since it cannot be ruled out that “some malicious demon … has employed all his energies in order to deceive me” (15). The malicious demon not only causes Descartes to doubt God, but also sends him “unexpectedly into a deep whirlpool which tumbles me around so that I can neither stand on the bottom or swim on the top”(16). Descartes has reached the point where he must begin to rebuild by searching for certainty. In the second meditation, Descartes is searching for an Archimedian point on which to seed a pearl of certainty.
This is the hubris that one has when he boasts about how he gets out of a dangerous situation that he has gotten himself into. The second type of hubris is arrogance. This is when one does something simply to be able swagger about being able to achieve something. On the island of the Kyklopes, Odysseus demonstrates disdain when offered an apology from Kyklops. In reply to Kyklops sincere apology and offer to become friends, Odysseus responds with, “If I could take your life I would and take/ your time away, and hurl you down to hell!/ The god of earthquake could not heal you there!” (IX, 571-574).
But my warrior spirit did not listen. So, anger in my heart, I yelled again: ‘Cyclops, if any mortal human being asks about the injury that blinded you, tell them Odysseus destroyed your eye, a sacker of cities, Laertes’ son, a man from Ithaca.” N.p., n.d. Web. This passage is a sign of Odysseus’s hubris because he tells Polyphemus his name just to be well known for his accomplishment. Odysseus knows that if Polyphemus knows his name it means nothing but trouble but he doesn’t care because his arrogance takes over and the thought of being the almighty warrior who slayed Polyphemus than take care of his crew and get home safe.
Following their respective battles, both men sought glory, and their actions further angered the Gods. Odysseus could have escaped the cyclops after sneaking out and left Polyphemus thinking his name was no man. Odysseus’ need for fame would not allow him to do so; he yelled out “my name is Odysseus” to the cyclops who then told his father, Poseidon. Poseidon put a curse on Odysseus for blinding his son. Following his battle with Humbaba, Gilgamesh ignored his pleas for mercy and killed the beast.
Because he denied Ishtar, this further shows how Gilgamesh is immature and not ready to accept his responsibilities as king by marrying Ishtar. As a result of her denial, Ishtar requests from her father Anu to send down the Bull of Heaven. His denial in taking part of the sacred marriage ceremony and his eagerness to disrespect and dishonor the gods ' wishes to punish his city of Uruk exhibits Gilgamesh 's fault in taking up his role as king. Gilgamesh took this opportunity to slay the Bull of Heaven to, again, have another event to add to his repertoire of heroic deeds. He arrogantly completed these heroic acts of the killing of Humbaba and the killing of the Bull of Heaven.
Ahab places all of his hate on the whale, whom is later referred to as Moby Dick, because he lost a leg to him. He thinks that Moby Dick represents all of the hatred and evil in the world, and that he must go and destroy it. Yet, he is fully responsible for his own death due to the fact that he overlooked the warning signs that Nature and God provided for him, lacked communication between him and his shipmates, and preferred to be isolated from the crew in order to fuel his monomaniac conscience to put Moby Dick to his death. Because Ahab is the captain of the ship, he assumed that he ultimately had higher authority than God. God, in his mind, was in the wrong, by letting Moby Dick “dismember” (Melville 161) him; leading into Captain Ahab’s growing fixation with the beast.
This is another example of his tragic flaws, pride. When Oedipus vows to do everything in his power to find Laius’ killer, the leader of the chorus advises Oedipus that no one knows the identity of the murderer, and that the god Apollo should name him to the people. Oedipus replies "to force the gods to act against their will- no man has the power. "(320) He has called on the blind seer who knows what the god Apollo sees. It is ironic that Tiresias can "see" what Oedipus can not though he suffers of old age and physical blindness.