The Heroic Ideal in the Narratives of Gilgamesh and Odysseus
This 6-page undergraduate paper considers the heroic ideal of the characters Gilgamesh and Odysseus, who appear in the epic poems, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Homer’s The Odyssey, respectively. This essay argues that Gilgamesh and Odysseus can tell us much about heroic ideals. The two men are very similar in many ways, as they are both strong, noble-born, and individualistic men who embark on quests which test them. They both survive their journeys by using their abilities as well as supernatural interventions or powers. For Gilgamesh and Odysseus, heroic values rest in masculine nobility and action. However, Gilgamesh symbolizes a compassionate masculine heroism which is concerned with establishing community, while Odysseus embodies masculine heroic ideals of egotism, activity, wile, and individualism.
