Gilgamesh and Achilles are famous heroes from ancient epics of Mesopotamian and Greek cultures, respectively. The traits of each hero reveal clues as to their cultural ideals. The two characters share a sense of pride and a need for glory, but they differ in that Gilgamesh’s top quality is his strength where as Achilles’ is his fighting ability.
Gilgamesh and Achilles are both mortal, but they differ in their key qualities. Gilgamesh has superior physical strength; this is his main heroic quality. He is also courageous and quick-witted. Achilles, on the other hand, is a proficient warrior. The reader learns that he has won against many Trojans, and he has also detained many Trojan women. However, it seems that while he murdered and kidnapped people, he did so with relative respect. A sound example of this is when Achilles killed Andromache’s father: afterwards he ensured that he had a decent funeral.
Gilgamesh and Achilles both share a strong sense of pride and want for glory. Gilgamesh is a very proud character, which could be seen as a positive attribute, but at times it leads him to make questionable decisions. Perhaps because of his pride, of central importance to Gilgamesh is that he is remembered after death. The following section shows Gilgamesh boasting that the imminent battle will ensure his everlasting fame:
“If I should fall, my name will be secure. ‘It was Gilgamesh who fought against Huwawa!
It is Gilgamesh who will venture into the Forest and cut down the Cedar down and win the glory.
My fame will be secure to all my sons’” (Gilgamesh 17).
Like Gilgamesh, Achilles is also very proud and driven by glory. Achilles is stuck between two choices, neither of which is ideal. He can return home from Troy and potentially live for a long time, but without any glory. Alternatively, he can stay in Troy and fight for significant glory, but he will not live as long:
“Either, if I stay here and fight beside the city of Trojans,
my return home is gone, but my glory shall be everlasting;
but if I return home to the beloved land of my fathers,
the excellence of my glory is gone, but there will be a long life
left for me, and my end in death will not come to me quickly” (Homer 9.410-416).
Achilles also has some personality traits that cause problems. He is prone to disproportionate anger. An example of this anger is in Book 1, when he fights Agamemnon after Agamemnon suggests he may steal his girlfriend. The fight becomes so fierce that Agamemnon would have been killed if Athene hadn’t intervened.
The qualities of Gilgamesh and Achilles reveal a lot about Mesopotamian and Greek cultural ideals. While Mesopotamian culture seemed to value physical strength, Greek culture seemed to prefer fighting proficiency. Both cultures also rate pride and self-confidence.
Gilgamesh and Achilles are interesting characters to examine, largely because they symbolize their cultures of the time. The two heroes share the qualities of pride and courage. They differ slightly in that Gilgamesh’s strength is his chief quality, whereas Achilles’ is his fighting ability. These qualities appear to signify the desired attributes in their respective cultures and times.
Works Cited
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Clarendon Press. Oxford. 2700 BC. Print.
Homer. The Iliad. 762 BC. Simon and Schuster. Print.
