User:Lindseybrowder/sandbox

Lindsey Browder

Dr. Paige Paquette

ENG 2205

November 14, 2017

Epic Heroes

Epic poems and stories usually involve one or more characters that are characterized as great heroes. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both possess awe-inspiring qualities that we have marveled over for centuries. Likewise, Ulysses and Penelope from The Odyssey are constructed with much dignity and honorable traits. These heroes are defined by their choices and limitations and have to live with the consequences.

Gilgamesh was a mighty warrior and ruler. He was very brave, having little to no fear. He sought out many battles just to prove his power. Gilgamesh fought beasts much more powerful than himself and displayed much eagerness to do so. Even after much warning, he still decided to seek out the great Humbaba that guarded over the Forest of The Cedars. Some might call that bravery, some might call it arrogance. Whichever, he headed into the forest and defeated his opponent with the help of his sidekick, Enkidu.

There was no more loyal of a friend than Gilgamesh. Once he befriended Enkidu, they were joined at the hip. They fought along side each other for many years. Gilgamesh became quite found of Enkidu and always made sure to incorporate him into his affairs. After Enkidu's passing, Gilgamesh was grief stricken beyond his own comprehension. He promised a great funeral and personal mourning. "Friend, I will give you a magnificent funeral...while I myself for your sake will cover myself in dust, and I will put on the skin of a lion and range over the desert." This loss of his dearest companion lead to his quest for immortality.

Great strength is another trait that Gilgamesh is known for. He was part God and part human. This divinity gave him strength no mere mortal could posses. "It is his strength that is the greatest the length and breadth of the county, like to a double of Anu's own self, his strength is enormous." This characteristic allowed him to rule over the country of Uruk with no real opposition. But, he also used his mighty strength to take back the country from the terror that had encompassed it for many years.

Although he was so heroic, Gilgamesh made many decisions that were risky. He chose to befriend a man that had previously lived among the wild animals. This friendship grew to be very tight knit and beneficial to both himself and to Uruk. He could have easily chosen to cast Enkidu out and gone about his ways of terrorizing the country. Also, Gilgamesh chose to deny advances from Lady Ishtar. Had he not detested her, Enkidu would not have perished because of defeating the great Bull of Heaven she had sent to attack them.

Enkidu was also a great hero. He was described as enormously strong by the hunter who discovered him in the woods. This was intimidating and caused the hunter great troubles. "The pits which I myself hollowed with my own hands he has filled in again, and the traps that I set are torn up, and out of my clutches he has helped all the cattle escape." This strength also helped Enkidu fight alongside Gilgamesh in many battles.

He was an incredibly faithful friend. Enkidu remained beside Gilgamesh until his own passing after slaying the great Bull of Heaven. In the beginning, he was not fond of the way Gilgamesh treated his people. Enkidu was able to contend Gilgamesh in a scuffle and proved his strength. This amazed Gilgamesh because he had never known of anyone that could rival him. Out of amazement they grew to be close friends. Enkidu would stay right beside Gilgamesh and help him to the bitter end.

There were choices that Enkidu made that could have easily changed the direction of his life. He could have easily never given into Shamhat. However, then he would have never met Gilgamesh or gotten to know the ways of man. He could have seen how despicable Gilgamesh treated others and chosen to go back into the wilderness instead of challenge him. His decision to stay lead him to live a life full of honor and camaraderie.

The Odyssey also had many heroes. Ulysses the Great is one of them. He was very intelligent and quick thinking. He lead his men into a great war in Troy by hiding inside of a huge statue of a horse. Talk about a surprise attack! Also, he was able to come up with a clever name for himself as a disguise to the Cyclops Polyphemus. "'Cyclops, you ask my name and I will tell it to you; give me, therefore, the present you promised me; my name is Noman; this is what my father and mother and my friends have always called me.'" This trickery allowed for the other Cyclops to not be alarmed by Polyphemus shouting that Noman was killing him.

Ulysses was also very loyal to his wife and his men. He had been away from his wife for many years and still longed for her daily. While on the island of Calypso he would sit by the shore and weep all day for his wife, Penelope. His main focus was finding his way home to her once he had become lost at sea. Ulysses was also loyal to his men. He never left them behind. After hearing some sinister tales by one of his men, Elpenor, that appeared to him from the underworld, he went back to the Aeaean Island to bury his body. "I sent some men to Circe's house to fetch the body of Elpenor. ...after we had wept over him and lamented him we performed his funeral rites."

Ulysses choices shaped the way in which his journey progressed. For example, he could have found another way to escape the Cyclops, Polyphemus, without blinding him. This would have prevented the sea-god Neptune from getting so angry about his son being wounded. Therefore, saving Ulysses and his men from the added struggles at sea Neptune placed in their path. Also, upon his entrance back into Ithica, he could have shown himself and proven his identity. Instead, he chose to wait in disguise as a beggar. This was very smart! This disguise allowed him to challenge Penelope's suitors and surprise attack them with his bow. Otherwise he might have had an overwhelming and outnumbered battle.

I would classify Penelope as another hero from The Odyssey. She was patient and very devoted. She waited for her husband's return home from the Trojan War for 20 years. There were many suitors that attempted to take his place, but she never gave in to them. She would have rather died alone than to marry another man. Her devotion and amount of patience is outstanding.

Penelope is also a clever and cunning woman. She finds smart ways to deter her suitors. One of her tricks is getting the suitors to attempt to string the bow of Ulysses and send an arrow through 12 ax heads. However, this was a special bow that only Ulysses himself could string. "I will bring out the mighty bow of Ulysses, and whomsoever of you shall string it most easily and send his arrow through each one of twelve axes, him will I follow and quit this house of my lawful husband, so goodly, and so abounding in wealth." Another trick that Penelope used to occupy her suitors was making a burial shroud for Ulysses and undoing her progress each night. She was able to do this for three years before someone told on her. "I used to keep working at my great web all day long, but at night I would unpick the stitches again by torch light." (Homer)

Although Penelope was very smart and careful, she could have easily made different decisions that altered her path in life. Obviously, she could have not waited around for Ulysses and chosen a new husband. This would have been the easiest choice for her and saved her many lonely years. However, her devotion was strong enough to keep her hoping for his return. Penelope must not be an easy-way-out kind of lady. I think her choice to wait patiently really makes her my hero.

All of these epic heroes have a few similar traits. It seems as though strength, loyalty, and intelligence are key characteristics for any epic hero or heroine. They all have to face their own battles, both internal and external. Also, they are uniquely separated by the choices they have chosen to make. Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ulysses, and Penelope surely fit this description. They have all had an incredible life that we can learn from.

= Works Cited = Homer. "The Odyssey." Compact Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Laura Getty and Kyounghye Kwon. University of North Georgia Press, n.d. 237-340.

"The Epic of Gilgamesh." Compact Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Laura J Getty and Kyounghye Kwon. University of North Georgia Press, n.d. 76-101.