Epic_Poetry

Quote: "What makes one heroic' - - Going out to meet at the same time one's highest suffering and one's highest hope." - Nietzsche One is heroic if he is brave, strong, caring, and clever. An epic hero is someone who goes on a dangerous journey and meets obstacles along the way that he has to overcome. An example of an epic hero is shown in the two epic poems, "Gilgamesh" and "The Odyssey." Gilgamesh is two-thirds a god and one-third a man. He is also the king of Uruk. In the beginning, Gilgamesh takes whatever he wants, such as the virginity of other people's brides. But he changes into a better person when he meets his other half, Enkidu. Because of Gilgamesh, Enkidu also changes, from a wild man to a civilized man. Together, they venture out to the Cedar Forest, which is forbidden to mortals and is guarded by the demon guardian, Huwawa. Gilgamesh and Enkidu decide to kill Huwawa, so that the city would admire them for their strength. During their trip to Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh becomes fearful, but he continues on, when Enkidu comforts him. They were both successful in defeating Huwawa. The goddess Ishtar sends down the Bull of Heaven as revenge to Gilgamesh for rejecting her. Many people died as a result. To protect their city, Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight the bull together. The city celebrates their victory, but the gods are angry. As punishment, the gods decides that Enkidu must die. (SparkNotes) Enkidu's death filled Gilgamesh with sorrow. Everyone mourned for him, such as the animals of the wilderness, farmers and priests of the city, and the prostitute that seduced Enkidu. Gilgamesh set out on another journey by himself to seek for immortality. He faced the difficulties of going through the mountain and crossing the Waters of Death. Gilgamesh was given a challenge of staying awake for seven days before becoming immortal. He failed to accomplish the challenge, but he was able to obtain a plant that could turn an old person into an young person. Instead of using the plant for himself, he planned on sharing it with the elders of the city, but he loses the plant. (SparkNotes) Gilgamesh wasn't able to achieve immortality, but he became wiser, realizing that death is a part of life and that it is inevitable. In "The Odyssey" Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, doesn't return home from the war with Troy for 20 years, due to the hardships he faced on the way back home. His adventure on the land of the Cyclops shows what an intelligent man Odysseus was. Odysseus and his men were trapped in the cave of Polyphemus, a Cyclops and the son of Poseidon. Polyphemus eats two of the men and leaves the rest for later. Odysseus and his men couldn't escape, since a huge rock blocked the cave's entrance, which was placed there by Polyphemus. Odysseus then comes up with a clever plan. He gives Polyphemus wine to drink, causing the Cyclops to become drunk. When asked for his name, Odysseus answered "Nohbdy" (Nobody). Once Polyphemus passed out, Odysseus and his men blinded the Cyclops using a sharp-pointed pole. Polyphemus shouted to the other Cyclopes for help, roaring "Nohbdy, Nohbdy's tricked me, Nohbdy's ruined me." But, the other Cyclopes left without helping, since Polyphemus said that nobody was tricking him. Odysseus and his men escape from the cave by holding onto the bellies of Polyphemus' sheep. Odysseus displays bravery when he took the risk of listening to the Sirens' song. He knew that the Sirens' song would lure him away to their island, but he still wanted to hear it, so he had his men tie him up. But there could still be a chance that he could get out of the ropes. Odysseus saved his men from hearing the Sirens' song by putting wax into their ears. When Odysseus and his men had to pass between the two monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus showed boldness by being ready to fight Scylla. His men were very frightened and Odysseus encouraged them, giving his men courage to keep rowing. On the land of the Lotus-Eaters, Odysseus' men ate the lotuses and began to get used to the place. The men also began losing the longing to go back home. Odysseus had a good relationship with his men, so he saved his men by dragging them back to the ship. Odysseus' strength is shown when he is able to complete the challenge, given by his wife, Penelope. All of Penelope's suitors failed, but Odysseus succeeded in stringing the bow and shooting the arrow through the rows of axes. Although, the suitors greatly outnumbered Odysseus, he was able to kill them all, with the help of his son, Telemachus. Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus had flaws and had supernatural help. They both suffered at some time and hoped for something. Gilgamesh wished to gain immortality, while Odysseus never gave up hope of returning home to his wife. Gilgamesh changed throughout the poem from a self-centered person to someone who cares about others. Odysseus changed from a boastful person to a more wiser person. Their bravery, intelligence, and strength is what makes Gilgamesh and Odysseus epic heroes.