In the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Iliad, there can be many comparisons seen with the protagonists of each poem. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, there is the strongest war hero, Gilgamesh who is two-thirds god and one-third human. In The Iliad, there is Achilles, who is the most powerful warrior in the Achaean army. Both warriors go through obstacles in there journeys, and the way each protagonist handles each situation makes them very similar. Both Gilgamesh and Achilles don’t use their power to the greatest advantage, they have very strong relationships with their mothers, and the fear of death.
Gilgamesh was not a regular war hero. Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, and he was two-thirds god and one-third mortal. There are many sections in the text that describe Gilgamesh as a hero. This is ironic because Gilgamesh having all the power and blessing’s of being two-thirds divine, he is not able to become the man he is set out to be, and satisfy his parents. An example of his blessing can be found, in Tablet I line 49 it states “Gilgamesh was singled out from the day of his birth, Two-thirds of him was divine, one-third human! The Lady of Birth drew his body’s image, The God of Wisdom brought his stature to perfection.” Achilles was also not a regular hero. Achilles had superhuman strength but also had problems through the epic dealing with his own pride. Achilles fights to prove he is the best, but his characteristic flaws and attitude hurt his identity in his city. An example of this can be seen in Book 1, lines 131-133 reading “You greedy glory-hound, the magnanimous Greeks Are going to get another prize for you? Do you think we have some kind of stockpile in reserve?” In this passage, the warrior Achilles is arguing with Agamemnon about Agamemnon wanting Achilles’ war prize, and because his pride is too high, a nasty side comes out of him, hurting his heroic image in the poem.
Both of these characters have a massive amount of strength and power, which also comes with an amount of responsibility. Both characters have a relationship with their mothers, but seem to have no significant other. In book XXIV lines 138-142, Achilles mother, Thetis, tells her son “My son, how long will you let this grief Eat at your heart, mindless of food and rest? It would be good to make love to a woman. It hurts me to say it, but you will not live Much longer. Death and doom are besides you.” This was hard for Thetis to tell her son, but it was needed for Achilles to realize and useful for himself. This mother-son relationship can also be seen in in Gilgamesh. One example of Ninsun, Gilgamesh’s mother, helping her son is when she puts in a good word to the sun-god to help out Gilgamesh in a battle he would soon face. Another common theme that both Gilgamesh and Achilles have is the fear in death. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh has a conversation with elders to gain experience, and once they had spoken there knowledge, Gilgamesh asked himself, “I am afraid to die”? (Tablet III, Line 233) Throughout the entire epic, he is concerned with immortality, but he is faced with a decision to die as hero or a coward.
In conclusion, both protagonists Gilgamesh and Achilles have a common theme. Gilgamesh is born with a super amount of power, and is raised by a goddess mother, and a mortal man. Achilles is also blessed with super strength, is raised by a sea nymph and has a special relationship with the gods. Each protagonist also share a strong connection with their mothers. Lastly, each protagonist is scared to face there day of death. Through time and battle, each character realize their day will come one day, and they have to accept the fact, and man up in the situation.