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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
In three pages this paper examines the heroic qualities of this ancient hero, explains the values connected with these qualities, and speculates on why this culture needed these kinds of heroic values. One source is cited in the bibliography.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGgilhero.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
heroism were based upon them. Mesopotamia is no exception. The Epic of Gilgamesh, which is believed to have been carved on tablets in the Akkadian language approximately three
thousand years before the birth of Jesus Christ, reveals what the Sumerian concept of heroism was. The son of a sea goddess, Gilgamesh is only one-third mortal and therefore
believes his divine lineage cements his heroic attributes. He is, after all, a fierce warrior who always appears to emerge victorious. His deeds are presented in the tablets
as being larger than life, but his flaws are accentuated as well. For the Mesopotamians believed that there was more to a hero than merely his exploits in combat.
Heroism was not simply a synonym for warrior; it involved a willingness to grow intellectually and spiritually and also to learn from ones mistakes. Initially, Gilgamesh lives not by
societys heroic creed but by his interpretation of what a hero should be. He possesses more vice than virtues as he devotes more time to pillaging his kingdom of
Uruk and raping its women than in performing his duties as moral example and protector of the state. King Gilgamesh often boasts of his strength and courage, believing those
alone are the lone criteria by which a hero is judged. The gods intervene to modify Gilgameshs behavior by introducing him to the primitive Enkidu, who completes his nature
and provides him with the compassion and insight that a true hero must also possess. When Enkidu dies, a devastated Gilgamesh becomes fearful of his own demise and embarks
on a journey to ensure his immortality and spare him from Enkidus deadly fate. He ventures alone deep into the wilderness
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