Gilgamesh Vs. Arjuna
I think that Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, is the strongest man that exists. In the beginning, Gilgamesh is vain and cruel. However, his longtime cherished relationship with Enkidu and Enkidu’s ensuing demise reveals to him that even the greatest heroes in history can die. As the epic begins, Gilgamesh is only interested in fame, which he pursues with determination and heroism. In my opinion, the older version of Gilgamesh ends with the death of Enkidu. When he sets out on a journey of death conquering, he meets Siduri, who advises him to appreciate healthy life and especially return to it. Siduri makes Gilgamesh realize the true meaning of life. “The life that you seek you will never find/when God created mankind/Death they dispensed to mankind/Life they kept to themselves.” Through her advice, the great warrior renounce his heroism and assumes an “identity of a normal man of the royal class who can hope for no more than achievements and descendants (Iridon, 341)”
The Mahabharata elaboration of Arjuna follows a similar heterogeneity as that of Gilgamesh. I believe that Arjuna corresponds to Gilgamesh through his semidivine attribute. Arjuna should be the third son of Pandu. However, Arjuna is an offspring of Kunti conceived through her magic spell with Indra. Like Gilgamesh, Arjuna is “endowed with enormous might, energy, prowess, and glory. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Just like Gilgamesh went through the dilemma and abandoned his kingly duties after the death of Enkidu, Arjuna is faced with a crisis when he goes to the battlefield and realizes he is to kill his relatives, Kauravas, Bharathas descendants (Basu, 2016). Arjuna’s fear of Killing his cousins can compare to Gilgamesh’s fearing death in front of Enkidu’s corpse. Thus, both Gilgamesh and Arjuna are overwhelmed by unexpected emotions of human nature. They both seek guidance. Gilgamesh Utnapithm’s benevolence and Arjuna through Krishna. Gilgamesh finally learns that “sorrow, fear, and disillusionment are inseparable from human nature (Iridon, 342).” Similarly, the role of Krishna is to teach Arjuna how to return to his duty, which he manages by ultimately winning the war.
From what I learn, Arjuna and Gilgamesh face a similar destiny from their birth (Course Hero, 2020). However, Arjuna is more disciplined in contrast to Gilgamesh. Arjuna is highly gifted and ambidextrous. When Drona is training Arjuna and his brothers, he stays focused and learns to focus singularly on his target and shoot it with his bow.
However, Gilgamesh, when compared to Arjuna, has superior heroic characteristics. He is reliable and brave but often goes into adventures for his selfish gain but reasons that can be understood. Although people see his moves as calculated and heroic, he abandons his duties to explore the secrets of death. Arjuna, on the other hand, has a strong sense of duty and could not forsake his responsibility for such selfish endeavors.
Generally, Arjuna deserves to carry the heroism tittles. Though with many weaknesses, Arjuna lives with an ideal sense of devotion to his responsibility. Being very subjective, doubtful about dharma, and his propensity to do the right thing, Arjuna gives up all his beliefs from a conversation with Krishna. He believed in Krishna, and if it was from Krishna, nothing could stop him from doing it. Arjuna is notably different from Gilgamesh because he fights his cousins to fulfill his duty while Gilgamesh abandons his duties to achieve his mission. The conclusion could be that Arjuna was nobler compared to Gilgamesh from the beginning.
Works Cited
Anindita Basu (2016). The Ancient History Encyclopedia. Mahabharata. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Mahabharata/ (Accessed February 19, 2020).
Course Hero. The epic of Gilgamesh: Plot/summary Retrieved from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Epic-of-Gilgamesh/plot-summary/ (Accessed February 19, 2020).
Iridon, C. (Dis) similarities in Gilgamesh and Arjuna’s journey. Language and Literature–European Landmarks of Identity.