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Gilgamesh And Aeneas

Gilgamesh and Aeneas Hero’s

   

    The principal factor in an epic is the heroic main character. Usually this character is often the son of a god or goddess and is favored by the gods. These heroic characters are surrounded by constant tragedy which helps drive them to fulfill their fates. All of these qualities of heroic characters are shown in the characters of Aeneas from “The Aeneid” and Gilgamesh from the “Epic of Gilgamesh”.
      In an article by Roma Chatter it is suggested that the hero or more generally protagonist is the first and foremost a symbolic representation of the person who is experiencing the story while reading, listening or watching; thus the relevance of the hero is to the individual relies a great deal on how much similarity there is between the two. The idea of identifying with the hero takes on a very real meaning. If the hero is one with which the observer can’t identify very well, the story can seem inaccessible. I was able to find a common thread with Gilgamesh and Aeneas.
The most compelling reason for the hero is the self interpretation of the stories and myths is the human inability to view the world from any perspective but a personal one. The almost universal notion of the hero or protagonist and its resulting hero identification allow us to experience stories in the only way we know how. One potential drawback of the necessity of hero identification means that a hero is often more a combination of symbols than a representation of an actual person. In order to appeal to a wide range of individuals, the author relegates the hero to a type of person which everyone already is or wishes themselves to be. In regard to the observer’s personal interaction with the story, it can give the feeling of being involved. (“The voyage of a hero.”).
An epic hero is a larger than life figure from a history or legend, usually favored by or descended from deities, but aligned more closely with mortal figures in popular portrayals. The...

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