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Characteristics Of Characters In Gilphash In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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As we read countless literary works throughout our literary careers, we become aware that certain styles of characters reoccur throughout literature. These “similar” characters do not reappear in many works because an author chose to copy another author’s character; rather, these similar-like characters continue to appear in different literary works, because an author is intentionally making its character follow a specific archetype. An archetype is a character that establishes certain characteristics that become associated with that specific style of character. There are many popular archetypes, like the “Underdog”, “Star-Crossed Lovers”, or the “Hero”. For a hero to follow the “Heroic” archetype, the hero must possess something or a position that places him above the common people, have a strong friendship with their companion, and experience a profound revelation; Gilgamesh in The Epic of Gilgamesh perfectly embodies these characteristics. A common characteristic that heroes across many literary works share is their possession of an object, position, or ability that deems them superior to the common people. The many authors of The Epic of Gilgamesh bestowed various attributes onto the character Gilgamesh to emphasize his heroicness. Gilgamesh was born to be biologically superior to those he would rule. He is described to have been given, “a perfect body. Shamash endowed him with beauty. Adad endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty, surpassing all

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