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The Epic Of Gilgamesh And The Odyssey

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The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odysseus both are poems that have since early times been viewed as stories that teach the reader valuable life lessons, almost like a self-help book in today’s society. They both teach a lot of the same general lessons but there are some key similarities and differences throughout both works. Such as perseverance, and the inevitability of death are both lessons that are taught in each poem but they are presented to the reader through different interpretations. In the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey there are two main characters both viewed as heroic figures in which the develop a greater knowledge of human mankind and immorality. Both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey teach valuable lessons such as the pitfalls of temptation. Throughout both of these poems Odysseus and Gilgamesh are faced with overwhelming temptations. Odysseus is faced with the temptation of women throwing their selves at him, he also faces temptation of riches. But one of the major temptations we see in the Odyssey is the Sirens, he wants to hear their song so he ties himself to the mass. We see a major lesson when Odysseus and his crew are on the way home from war after nine days on the rough sea and arrive at the isle of lotus eaters. This confrontation provides Odysseus and his men the first of their challenges. However this is not a physical threat to him or his men but it is a distraction from their path home. When you partake in eating the lotus flower you are

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