What kind of hero is Aeneas? How do his actions compare to those of Gilgamesh, A
ID: 3470265 • Letter: W
Question
What kind of hero is Aeneas? How do his actions compare to those of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Hector? In what ways is his situation similar to or different from that of the other heroes?*****Please do not copy paste answers from the web as this is my school assignment and they treat plagiarism very seriously******
What kind of hero is Aeneas? How do his actions compare to those of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Hector? In what ways is his situation similar to or different from that of the other heroes?
*****Please do not copy paste answers from the web as this is my school assignment and they treat plagiarism very seriously******
What kind of hero is Aeneas? How do his actions compare to those of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Hector? In what ways is his situation similar to or different from that of the other heroes?
*****Please do not copy paste answers from the web as this is my school assignment and they treat plagiarism very seriously******
Explanation / Answer
The dominant factor in an epic is the heroic main character. This character often is the son of a god or goddess and is favored by the gods. Heroic characters are also always hounded by constant tragedy which drives them to fulfill their fates. Most heroic characters are high in social status and share close contacts with the gods. All of these qualities of heroic characters show up in the characters of Aeneas and Gilgamesh. Virgil portrays Aeneas as a Trojan hero; a warrior who will lead his people to safety, found a new Trojan state, and establish order in his and his countryman's lives. Gilgamesh was an arrogant tyrant of his city-state who was obsessed with increasing his own influence and power while Aeneas was more aloof, letting the gods and the fates guide his actions in life. Aeneas acted as a perfect pawn of the gods and was tossed around at their whims. Gilgamesh on the contrary took fate into his own hands and attempted to gain immortality by seeking out the immortals. Gilgamesh was a man who wanted more power than mortals were allowed and wanted his influence to be known forever. Aeneas simply wanted to fulfill the prophecy of founding Rome and making his Trojan followers happy. Out of the two heroes Gilgamesh was the one who was most aggressive and pursued the more ambitious goal, though it was one near impossible to achieve. Gilgamesh wanted to have a power that only the gods possessed. He wanted to be immortal. Aeneas never sought such an unachievable task, and was not as determined as Gilgamesh was. Aeneas only had to find a place where the defeated Trojans could settle and found a new city. Aeneas and Achilles both were chosen by Gods and are favoured in different phases in their lives;both have a predestined fate and death; both have a certain mission or accomplishment in their lives and both are sons of Gods. Thus there was a symbolic relationship and direct interaction between the Gods and the mortals. Aeneas was the mighty Greek warrior who was the main leader in the Trojan War.Achilles was more of a fierce fighter and a cruel enemy and his mission was to fight and conquer bloody wars. Thus Aeneas was more constructive and civilized in terms of the arrogant Achilles. The characters of the two shows a variety of contrast. Achilles is hostile, stubborn, violent and ruthless. He is also portrayed as a merciless man, with a great ability to kill the enemy mercilessly in the battlefield. Aeneas, on the other hand, is more sober and placid. He is a warrior, a benevolent Roman with characteristics of chastity, love, restraint and discipline. He was a true leader, and did not abandon his forces. Instead he led them to pursue a new culture and a new home. He was also a warrior, but he never displayed his power and emotions in cruel and arbitrary fashion. Whereas Aeneas is motivated by a desire to bring glory to future generations of Romans,Achilles is always looking out for number one. Achilles quest for glory is an individual one whereas Aeneas is more of a team player.His motivation is to establish national glory that awaits for the Roman race that he will help to find. Hector was the perfect man, brave, skilled in battle, honest, a loyal husband, a good father, a good son , a patriot , a wise man who did not like to lead his solders to death and tried to avoid the casualties. He was terror in battle, being able to kill many in short time. But he did it for country, not for fun , nor glory. All these are said in Iliad. Hector was known among the Trojans to be their strongest warrior.Hector values honor and pride in his army and homeland more than he values life. Hector demonstrates every quality an epic hero should. He combines his fighting abilities with integrity, humanity, and an entirely altruistic approach to every situation he faces. He honestly lives to fairly fight his best every day for the Trojans.
Related Questions
drjack9650@gmail.com
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.