Beowulf Vs Gilgamesh Essay

The origins of Gilgamesh contrast greatly with the origins of Beowulf. Although they are both ancient texts, they have only a few similarities. The epic of Gilgamesh was written on "baked clay tablets" (“Introduction” 2), the method of recording stories at the time. On the tablets are "cuneiform characters" (“Introduction” 2), one of the first techniques used to write, cuneiform meaning "wedge-shaped" (“Introduction” 4). The language Gilgamesh is written in is "Akkadian, an ancient Semitic language" (“Introduction” 4) that few people at the time knew because most were illiterate. The estimated time that Gilgamesh was written was "1700 BCE" (“Introduction” 6), making it the oldest written story in the world, or at least the oldest surviving story ever written. …show more content…
His translation is now the basis for all translations of texts that have been lost and is referred to as "the Standard Version" (“Introduction” 6). Gilgamesh's character is based on a "historical king" (“Introduction” 1) who had also ruled over Uruk during the same time period. On the other hand, Beowulf was recorded centuries after the story had been told. It was originally recited around the sixth century, which is much later than Gilgamesh's conception over two thousand years earlier. The current story was arranged in the eighth century and written down in the eleventh. The delay in time between all three of the events means the translation is not exact and has been influenced. Much like the man who revised Gilgamesh, today's version of Beowulf was altered by the beliefs of the monastic scribes who wrote the poems down. Neither of the epics that are presently being read completely reflect the beliefs and meanings the original author may have meant to

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