What is a hero? The first thing that pops into our mind in today’s world is Superman or Batman. However, the ancient times had a different perspective. A hero today is defined as a person who is admired or idolized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. They are seen as a symbol of righteousness and justice. This is not always true for heroes during the ancient times. The ancient times sees a hero as a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Odyssey, both protagonists are considered heroes. Their divinity and the great achievements they accomplish overshadow their immoral ethics. They are great heroes but not without the tragic flaws…show more content… When Enkidu shows up, despite having an initial fight, he and Gilgamesh become great friends. Enkidu is able to keep Gilgamesh’s misuse of power in check. Years later, bored with the peaceful life in Uruk, Gilgamesh’s greed for wanting to make an everlasting name for himself, makes plans to travel to the sacred Cedar Forest to slay the guardian and demon known as Humbaba. With the help of Shamash and Enkidu, Gilgamesh is successful in slaying Humbaba. Sometime later, the goddess Ishtar makes advances towards Gilgamesh but he rejects her. The offended Ishtar sends the "Bull of Heaven" to punish Gilgamesh. The beast brings with it a great drought and plague to the land, but Gilgamesh and Enkidu slay the beast. As punishment for helping Gilgamesh slaughter both Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, the Gods curse Enkidu, leading to his death. Distraught by Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh realizes he can and will die. Gilgamesh is determined to avoid Enkidu's fate and decides to make a journey to visit Utnapishtim and his wife, the only humans to have survived the Great Flood and who were granted immortality by the gods, hoping of…show more content… Strength, courage, confidence, and nobility. His most distinguishing trait is his sharp wits. Odysseus’s quick thinking gets him out of some very tough situations. But at times, his big pride, arrogance, and ego can be his downfall. Ten years after the Fall of Troy, and twenty years after the Greek hero Odysseus first set out to fight against the Trojans, Telemachus and his Penelope are being harassed by suitors who are trying to persuade Penelope that Odysseus is dead and that she should marry one of them. Penelope remains loyal to Odysseus as her love for Odysseus is unyielding. She never refuses to remarry outright, instead, she responds to the suitors with indecision. Penelope makes a promise to the suitors that she will wait on remarrying until she completes the burial shroud for Odysseus. In order to delay the completion of the shroud as long as possible, for every two knots she finishes, she undoes one. Meanwhile, Odysseus, unfaithful to Penelope, enjoys his luxurious life with Calypso on a faraway land. Eventually, he wants to return home, even though he states that Penelope cannot compare with Calypso. When Odysseus and his crew were trapped in Polyphemos' cave, his smart wits allowed them to escape and make Polyphemos look like a fool when he screams he was blinded by “Nobody.” As Odysseus and his crew is escaping, Odysseus’s love of glory prompts him to reveal his true identity to Polyphemos, thus bringing
