Gilgamesh
... for his efforts, even though his reward is, by contrast, a more modest one. The two epics can perhaps be differentiated as such: Gilgamesh is essentially a moral narrative, a story that tells of an arrogant ruler whose character is shaped by the ordeals he is tested by, while The Odyssey presents a hero already manifest, returning from war with his character already proven. The audience of Gilgamesh receives a moral education along with the hero, whereas the audience of The Odyssey observes the hero, and the heroic ideal, proven successful again and again. The evolution and existence of an epic poem is determined by the need to define and exemplify certain values and actions that a culture, collectively, believes to be beneficial to the quality of life of its people and survival and prosperity of the culture itself.1 As such, one can gain insight into these ancient cultures and the epics they produced by exploring the reasons behind the disparate evolutions of these two narratives. The reason may lie in the societal and cultural conditions of Mesopotamia and Ancient Greece. Mesopotamia was the first civilization to develop in the ancient world, circa 3500 B.C.E.2 Like all early civilizations, Mesopotamian culture had a common belief that nature and natural forces were greater than humans. Like all early civilizations, a common theme in Mesopotamia culture was the need to formulate of a belief system that linked the spiritual to the secular realm. 3 Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southwest Asia. Although they provided fertile plains they often flooded their banks and destroyed whole villages, which lead to an unstable and unpredictable life for the Mesopotamian people that included drought, erratic climate, rainstorms, flood 4, and hail. Additionally, due to its geographical location, Mesopotamia was vulnerable, and frequently attacked, by no...