Epic of Gilgamesh Antigone and Beowulf

¶ … ancient culture had its own views of right and wrong, of what made individuals weak or strong, their own views of religion and politics, what role women should play, and ideas regarding courage, wisdom and death. Reading Antigone, Beowulf and Gilgamesh demonstrates that reading epic stories from ancient cultures can tell us a great deal about their societal norms.

Antigone demonstrates views of right and wrong as the king, Creon, grapples with how to punish Antigone for defying his order not to provide a burial for her brother Polynices. The struggle between strength and weakness is shown in Creon's actions; he needs to appear strong in front of his people, but if he allows Antigone to defy his edict, he will appear weak. He believes that the strength of the city-state depends on whether he remains strong or not. The conflict involves the Greek religious belief that without a proper burial, Polynices cannot enter the afterlife. The decision to deny him this is a political one in conflict with religious beliefs. The play demonstrates that women played an important role in society; without a strong woman to champion Polynices, Creon's law wouuld not have been defied. Creon acquires the wisdom to be more flexible too late, and develops the courage to back down too late.

Beowulf confronts the ideas of right and wrong by idealizing the two main characters, Beowulf and Grendel, as epitomizing good and bad. Beowulf demonstrates important traits valued by the Germanics of the time, including loyalty, courtesy and Pride. Grendel, however, has descended from Cain, who killed his better brother. He is angry, blames others for his problems, and never shows remorse for the wrong things he does. The poem also demonstrates what the culture considered strong and weak. Family heritage was a point of pride, but even an orphan, as shown in Beowulf's father, was able to establish status for who he was by conducting himself as a hero. Religious conflict is shown in Beowulf because although Beowulf is a Christian, he is strongly influenced by Germanic Pagan values as well. For instance, while Christianity emphasizes the afterlife as more important than one's short life on Earth, Beowulf's culture glorifies heroic acts. While Christianity emphasizes forgiveness, the Pagan influences demand retaliation for wrongs. In Beowulf's world, men were clearly more important than women: the opening of the poem emphasizes paternal lineage, and -- unlike both Antigone and Gilgamesh -- women do not play a prominent part the epic. Courage is emphasized in Beowulf, with life depicted, for men, as the pursuit of glory. This puts the men's lives at risk, but death in such a pursuit is considered honorable.

In Gilgamesh, the protagonist's journey is as much one for wisdom as for anything else. Gilgamesh's adventures are not only influenced by the gods but instigated by the gods. The gods can see that Gilgamesh is intelligent and has the potential to be a strong ruler, but he has significant weaknesses. He is shallow and impulsive. The gods themelves combine religion with politics as they plot to make Gilgamesh a better ruler. The struggle to understand strength and weakness is illustrated well by his fight with Enkidu, who was created by the gods first to oppose Gilgamesh and then to be his friend. Beating Enkidu and then forming a friendship with him taught Gilgamesh that making a friend out of an enemy did not make him weak. The role of women in Gilgamesh is many-faceted. Both Gilgamesh's mother, Ninsun, who advises him periodically, and the prostitute Shamhat, who socializes Enkidu when he is living more like a wild animal, profoundly affect the story's plot. However, at the beginning of the poem, Gilgamesh also sees women as people be used and claims the right to sleep with any woman before her wedding. Gilgamesh takes on the issues of courage, wisdom, and death head-on. Gilgamesh's quest is a quest for the kind of wisdom that will moderate his behavior and make him a better ruler, but for a significant part of his search, Gilgamesh seeks not wisdom but immortality. It may be because of this desire that he grieves so strongly when Enkidu dies. His courage is shown throughout the epic as he keeps going inf the face of multiple obstacles.