Gilgamesh: At the beginning of the Sumerian story, King Gilgamesh may be considered a bad king because it is stated that the people are unhappy with their king. According to the people, Gilgamesh is harsh and abuses his power by sleeping with the kingdom's women before their husbands are able to.
The character of Enkidu is a foil or counterpoint to Gilgamesh in numerous ways. For example, he was originally created in order to seek revenge on Gilgamesh. Essentially Enkidu is a wild man but is able to get the same things Gilgamesh wants, such as women. Thus, the two become an odd couple and go around defeating evil.
On his quest for immortality, Gilgamesh encounters numerous dangers. For example, as he passes the two mountains from where the sun rises, he has to persuade the two scorpion beings to let him continue. Further, in order to cross the Waters of Death, Gilgamesh must cut down 300 trees and use them as oars.
Gilgamesh tears apart the ferryman's boat because he is furious at having his intentions questioned. This seems to be along the lines of his general nature in that throughout the epic Gilgamesh either reacts by destroying or killing things that do not agree with him.
Ancient Egyptian Poetry: In Akhenaten's Hymn to the Sun, Pharoah Akhenaten sees himself as a sun god, or being related to or a descendent from Aten. There are many themes in the Leiden Hymns, including love, worship and family. The most noticeable theme in Love Songs is that of love, but not just a love for another, but also a profound love for oneself.
Old Testament: The Hebrew view of God is different from the Sumerian view of the gods, as seen in Gilgamesh, in several ways. The main difference is that the Hebrews only believe in one God as opposed to the Sumerian worship of many gods. More so, the Hebrew God plays a less direct role in the lives of the Hebrew people. In the Old Testament, Eden appears as a lush tropical rainforest full of fruit and life. In other words, it is presented as an image of perfection. In the Old Testament, the character of Cain is said to have a mark on him. This mark signifies his breaking of the covenant with God by committing the first murder. In the story of Job, Job suffers by losing everything, from food to family. The purpose of this suffering is to test Job's love and trust in God.
The Odyssey: The events that are of most importance in the Odyssey are the travels of Odysseus and his reestablishment as the rightful ruler. This theme of Odysseus takes up where the Iliad left off and thus completes the tale of Odysseus' journey in war, his battle back home, and his eventual homecoming. The fact that the women in Homer's works often play a cunning, two-sided role that often times causes the downfall of their husbands tells the reader that women played a second-class role to men but also controlled the destinies of men. This poem is an epic because it spans twenty years and covers much ground in the pursuit of an ultimate goal. Being the main character, Odysseus is an epic hero.
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