Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Arjuna: A Comparative Epic Analysis

Introduction: Three Epics, Three Heroes

The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and the Bhagavad Gita are three of the most enduring ancient texts in the canon of global literature. All are heroic tales focusing on a strong male warrior protagonist who endures a series of tests in order to achieve his goals and retain his status as a leader of his community. However, unlike Achilles, the hero of Homer's Iliad, or Arjuna, the hero of the Bhagavad Gita, Gilgamesh was an actual historical figure, evidenced by the archaeological record as well as literary correspondences (Hansman). The historicity of its hero is not necessarily the reason to favor one of these epics over the others, but The Epic of Gilgamesh has the edge over its epic counterparts in other ways.

For example, Gilgamesh's character undergoes deep and meaningful transformations in ways that neither Achilles nor Arjuna experience. Both Achilles and Arjuna are thinly drawn when compared with Gilgamesh. Interestingly, Gilgamesh predates both Homer's Iliad and the Bhagavad Gita. Dating to the third millennium BCE, The Epic of Gilgamesh is also the oldest of these three texts and may in fact have influenced the evolution of subsequent literature far more than either the Iliad or the Bhagavad Gita. Although a direct influence is not provably definitive, Beye notes that "influence and continuity is likely" (ix). Because Homer had portrayed Odysseus in ways that "curiously parallel bits of the Gilgamesh story," it is certainly likely that The Epic of Gilgamesh had traveled long and wide, the progenitor of ancient narratives on multiple continents.

Distinct Goals and Heroic Destinies

Arjuna, Achilles, and Gilgamesh have completely different goals. For Achilles, his goal is to prevail in battle, and he does. For Arjuna, his goal is to attain enlightenment by following the teachings given to him by Lord Krishna. The Bhagavad Gita is largely an instructional text detailing the importance of following the path of dharma yoga. Unlike Homer's Iliad or The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bhagavad Gita has assumed the role of scripture, serving as a sacred text in Hindu culture. The hero of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, is a prince who bemoans the brutality of war. Arjuna also does not want to fight initially because he would be fighting members of his own extended family. However, Arjuna belongs to the warrior-prince caste, and it is his destiny to fight for honor and duty. Arjuna comes to terms with his dharma — his duty and place in the world — through his conversations with Lord Krishna. Krishna teaches Arjuna about the importance of dharma, and through these lessons Arjuna develops strength of character that transforms him into a classic hero. Arjuna's primary lesson as a hero is related to fulfilling his duty as a warrior-prince. Like Achilles, Arjuna does eventually fulfill his goals through lessons learned on, but mostly off, the battlefield.

Gilgamesh's goals are far more complex than those of Arjuna or Achilles. At first, the King of Ur seeks to prove himself against the mysterious creature Enkidu, whom he comes to respect deeply as an equal, a partner, and a male companion. Together, Enkidu and Gilgamesh keep the people safe from external threats, symbolized by Humbaba. After Enkidu dies, however, Gilgamesh's goals shift completely toward his desire for immortality — whether as a means to gain power over life itself or as a means to reunite with Enkidu is left to the reader's own subjective interpretation (Tigay). Because Gilgamesh's goals radically change as his character develops, his is a much more complex and enduring heroic journey than either that of Achilles or Arjuna.

Character Transformation and the Hero's Journey

Gilgamesh's character changes dramatically from the moment audiences meet him in the first tablet, when he is a rather tyrannical and misogynistic monarch, to the end of the tale, when he has experienced sorrow, loss, and grief that have transformed his soul. At first Gilgamesh merely sought to gain and maintain power, but by the end of his story he seeks genuinely to become a better leader and a good king. Achilles does soften during his dialogue with Priam, but his character may not have appreciably changed; Homer does not allow audiences to know what happens following Hector's burial.

Homer's Iliad is similar to the Bhagavad Gita in that it focuses exclusively on war and the hero's role in it. Like Arjuna, Achilles also expresses some initial reluctance to fight, but for different reasons. Achilles is not inherently opposed to war itself, as Arjuna is. On the contrary, Achilles is one of the greatest warriors of his time and fulfills his duty willingly. Yet when readers first meet Achilles, he is engaged in a power struggle with the political leader for whom he fights: Agamemnon. As a political maneuver, Agamemnon has taken Achilles's concubine Briseis captive. Achilles is less concerned about Briseis than he is about his own injured pride, evidenced by the way he prays not for Briseis's safety or wellbeing but for his own restoration to power and glory. Essentially, Achilles is upset because Agamemnon made a decision without consulting him. Achilles is also indifferent to Briseis once she is returned to him later in the text. Eventually Achilles returns to the front lines, his entire identity consumed by a passion for fighting and proving his prowess through battle. The Trojan War wages on, and Homer often places Achilles backstage, as if to show that human heroes play a relatively minor role in the outcomes of worldly affairs.

Achilles's character transformation is notable but relatively minor when compared to that of Gilgamesh. Both Achilles and Gilgamesh must contend with a higher justice and overcome their obsession with revenge. Both lose a companion close to them: Achilles loses Patroclus, and Gilgamesh loses Enkidu. Their grief takes a similar toll on both heroes, but far more so on Gilgamesh, who becomes determined not just to kill Humbaba but to seek the secret plant of immortality so that no other human being shall suffer the same fate. For Achilles, the reaction to Patroclus's death is more reflexive — he simply wants to kill Hector and is inflamed with rage. Achilles transforms his anger into success in battle, just as Gilgamesh does. Yet Achilles settles for a superficial victory by killing Hector swiftly and then defiling the corpse as the ultimate sign of dishonor and disrespect. With the gods' help and intervention, Achilles learns that his unjust behavior toward Hector's body is not befitting of a true hero. It takes an earnest plea from Priam to make Achilles human once again and capable of releasing his unnecessary rage; butchering Hector's body is not going to bring back Patroclus any more than Gilgamesh can bring back Enkidu with the flower of immortality.

Conclusion: Why Gilgamesh Triumphs

All three of these classic epic tales retain their literary and historic value, but The Epic of Gilgamesh triumphs over Homer's Iliad and the Hindu epic the Bhagavad Gita. The latter is an instructional scripture whose hero is a one-dimensional character that helps audiences learn about dharma and karma yoga. Homer's Iliad is an androcentric war story whose hero learns the value of compassion only late in the narrative. Only Gilgamesh goes through a truly tumultuous hero's journey.

Works Cited

Beye, Charles Rowan. Ancient Epic Poetry. Wauconda: Bolchazy-Carducci, 2006.

The Bhagavad Gita. UK: Penguin, 2014.

Hansman, J. "Gilgamesh, Humbaba and the Land of the Erin-Trees." Iraq. Vol. 38, Issue 1, Spring 1976, pp. 23–35.

Stobaugh, James P. World Literature. Green Forest: Master, 2012.

Tigay, Jeffrey H. The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic. Bolchazy-Carducci, 1982.