The Epic of Gilgamesh and Euripides Medea - Essay Example

The Epic of Gilgamesh and Euripides’ MedeaWith respect to both literary works, the theme expressed by both writers is different in relation to the subject matter. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem that illustrates the life of Gilgamesh the King of Uruk. According to Sandars (1972), Gilgamesh was two thirds god and one third man a characteristic that inspired him to express cruelty over his subjects. The poem captures Gilgamesh’s jaunts as he rapes all the women he desires irrespective of their marital status.

He was very inconsiderate of other people, a vice which inspired the gods to intervene and introduce Enkidu a character who is assigned the role of changing Gilgamesh’s practices, a theme which is expressed through pain and suffering. The Euripides’ Medea on the other hand is a play about Jason, Medea husband and his quest to marry Glauce the daughter of Creon and the princess of Corinth. Upon hearing Jason’s intentions, Medea is upset by Jason’s choice and she resolves to revenge and cause Jason pain so as to assert her profound disappointment and anger towards the practice.

Murray (1912)As illustrated above, both literary works differ in their presentation with the Epic of Gilgamesh being expressed in form of a poem and the Euripides’ Medea delivered as a play. The subject matter in both stories differ as the Epic of Gilgamesh expresses the exploits of a King who is in a position of power and highly regarded by all his subjects. The poem expresses the tribulations experienced by the subjects with the main character in the poem being the party who exercises all the atrocities on the other characters.

In the play Euripides’ Medea, Medea the main character in the story is lowly regarded in the society, a characteristic which condemns to becoming a second choice to Jason a man who she had committed all her life to, only to be disappointed later. Additionally, Gilgamesh is presented as a king and is described as beautiful, strong and very wise, characters which are highly regarded by other people in the society. Medea on the other hand is disliked because of her characteristics, Jason brands her as a barbarian and Creon resolves to send her to exile because of her insignificance in the society.

Vogler (2007), expresses the journey of a hero which expresses life as a cycle which necessitates the hero to face his fears to guarantee his survival. In both literary works, Gilgamesh and Medea are on a quest to change certain aspects of their life which have been triggered by the actions of people around them.It emerges that bad actions have consequences. In Euripides’ Medea, Jason’s greed forces Medea to seek revenge, actions which lead to the death of Glauce and her father Creon and also Jason’s children.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh on the other hand, gods resolve to punish Gilgamesh for his actions by introducing Enkidu who serves as threat to Gilgamesh and also brings a lot of pain to Gilgamesh after his death. Both literary works have themes that illustrate the involvement of gods in the life of humans. The play Euripides’ Medea illustrates Zeus involvement as the play deliberates on Zeus actions after Medea’s murders. Gilgamesh actions on the other hand necessitate the involvement of gods to change his actions.

In general, both literary works illustrate human shortcomings and commitments as the main theme, which is also echoed by Vogler(2007) in the book ‘The Writer’s Journey. Works citedEuripides, and Gilbert Murray. The Medea of Euripides. New York: Oxford University Press, 1912. PrintGilgamesh, & Sandars, N. K. The epic of Gilgamesh: an English Version with an Introd, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1972. PrintVogler, C. The writer’s journey: mythic structure for writers. Studio City, CA, Michael Wiese Productions. 2007. Print