![]() While both protagonists were ultimately pushed toward the greatest danger as a result of their craving for fame, Daedalus’s journey from that part of his story was less direct. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, decided to kill Humbaba seemingly on a whim, and the only evident reason for his decision was to gain more fame and attention. Daedalus created the wings for Icarus and himself as an act of desperation, because he could not survive in the labyrinth and he needed to escape. The king then locked both the Minotaur and Daedalus (and his son, Icarus) in the labyrinth for the rest of their lives. The king was outraged by the existence of the half-man half-bull, and forced Daedalus to create an intricate labyrinth that was impossible to escape from. From there, he was hired as the king of Crete’s best inventor, but the king’s wife soon after tricked him into helping her create the Minotaur. When Daedalus lost control of his jealousy and killed his nephew, he was banished to the island of Crete. While it is true that Daedalus was very ambitious and jealous in the beginning of the tale, he and Gilgamesh were pushed to the most dangerous parts of their stories in completely different ways. Under the spell of his own excitement and ambition, he began to fly higher and higher, until the sun became too close and his wings melted off. Like in Gilgamesh, Icarus did not listen to his father’s warning. He also said not to fly too close to the sun, because the heat would melt the wings, and they would fall apart. He told Icarus not to fly too close to the water, because the wax would become damp and wouldn’t hold the feathers together. Similarly, when Daedalus constructed wax wings for him and Icarus to fly away with, Daedalus gave him a very specific warning. Gilgamesh disregarded Enkidu’s warning, and he and Enkidu went after the beast anyway. Hasn’t he declared its entrance forbidden, hasn’t he put Humbaba there to terrify men?’” Mitchell translated. “Enkidu said, ‘but how can any man dare to enter the cedar forest? It is sacred to Enlil. He told Gilgamesh that he was created by the gods to guard the forest, and it was possible that killing him could make the gods angry. While it would certainly bring them fame, Enkidu warned him that Humbaba guarded the forest for a reason. In Gilgamesh, Enkidu pushes against Gilgamesh’s idea to defeat the monster Humbaba. While a stark difference is that Gilgamesh and Enkidu succeeded in their quest and Daedalus and Icarus ultimately failed, both their journeys shared some of the same ideas. ![]() His relationship with Icarus was in some ways similar to Gilgamesh’s relationship with Enkidu: In the most important parts of the story, the pairs worked together, and when one died, the other was so crushed that they lived the rest of their lives in misery.Īnother similarity between the texts is the theme. Later in the story, Daedalus had a new companion, his son, Icarus. Fueled by jealousy and a desperate desire to keep his fame, he murdered Perdix. Perdix was also a genius, and Daedalus feared that he would be outshone by his nephew. Eventually, when his products are in high demand, he hires his nephew, Perdix, to help him. As his home city (Athens) begins to realize his technological talent, Daedalus starts to cling to his fame more and more. In the beginning of the tale, Daedalus has very similar motives. Mitchell translated, “I will kill Humbaba, the whole world will know how mighty I am, I will make a lasting name for myself, I will stamp my fame on men’s minds forever” (page 94-95). He takes risks in order to become more famous and create a better name for himself. It is made clear in the text that Gilgamesh, while very strong and brave, can also be jealous and is often fueled by the desire for fame and attention. The characters of Daedalus and Gilgamesh are very similar. Gilgamesh and the legend of Daedalus and Icarus are similar in characters and theme, but they also differ in plot. There are many similarities between Gilgamesh and Daedalus and Icarus, a famous Ancient Greek myth. Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories in existence, originating from Ancient Mesopotamia, and was translated by Stephen Mitchell. One of the most dangerous flaws in a character is a thirst for glory.
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