gilgamesh and lysistrata
In reading the two ancient tales, Gilgamesh and Lysistrata, I have begun to question many of the social paradigms surrounding gender roles. While finding many differences, I have drawn several parallels between the ideas of these writings and our modern ideas of what it means to be a man or woman. These stories were very clear in illustrating men's positions of authority and the ideas of kingship, militarism, and heroism. Men were continuously expected to demonstrate the "tough guy" persona that is perpetuated throughout today's media. Conversely, particularly in Gilgamesh, the positive ideas of brotherhood and male bonding are represented. I have surmised that the role of women in society in both antiquity and modern times is very limited in its importance and that men continue to dominate all of the established power structures. However, in my reading, I have also realized that there seems to be one recurring theme that contradicts my last statement. In both Lysistrata and Gilgamesh, the female characters seemed to represent a certain control over the male characters. Unfortunately, this one display of power is through the use of sex, of course. In this paper, I will examine the aforementioned themes and analyze their
Gilgamesh epitomizes the ideal hero in the eyes of his society through admirable physical strength, bodily perfection, and bravery. As far as my own personal experiences of identifying gender roles, there are many points I can make about them being still being extremely prevalent in our society. Only she has the power needed to transform him into a character that will benefit, instead of rebel against, the society they have created. Gilgamesh, following Utnapishtim's advice, finds a plant capable of rendering him immortal, only to have it stolen by a snake while he sleeps. Also, the need to keep women from making economic and social gains is represented with contemporary overt feminist bashers like Howard Stern, Andrew Dice Clay, and Rush Limbaugh. Gilgamesh appears to be brave and valiant, but he has moments of extreme coward ness. Unmarried women lived in torment, knowing that she was a failure. Delegations from both rather frustrated states then meet at the Acropolis to discuss peace. The epic poem Gilgamesh is the first heroic epic of world literature. With men in control of the large corporations in the United States, especially media entities, it is easy to see why the vicious cycle of being force-fed ideas of what it means to be a real man and what it means to be the perfect woman continues. Lysistrata is empowered as controlling, rather than being controlled by, her sexuality, through her use of bawdy sexual allusions. A Spartan Herald approaches the Acropolis and he, like Cinesias, suffers an erection. Films like Rambo, Terminator, and Rocky illustrate the overwhelming, but largely overlooked statistical correlation between violence and gender in our society.
Common topics in this essay:
Athens Sparta,
Tablets IV,
Gilgamesh Lysistrata,
Gilgamesh Utnapishtim's,
Lysistrata Gilgamesh,
Acropolis Cinesias,
Ferry Tablet,
Bull Heaven,
Spartan Ambassador,
America Long-standing,
gender roles,
cedar forest,
ferry tablets iv,
iv ii,
ferry tablets,
tablets iv,
gilgamesh enkidu,
athens sparta,
approaches acropolis,
sexual drive,
ideas means,
tablets iv ii,
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Acceptance Essays
