Achilles beside Gilgamesh
eBook - PDF

Achilles beside Gilgamesh

Mortality and Wisdom in Early Epic Poetry

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Achilles beside Gilgamesh

Mortality and Wisdom in Early Epic Poetry

About this book

It is widely recognised that the epics of Homer are closely related to the earlier mythology and literature of the Ancient Near East, above all the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. But how should this influence our response to the meaning and message of either poem? This book responds to this question through an experiment in intertextual reading. It begins by exploring Gilgamesh as a work of literature in its own right, and uses this interpretation as the springboard for a new reading of the Homeric epic, emphasising the movement within the poem - beginning from a world of heroic action and external violence, but shifting inwards to the thoughts and feelings of Achilles as he responds to the certainty that his own death will follow that of his best friend. The book will be of interest both to specialists and to those coming to ancient literature for the first time.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Achilles beside Gilgamesh by Michael Clarke in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Letteratura & Critica letteraria antica e classica. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title page
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright page
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Frontispiece
  8. Preface
  9. List of Diagrams
  10. List of Figures
  11. List of Abbreviations
  12. Sources for primary texts
  13. 1 Introduction
  14. 2 Divinity, humanity and wisdom
  15. 3 Gilgamesh and glory
  16. 4 Gilgamesh confronts death
  17. 5 Interlude on Homer and the Muse
  18. 6 The race of half-gods
  19. 7 The plan of Zeus
  20. 8 The coming of Achilles
  21. 9 The strife of the Iliad
  22. 10 Achilles looks inward
  23. 11 The death of the friend
  24. 12 Achilles responds
  25. 13 From lamentation to vengeance
  26. 14 Achilles like a lion
  27. 15 Mortality and wisdom
  28. 16 The truths of lamentation
  29. Conclusion: The slender-winged fly
  30. Bibliography
  31. Index of Passages Cited
  32. General Index