Literary Traditions

A big top executive is technically a young-be acquire(prenominal) ruler of a land, but what really is a queer? What authentically makes a office? That question could be answered in many another(prenominal) slip carriage through the knowledge of queers in our real world or unconstipated those in the literature we read. Gilgamesh, Odysseus and Oedipus are all kings in classic literary texts. Each king has a completely different dynamic than the other likeable qualities and unlikeable qualities. All three of these men admit qualities of what the baby-sit of a king should be, however they also lack certain aspects of the equation.A king should always choose the ellness of his battalion and land come offset, as healthful as have the utmost respect for his hoi polloi. A king should neer abuse his reason, but use his power to best his kingdom. When we are first introduced to Gilgamesh, he is a far cry from the model of what a authorized king should be. Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, he is also deuce parts god, star part man. It is obvious that he considers himself more than than godly than he genuinely is. He is almighty and is feared by his mountain. In the beginning of the story he is the paragon of a king that abuses his power with no respect or thought for his people.Gilgamesh has absolutely no regard for the belongs of his soldiers, as he utilizes their lunges whenever he feels necessary, even if it is not necessary to fight at all. On top of abusing the servitude of his soldiers, he also abuses his workers. Although Uruk is comprised of beautiful temples and ziggurats, Gilgameshs only effort towards eradicating these extravagant structures was to force this labor onto his people. Gilgamesh shoot the breezems to be fitting the char traveler of a dictator better than that of a king. One of Gilgameshs most horrifying qualities involves his lust for having sexual elations with women.Gilgamesh would fuck up the wives of his nobles, slee p with a mans bride before her husband, and even go to the extent of displace with their daughters as hearty. In no way does Gilgamesh model what a king should be. The gods heard the towns desperate pleas to be freed of this monster of a king, Gilgamesh and this is where Enkidu comes into play. Enkidu is a live force in changing the direction of Gilgameshs loss attractionship qualities. The gods create Enkidu to answer Gilgamesh and stand up to him. Gilgamesh was very strong and ferocious.Enkidu was made to be conscionable as strong as Gilgamesh, so that he would actually have a chance at overcoming Gilgameshs cruel ways. Enkidu and Gilgamesh brawl, but then sound best friends. It seems as if Enkidu has knocked approximately sensibility and sudden kindness into Gilgamesh. The two adventurously and bravely set off into the wilderness to the cedarwood forest. They plan on bringing the cedar confirm to the town, as its very fine woodland for structures. A king should be adv enturous and brave, even if he is scared, he should not show his people that he is, for he is their ruler.Gilgamesh and Enkidu ventured towards the edar forest in conquest for the wood even though they were told that it was guarded by the beastly Humbaba. Whether or not their intentions were to bring the cedar back and build aroundthing of it without the laboured labor of Uruks people is unknown, however it would be honorable if Gilgamesh had good intentions of grammatical construction a beautitul structure tor his town. What really gains the respect ot a mass ot people is knowing that their ruler is willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of his domain.The wrongs Gilgamesh committed against his people will never be made right, however his conquest for cedar for the town is a first step. Gilgamesh also proves that his humanity has grown when he attempts to bring back a plant that keeps men young to the people of his town, even after he has failed to save himself from event ual death. Gilgamesh shows that he has some sense of compassion and care for the people of his town through this act of kindness. Although the plant is taken by a snake, as many interpret it is the thought that counts. Gilgamesh is far from what a king should be he is more of an example of the qualities a king should not possess, however he demonstrates a few estimable, king-like qualities. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope of lthika. Odysseus has many more admirable qualities that a king should have, as opposed to Gilgamesh. Odysseus is a great warrior that fights on base his men and has gained the trust and respect of his men. He may be a ruler but he sees himself as equals to them on the battlefield a very honorable graphic symbol to have, which demonstrates a genuine care for the agricultural and its people.Odysseus is also very convincing and sneaky. In many cases these would be drab characteristics of a king, however Odysseus uses these talents to his advantage i n a way that does not belittle his people. A king should have a natural way with quarrel since they do hold the voice for the whole country. This quality provide be useful in negotiation if used honorably. Odysseus puts his quick words and thinking into effect when him and his men are trapped in the weaken with the Cyclops. He blinds the cyclops and his men and him ride out of the cave clinging onto the bellies of the sheep.Although his actions deliver him and his men, a quality of Odysseus that is not so admirable revealed itself as they were water travel away. As the Cyclops was blindly throwing boulders at Odysseus and his crew escaping, Odysseus yelled back to the Cyclops his identity. Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this scurrilous blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities. Laertes is his breed, and he makes his home on Ithaka Odysseus has as well much pride and ego to Just quietly sail away. H e wants his bold actions to be known that they were indeed his actions.Having too much pride counteracts the act of creation brave. Is Odysseus brave because he is genuinely a lofty fighter or is he brave because he desires the attention that comes with being brave? He also proves disloyal to his wife after geezerhood of trying to get home. Penelope, his wife, stayed loyal and faithful to her husband throughout the many years that he was gone, as well as hopeful of his return. Odysseus went widely sleeping with calypso for seven years. If Odysseus was so set on getting home, his genuine intentions are questionable if he spent that long of a period with calypso, practically being pampered.Odysseus genuineness is questionable as well as his ego, however he have many more admirable qualities as a leader than Gilgamesh possessed. Oedipus is the king of Thebes. Of the two previously discussed kings, Oedipus est fits the more suitable qualities of what a king should be, although he is cursed. Oedipus has been ruler for quite some time now. If a king can rule a proportion of land tor a great period ot time and keep the heartsease in his domain, he must be doing his Job correctly He is a respectable leader who has brought good fortune for his people infra his leadership.Oedipus seems to have the genuineness that Odysseus lacked. Oedipus seems to genuinely care about his land and its people, as he listens and tends to their problems. He managed to solve the riddle of the sphinx and save his people from paucity and sickness. He brought it upon himself to do this to lift the curse from his land. What really proves Oedipus genuine character is when he accepts the requisite that he gave whomever was the killer whale of Laius. Despite Oedipus fortune in being a successful leader, misfortune sought refuge in his ultimate fate.When Oedipus was born he was sent out to the hills to die because an visionary state that it was in the infants fate to grow up and kill his father and murder his mother. However baby Oedipus was pitied and taken far away to live so that he would never know this fate. When the murder of Laius came into question Oedipus stated that whomever illed him should be punished and exiled. A negative quality emerges when this comes into question. Oedipus points his finger at Creon as the murder and is in complete denial of the accusations that he himself is the murderer.Denial is never a good quality to have. As a king, a leader must accept what is and do what is necessary to move on or solve the problem at hand. Well as the oracle predicted, Oedipus killed his father, who glowering out to be Laius. When he found his fate to be authentic he gouged his eyes out because he could not bare to see the reality that had become his life and the people who were affected by it. Oedipus cute to be taken away, he exiled himself as he said the killer should be. Oedipus shows much shame and humility in these acts, even though he had been in severe denial before the truth surfaced.A king such as Gilgamesh, in this situation might have Just unredeemed another man for the crimes and continued with his life. Although it is a shame what happened to Oedipus, the fact that he accepted the fate that was his speaks for the type of person he is. A king is a real person, although with higher power, under it all he is a human like the rest of mankind. Although he was a great leader he shows rue emotions and remorse, that any decent human being has Oedipus shows that he is not above the law by accepting his own fate that he pinned on himself.Not abusing his high status is a true quality of an admirable king. Gilgamesh, Odysseus and Oedipus when compared are vastly different kings from one another. They all have qualities that make them a good king and qualities that make them a drab king some more than others. When it comes down to what a good king is, decency is what really is most important when having such great power. When this decency is lost and power is abused, a bad king is in throne.