There are many themes throughout literature that can be identified and compared between most pieces. However, the most potent theme is that of man. It is a reoccurring theme written about from Gilgamesh, to Odysseus in The Odyssey, to Roland in the Song of Roland to Dante in the Inferno. Throughout time it is obvious that the story that truly sums up the human condition is that man who triumphs against all odds.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh it is Gilgamesh who succeeds against the idea of man versus nature, who fought and won against the monster Humbaba “...he stuck him… the guardian, down to the ground,”(Gilgamesh 94). Gilgamesh does this despite the death of Enkidu, his dearest friend.
And in The Odyssey, no one faces more hardship the Odysseus in his long trek home. He faces monsters and gods and years at sea all to come home to his wife, Penelope. “Of all the cities he saw, the minds he grasped, the suffering deep in his heart at sea as he struggled to bring his men home,”(Oddyssey 5-7).
Roland, though he dies, succeeds in fighting to the very end, dying for his Kingdom, an honorable death, “he lay stretched out beneath a pine… he begun to remember many things now… how many lands, brave men, he had conquered,”(Song of Roland 175. 2367-2380).
To a more modern example In Dante’s Inferno, Dante despite the odds, changes his life through his journey through hell as he states “I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off the straight path,”(Inferno 2-3). Dante’s story is one of self-reliance, one’s ability to change their own lives.
All of these stories, though different in time period, setting, and characters all have one essential thing in common, the self-resilience of mankind, the ability to triumph even when it seems like there is no way for one to win. And that is why these stories lives on, because that is the story people want to believe in. The world of literature consists, apart from anything else, as an astonishing array of characters, from the noble to the despicable - representations of people from all walks of life engaged in all kinds of adventures. Good works of literature are not museum pieces, preserved and studied only for historical interest. They last because they remain fresh. Literary classics transcend time as well as embody the era in which they were written. These works speak to us now, telling us truths about the human condition which is relevant to all times and to all peoples.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh it is Gilgamesh who succeeds against the idea of man versus nature, who fought and won against the monster Humbaba “...he stuck him… the guardian, down to the ground,”(Gilgamesh 94). Gilgamesh does this despite the death of Enkidu, his dearest friend.
And in The Odyssey, no one faces more hardship the Odysseus in his long trek home. He faces monsters and gods and years at sea all to come home to his wife, Penelope. “Of all the cities he saw, the minds he grasped, the suffering deep in his heart at sea as he struggled to bring his men home,”(Oddyssey 5-7).
Roland, though he dies, succeeds in fighting to the very end, dying for his Kingdom, an honorable death, “he lay stretched out beneath a pine… he begun to remember many things now… how many lands, brave men, he had conquered,”(Song of Roland 175. 2367-2380).
To a more modern example In Dante’s Inferno, Dante despite the odds, changes his life through his journey through hell as he states “I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off the straight path,”(Inferno 2-3). Dante’s story is one of self-reliance, one’s ability to change their own lives.
All of these stories, though different in time period, setting, and characters all have one essential thing in common, the self-resilience of mankind, the ability to triumph even when it seems like there is no way for one to win. And that is why these stories lives on, because that is the story people want to believe in. The world of literature consists, apart from anything else, as an astonishing array of characters, from the noble to the despicable - representations of people from all walks of life engaged in all kinds of adventures. Good works of literature are not museum pieces, preserved and studied only for historical interest. They last because they remain fresh. Literary classics transcend time as well as embody the era in which they were written. These works speak to us now, telling us truths about the human condition which is relevant to all times and to all peoples.