In many tales of humanity's adventures, the quest for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the goal of their travels and adventures. This is no different in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey. The heroes of both are tempted by the offer of immortality, yet each rejects it for their own reasons. In the Odyssey, Odysseus rejects the goddess Calypso's offer of immortality long after he has discovered the true nature of the afterlife after traveling. to Hades. In Hades he meets Achilles who tells him “I would rather be a slave on earth for another man. than to rule here below over all the breathless dead' (“Odyssey,” 265). Given such strong words from someone who has experienced the afterlife firsthand, all the terrifying sights of the underworld, and the fact that Odysseus himself escapes the underworld; one would be led to believe that Odysseus would accept any offer that would allow him to escape a fate in the underworld. Along with these reasons, Odysseus endured many trials and tribulations throughout his travels that may convince him to accept the offer of immortality. Despite all these perfectly sensible reasons for accepting the offer of immortality, Odysseus sticks to his guns and turns the dwindling offer around. One of his reasons is that he realizes that an immortal life would be long and boring, and Odysseus lives for excitement and glory. This, however, is not the most important reason why Odysseus rejects this offer of immortality. This is presented starting in line 236 of Book V, where Odysseus openly admits that Penelope cannot be compared in beauty or stature, but continues to pine for her. In line with this concept there is also Ulysses' absolute determination to create... at the center of the card... the theme of immortality. However, each presents it in different ways. The Epic of Gilgamesh presents true immortality as deeds and deeds that will keep your names in people's memories forever. In the Odyssey, immortality is presented as something that is less important than your family and the people you love. This is reflected in each of the heroes' decision to reject immortality; Gilgamesh refuses because he knows the suffering would never be worth it and Odysseus knows he would never see his family again if he accepted the offer. The moral is really to consider all the consequences before accepting something that seems all right and good. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Fagle, Robert. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Print. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Foster, Benjamin R. New York: WW Norton & Co Inc, 2001. Print.