The character Gilgamesh from Epic of Gilgamesh and the character Scrooge from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol grow during their respective storylines and experience a number of character changes. Through a series of trials, one sees both

Gilgamesh and Scrooge transform from powerful but selfish individuals to beings

possessing kindness and empathy.

In the beginning, Gilgamesh is a fantastic athlete and warrior. As one would expect from an individual who is two thirds god and one third man, his beauty, strength and courage surpassed all others. He built great walls for his city and temples for the gods. Gilgamesh's flaw, however, is that he is a poor king. He is known for sleeping with virgins before their wedding night, stealing children, and exhausting his men.

Upon complaints from the people of Uruk, the god Anu works with the goddess Aruru to create a...