...Joseph Campbell says that, “when we quit thinking about our self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness”. This is true of Gilgamesh, who is the hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh. He accepts death and learns to live, which in turn lets him live forever through his legacy. After many futile attempts to gain immortality, Gilgamesh is left with no other options but to accept the inevitable. Through acceptance he learns humility and becomes a great leader for the people of Uruk. His subjects love him, and because of it, they tell his story from generation to generation making him immortal. After the death of his close friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh realizes that he cannot live forever. So, he goes on a journey to find...
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...Gilgamesh is proclaimed as an unstable compound of part god and part man of Uruk. He is the fiercest of warriors that is why he is king, among other things. The people of Uruk were tired of Gilgamesh behavior, which made them think of an idea that would destroy him. Enkidu “the wild man” was there plan to demolish Gilgamesh. They thought he would have defeated Gilgamesh, but it turns out that they have equal amount of strength. Gilgamesh ends up winning the fight and then they become good friends. The story’s structure is organized around Gilgamesh’s journey because it is not an ordinary journey and he learns life lessons. What he learns on his journey is how to cope with the loss of a dear friend, how to accept one’s own death, and how to...
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...When reading Gilgamesh, it is not uncommon for many to relate the tale's protagonist to John Campbell's theory on the twelve steps of a Hero's journey, which characterizes the typical progression of most epic stories. However, I make the claim that, as per Campbell's theory, it is not Gilgamesh himself who is the hero of the tale. Rather, Gilgamesh and his ally Enkindu combine to form the single hero of the story, with Enkindu actually meeting most of Campbell's criteria. Together, both characters symbolize one hero who embodies mankind's yearning to “incarnate unearthly covenants” (Campbell, 1968, p. 3), consistent with Campbell's views on mythology. The tale begins with an exposition describing Gilgamesh and Enkindu's daily life. According the first step in Campbell's theory, a Hero's journey must begin in an ordinary world. Enkindu fits this description perfectly. As far as a natural living is concerned, every aspect of Enkindu's life is ordinary; he lives completely off the land, his whole body was “shaggy with hair”, and he satisfies his thirst with “mere water” (Anonymous, n.d.). Gilgamesh, in contrast, does not have a conventional life. Not only is he royalty, he is “supreme over other kings”, he is the offspring of deities, and he is described as being “awesome to perfection” (Anonymous, n.d.). It is clear that the story begins with two starkly different lives, with Enkidu truly fitting Campbell's primary criteria as a Hero. Indeed, when the plot begins, Enkindu fulfills...
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...As Gilgamesh wandered through the desert alone. He realized that in his mad state of mind that he was no longer a king, but a man who lost his way. He longed to bring Enkidu back to life, which would end his bitterness and his new found fear of death. Gilgamesh became so fearful of death that he began a quest to discover eternal life, “he yearned to talk to Utnapishtim, the one who had survived the flood and death itself, the one who knew the secret.”(55). A life which he could bring back to his friend. As he travels to find eternal life, he passes the scorpion monster and his wife, travels through the valley, and reaches the sea where he comes across a cottage where Siduri lived. He pounded on the door. As she opened the door she was struck with fear because of Gilgamesh’s appearance. She questioned who he was and he explained that he was a king and that he had killed Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. She took pity on him and let him lie down and rest. At this point Gilgamesh wants to know how to find Utnapishtim. He is told there is no way to get there. He then goes to find the waters of death, he meets the boat man Urshanabi, whom he tells the same...
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...The Comparison of Man’s Temptation The Epic of Gilgamesh and In the Beginning have many similarities. Both incorporate the Hero’s Journey and three archetypes: character, situational, and symbolic. Both are about man's relationship with God(s), including man’s struggle with temptation, and the serpent as a symbol. Likewise, they share a common theme that humans fall into temptations for desire of greater things. Both have protagonist character archetypes with weaknesses, the desire for more, The epic poem The Epic of Gilgamesh displays how Gilgamesh, the protagonist, had a high standard position in his kingdom and abused that making him a dictator of his kingdom. Due to this the people prayed to the Gods for a rejoinder, and in response...
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...In both the Odyssey, by Homer, and The Epic of Gilgamesh, created by the Sumerians, both were stories created a long time ago made for folklore or to explain what has happened in a certain time in history. Both stories contain myths, unimaginable acts, and just the idea of immortality is present in both stories. The historic novels both have their own twists to the stories as well as some similarities in the story. In both stories, the Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, there are similar character archetypes, villains, plot, and the hero’s journey. Although in the Odyssey, most of the villains turned out to be allies, whereas in the Epic of Gilgamesh, they stayed enemies and didn’t switch over to his side. The Hero’s Journey in both stories...
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...Christian Lescznske Professor Larkin ELIT2055-B 31 March 2014 The Hero’s Journey: Comparing and Contrasting Heroes Joseph Campbell was an American psychologist and mythological researcher. In his lifelong research, Campbell discovered many common patterns running through hero myths and stories from around the world. Years of research lead Campbell to discover several basic stages that almost every hero-quest goes through (no matter what culture the myth is a part of). He calls this common structure “the monomyth” (Hero’s Journey). The “hero’s journey” appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of The Hero, who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the family, group, tribe, or civilization. There are twelve steps, or stages, of the typical “Hero’s Journey”. The twelve steps are: The ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the threshold, a test, the approach, the ordeal, the reward, the road back, the resurrection, and the return with the elixir, or reward. As I previously stated, Campbell’s monomyth works best with the traditional form of the quest such as in folk and fairy tales, myths, legends, and other fantasies. However, it can be applied to many different genres or types of stories. A quest does not have to include swords and monsters. It can just as easily occur in the real world. The monomyth is ageless and universal...
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...Every mythological hero seems to be on a journey in search of the thing he desires most in the world. The two heroes who stood out to me were Gilgamesh, and Achilles. Gilgamesh’s greatest fear was death, while Achilles feared his legacy being lost and forgotten. Technically their desires are different, but their journey share many similarities, and in the end, boils down to the same thing. Each man in his own way, both Gilgamesh and Achilles desired immortality above all else. Though immortality takes on very a different meaning for Gilgamesh, as it does for Achilles, every decision as well as all the sacrifices they make, are based on their fear of death and dying. Gilgamesh’s journey for immortality begins with the death of Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s heart breaks when he had to watch his brother die, which made him consider the prospect of his own mortality and inevitable death.(1) Gilgamesh fears his own death so much that he seems to be willing to risk everything including death, for a chance at an immortal life. Gilgamesh does not know what the future holds for him, or whether his journey for immortality will bear fruit. But Achilles on the other hand, was given all the information he needed to make an informed decision before his journey even began. His mother Thetis told him of his fate. If he chose to go to Troy, he would die in in battle and his name would be forever remembered. If he chose not to go to Troy, he would live a long life and have many children who would honor...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts most of these characteristics of epic heroism. The description about his birth to the journey and adventures in his life meets the characteristics of an epic hero. Although, at some points, Gilgamesh engages in acts of selfishness and arrogance, I believe he achieves the characteristics of an epic hero and portrays those characteristics throughout the epic. Gilgamesh is described as a son of a mortal man and a goddess, which makes him a one-third man and a two-thirds god. During his birth, Gilgamesh is marked out as a unique type of a person who has connections with both the mortal world and the divine world. The divine birth is very central and important to the various adventures and achievements to come into his life. “When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body…..Two-thirds they made him a god and one-third man (Mitchell, 13). Like most epic heroes, Gilgamesh embarks on heroic quests where he fights with the guardian Humbaba, which was a monster of the holy forest in order to achieve immortal status. Gilgamesh reveals his courageous nature by defying his advisers, including his own mother in efforts to accomplish the quests. Epic heroes tend to play by their own rules and are ready to sacrifice their lives in efforts to avenge or protect their people. Together with his friend ,Enkidu, Gilgamesh carries along unique weapons with the hope that the god of the sun would protect them as promised. The fact that Gilgamesh experiences...
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...day lives. I am going to compare one ancient, non-western myth with one modern, western-made myth. I have chosen to compare the Mesopotamian version of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Walt Disney’s Heracles. Heracles has become a western classic and while it defiantly does not have the same cultural and spiritual effects Gilgamesh’s myth does there are still many similarities between the two myths. Both myths are epic tails of Heroes who go on a journey to become all they can be; fighting Monsters and even gods along the way. Each of these myths is started with a sort of introduction from outside the story, Heracles by the muses and Gilgamesh by narration. The introductions tell of the deeds both heroes would come to do and give some background of why they were so famous. While they are both described as great heroes, the journeys of Gilgamesh and Heracles have some similarities and differences. Both have parts with our heroes valiantly battling monsters, saving cities from monsters and even meeting companions along the way; there are also many differences in their stories, like the type of hero they are, the Nichols 2 repercussions for their transgressions against the gods and their moral values. It is after the introduction that the real myth begins and one finds that they are not as similar as they seem. Gilgamesh and Heracles are both Heroes so their stories are, of course going to have similarities. Heracles was born a god but was kidnapped from Mt. Olympus had...
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...Randi Fortson World Literature I Maki 9/20/12 Gilgamesh- Epic Hero? In this epic, the so called hero Gilgamesh is very contradictory in his actions. He displays acts of heroism at some points throughout the story, but only after he meets Enkidu. Prior to Enkidu entering Gilgamesh’s life, Gilgamesh’s actions could be said to be villainous. There are several controversial opinions on whether Gilgamesh is considered an epic hero due to the fact that at the beginning of the epic he was not a hero at all. The actual definition of an epic hero is an important figure from a history or legend, usually favored by or even partially descended from deities. The hero participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, gathers allies along his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. (www.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100118124521AAYCDtq ). Gilgamesh could not fit the definition of the word “hero”, however following this given definition, Gilgamesh would technically be considered an epic hero. Gilgamesh is two- thirds God, he does go on a journey as well. He became friends with Enkidu along the way. He faces an adversity by losing Enkidu, but still returns home a changed man. When the story begins, Gilgamesh is known as a horrible ruler. For instance he was deflowering brides the night before their wedding day. Although he claimed that he was being led by the Gods to do that, I don’t agree...
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...progresses. This is also the case for the story, “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. At the beginning of the poem, people learn Gilgamesh’s personality and what his mission and principles are. He goes through life-changing experiences that make his perception of life change for the better. Throughout the telling of this story, this poem displays the character development of the self-motivated Gilgamesh. Throughout the book, the readers experience Gilgamesh’s character in many different ways – as a ruthless king disliked by the people of Urak, a fearful and mighty fighter, a drained, unhappy man, and finally a man who is satisfied with himself. The epic story starts when the people of Urak complain to the Gods that Gilgamesh is a hostile ruler. He forces warriors to fight whenever he...
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...Gilgamesh and Odysseus were two heroes from two completely different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life, or what could be done in a lifetime. Gilgamesh and the Odyssey are both categorized as hero myths. This is because both hero's go through growth and change throughout out their conquests. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh, was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world, such as their attitudes toward the gods, how a hero was defined and regarded, views about death and friendship. The Odyssey was also very popular in its era. It was set in ancient Greece where in its culture; mythology was the heart of everyday life. Gilgamesh, the hero from the epic Gilgamesh, was the historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the river Euphrates. He lived about 2700B.C. Odysseus, the hero from the epic the Odysseus, was the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca. He was one of the most prominent Greek leaders of the Trojan War. Both of these men were granted certain strengths, Gilgamesh had physical, while Odysseus had mental strengths. The journeys of Gilgamesh and Odysseus are two incredible stories written long ago; these two heroes have many similarities, but also many differences. The differences are between these two great heroes are slim, but significant. Gilgamesh was...
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...Aylin Sipahi CMLT C110 Final Essay for Epic of Gilgamesh February 19, 2013 The Epic of Gilgamesh serves as a great looking glass into a long lost culture in which most artifacts are lost. The story centers on Gilgamesh, a ruthless king who is two thirds god and one third man. As king, he does not meet his potentials of leadership as he is often self-centered and sometimes depicted as inhumane. When his dear friend Enkidu dies, he sets off to find immortality. He eventually fails, but during his journey, he came to terms with his mortality and became a more compassionate person. Even though the main characters are men, the women play small but vital roles along his journey. The women in this epic reveal that they are solely responsible for the civilization of Gilgamesh and Enkidu by means of dream interpretation, sex, and motherly instincts, because the men of this epic do not have the ability to do them on their own. As king, Gilgamesh does things of his own accord and with his own judgment. He terrifies his city with his ruthless behavior, and even upsets the gods. He takes away sons from families, and has his way with newly wedded brides on their honeymoon before the grooms. As Gilgamesh sees women as merely sex objects, it’s difficult to imagine that when he needs direction he goes to his mother, Ninsun “who is well-beloved and wise (page 66).” It is interesting to see that Gilgamesh sees every other woman as a sex object, except his mother. Some theories to support...
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...in the afterlife, and devotion to their gods. Their culture emerged from the persistent change and methodological affairs they were accustomed to. In the epic of Gilgamesh, the story follows the heroic journey of a man who is “two-thirds divine and one-third human” to his road to attaining wisdom and piety (Gilgamesh, 71). It is characterized by hope and forgiveness rather than the presumed pessimistic attitude of the Mesopotamians. The story begins with an introduction to Gilgamesh, the main character, who is a ruler over his people and seen as and “unvanquished leader, hero in the front lines, beloved by his soldiers” (Gilgamesh, 71). Although at first his people are unhappy with Gilgamesh as their king, the story follows through with transformation of this character from a despicable, violent ruler to a hopeful, wiser individual. The prevalence of violence in Gilgamesh’s personality is a reflection of the destruction the Mesopotamians encountered in their nature. There are various occurrences in this poem where Gilgamesh allows his anger to result in a destruction of some sort. Nonetheless, he presents an anticipating attitude toward the hereafter rather than a pessimistic one, which is presented at the end of the narration. Further into the story, Enkidu, a friend of Gilgamesh, accompanies the hero on his journey to killing Humbaba, the great beast from the forest. Enkidu’s introduction in...
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