Gilgamesh: a Hero's Journey Essay

The first part of the hero’s journey is the call to adventure. This is the voyage that the hero is asked to go on in order to accomplish greater good for human kind. This is the hero’s chance to help his or her community, family or friends by embarking on a long journey and challenging his, or herself. Gilgamesh does not go on a journey to help others, he goes to make himself look better. “ I have not established my name stamped on bricks as my destiny decreed, therefore I will go to the country

This big section of the story can be categorized as tests and obstacles (Rice). Gilgamesh encounters various mental and physical tests and obstacles. He must travel the long journey to see Utnapishtim. He also must travel to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve the sacred plant. He encounters a mental obstacle when he finds out that he cannot gain immortality the way Utnapishtim did. He is also tested with the loaves of bread by Utnapishtim’s wife. Dorothy is constantly tested by the Wicked Witch of the West. The witch kidnaps her and uses poppies to try to prevent Dorothy from reaching Emerald City (The Wizard…). Dorothy is also tested when she gets to Emerald City because she has to kill the witch and she finds out the wizard is only a con artist (The Wizard…). Dorothy gains three main allies on her journey: The Lion, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow (The Wizard…). They help Dorothy get to Emerald City and eventually kill the witch (The Wizard…). These tests and obstacles that the heroes must encounter are all part of the archetypal pattern (Rice).

Gilgamesh displays this growth at the end of the Epic as he admires his city, “Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork!”, “Did the Seven Sages not lay its foundations?” (Gilgamesh 11.324,236) This was his act of of good. Realising what it takes to rule his kingdom, not like a tyrant, was what his message was. What truly made Gilgamesh a hero was his transformation from being a tyrant to a good king. Gilgamesh lived on through the foundations of his Kingdom, in a way, making him mortal. As people continue to study the epic, one might even suggest Gilgamesh obtained immortality as being remembered a hero.

The story of “Gilgamesh” depicts all of the heroic triumphs and heart-breaking pitfalls a heroic narrative should depict to be able to relate to today’s audience. However, “Gilgamesh” was once considered a lost and forgotten piece of literature for thousands of years, so there is a tremendous gap between the time it was created and the time it was translated into language that today’s audience can understand. That gap in history makes several aspects of the story of “Gilgamesh” strange and unfamiliar because what we now know about ancient Middle Eastern cultures and languages is a lot less than what we know about the cultures that prospered after ancient Middle Eastern cultures. Much of the content in the story of

At the end of the two stories, Achilles and Gilgamesh showed new and better identities from their old self. Gilgamesh was faced with the obstacle that every hero must face on the Hero’s Journey. That moment was when he decided if he was going to obtain what he worked so hard for. Although he was unsuccessful in gaining immortality, he found what he was truly destined for which was the realization that immortality was not his fate. His fate was to be a great king over Uruk.

The second significant change in Gilgamesh was caused by the loss of his brotherly companion, Enkidu. Gilgamesh couldn't bear the loss of a love so powerful. Despite his astonishing power and leadership, something in his life was missing. He wept for seven days and seven nights, in hope of bringing Enkidu back to him. Gilgamesh said, "I thought my friend would come back because of my weeping. Since he went, my life is nothing". It is in this stage of the epic that we see the truly sympathetic and compassionate side of Gilgamesh. The grief in his heart had far surpassed the magnificent pride that he had previously displayed so boldly.

The Epic of Gilgamesh details two fundamental types of heroic journeys or questions: external and internal ones. The first journey is an external one, in which Gilgamesh proves himself to be the most valiant of all warriors, overcoming Enkidu and Humbaba. The second type of journey is an internal one, in which Gilgamesh seeks to understand the meaning of life, after the death of his beloved friend Enkidu. When Gilgamesh realizes that his strength is meaningless in the face of the gods and he cannot triumph over death, he realizes he must seek another answer to the problems of life.

maker of wine, since I have seen your face do not let me see the face

Although, it might seem that Gilgamesh failed in his quest for external life, I believe he accomplished something far greater than that. He achieved compassion, love and friendship with Enkidu, knowledge to the outside world of Uruk, and glory. Gilgamesh’s “journey” seemed to be more of a journey in finding himself than a journey to external life. Once his quest begins, we see a different side of him. Instead, we see a man unhappy with his destiny, a man who challenges and seeks to change his own destiny. We also see a dramatic growth through his brotherhood with Enkidu. In the beginning, Gilgamesh didn’t believe he could seek companionship because ‘he could not find an equal’. Finding this love and compassion for Enkidu shows his growth as

In the epic of Gilgamesh, the trait crossing the threshold can be seen as Gilgamesh leaves Uruk and goes on his quest to find immortality in the underworld.

Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Mesopotamian epic poem with no known author, is the story of the brute King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who was two-thirds divine and one-third human, which teaches readers the unstoppable force of death, the wrath of the gods, and also the power of friendship, which are illustrated to readers through the characters journeys, and those encountered along the way. The poem, which is divided into twelve tablets, starts off with Gilgamesh being a vicious tyrant, one who “would leave no son to his father… no girl to her mother”(Gilgamesh 101), and as for newly married couples “was to join with the girl that night”(Gilgamesh 109) transitions to by the end of the story an entirely new man.

The earliest surviving literary work, dating from 2100 BC in the Sumerian city of Uruk, The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of a hero’s journey to immortality. The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by the Sumerians in their akkadian text and translated by George Smith in the early 1870s, follows the main character Gilgamesh, the unjust and cruel king of Uruk, and his friend Enkidu on their journey to achieve greatness in which Enkidu dies, prompting Gilgamesh to seek immortality. In the story, Enkidu’s character serves as a foil to show and exaggerate Gilgamesh’s immorality and bravery.

People have been fascinated by tales of heroism for centuries. In ancient Mesopotamia, heroes give people hope and comfort, and fill them with strength. Ancient Mesopotamia is filled with tales of heroes- mighty warriors battling monsters, men ready to risk life and limb to save their true love or to fight for their nation. Still, there is a great difficulty that lies in defining what a hero truly is. Strength alone does not make a hero; nor does intelligence. Moreover, the Epic of Gilgamesh truly defines the definition of a hero. Gilgamesh is portrayed as a true hero through his skill, intelligence, willingness to die, reverence, and his respect for death.

The very first lines of the epic focus on Gilgamesh and the impressiveness of his accomplishments. They stress the wisdom he attained, drawing attention to it right away with the repetition of what he learned;