The archetypal characters present in The Epic of Gilgamesh are the hero in Gilgamesh, the ancient mystagogue in Utnapishtim, the enemy in death, the threshold guardian in Humbaba, and the shape-shifter in the gods. Gilgamesh is the hero because he matches many traits of a stereotypical hero, being wise, strong, handsome, and a demigod (The Epic of Gilgamesh 3). He is also the central figure of the epic, going on a journey to find immortality, facing great obstacles along the way, and receiving help from many sources. Utnapishtim is the ancient mystagogue because he is the wise old man that assists Gilgamesh by helping him realize his destiny that he is not meant to be immortal l(The Epic of Gilgamesh 22). Death is the enemy, as it is the main …show more content…
obstacle Gilgamesh seeks to overcome.
His journey is to find immortality, because he fears his own death, after witnessing the death of Enkidu. The threshold guardian is represented in Humbaba, as he is the first obstacle that Gilgamesh is forced to surpass (The Epic of Gilgamesh 10). Throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh, the loyalty and values of the gods are unclear, as they make many actions that benefit and harm Gilgamesh in his journey, from assisting him in fighting Humbaba, to cursing him with the Bull of Heaven (The Epic of Gilgamesh 10).
All the elements of a hero’s journey present in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The ordinary world is the setting where the story begins, the city-state of Uruk. Everybody there lives a normal, uneventful life. Gilgamesh is different from the other people because of his great beauty, great courage, and great strength (The Epic of Gilgamesh 3). The call to adventure is the dream that Gilgamesh has, speaking of his destiny. This drives Gilgamesh to embed his name in history, by traveling to the Land of Cedars and killing Humbaba (The Epic of Gilgamesh 7). The refusal of
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the quest is shown through Gilgamesh’s refusal to kill Humbaba, because of Humbaba’s pledge to be his servant if he is spared. It is a quest that only he can complete, but he is torn on what to do.
He almost Humbaba live, but Enkidu convinces Gilgamesh to kill him, by stating that Humbaba will continue to kill others if he is spared (The Epic of Gilgamesh 11). Gilgamesh accepts the call to action when he sets off in search of immortality by seeking out Utnapishtim, the only immortal human. He decides to accept the quest because Enkidu is killed by the gods, scaring Gilgamesh with the prospects of his own death. Gilgamesh enters the unknown when he travels outside of Uruk to search for Utnapishtim. He travels to far off places such as the mountains of Mashu, where the sun sets at night and rises at day. The places have new creatures he has never encountered, like two scorpion monsters that guard the entrance to the tunnel through Mashu. The supernatural aid Gilgamesh receives in The Epic of Gilgamesh is help from the gods. They give help all throughout his story, from giving him great beauty, wisdom, courage, and strength as a child, to providing help from the winds in the battle with Humbaba (The Epic of Gilgamesh). The talisman in The Epic of Gilgamesh is the flower of immortal life. Though he only has it for a short while
before it is taken, it is through in its assistance to his realization of his true destiny (The Epic of Gilgamesh 22-23). The main helper that Gilgamesh has is his friend Enkidu. He is Gilgamesh’s friend and his companion, and the one who helps him throughout his journeys until he dies. The tests are the many obstacles Gilgamesh encounters through his journey, from fighting Humbaba to pleading the scorpion monsters to let him pass, and the supreme ordeal is the task Utnapishtim assigns to him, “only prevail against sleep for six days and seven nights” (The Epic of Gilgamesh 22). However, Gilgamesh struggles to stay awake and ends up falling asleep for seven days. Although he fails to meet his goal, the tension is relived because Utnapishtim’s wife convinces him to provide Gilgamesh information concerning a flower that can provide immortality. The expected reward is actually lost, as a snake “rose out of the water and snatched [the flower] away” (The Epic of Gilgamesh 22) while Gilgamesh is taking a bath along the journey home. The actual reward Gilgamesh takes from his journey is the understanding that his destiny is to be a good king to Uruk instead of being immortal. After having the flower stolen, Gilgamesh understands this, and travels the rest of the way home with this new knowledge.
Gilgamesh explains his goal of finding Utanapishtim and manages to convince the monsters to allow him into the passage despite the male monster's assertion that no one can make it through the tunnel before the sun enters on its way through (IX.57-71). Gilgamesh has twelve hours to race through the tunnel in absolute darkness. He is successful, coming out of the tunnel to find himself at a seaside and that "bright light still reigned" (IX.114). Sometimes, the character's hardships are of their own making. Upon reaching the shore, Gilgamesh destroys the "Stone Charms," which are necessary for crossing the sea to reach the home of Utanapishtim (IX.188-95).
There are three main characteristics that make The Epic of Gilgamesh an epic. The first be...
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur. From the ancient Mesopotamia, the poem is set where modern day Iraq is today. Composed of five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh, which is Sumerian for Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is two parts God and one part Man who is a hero. Gilgamesh encounters many challenges and situations during The Epic of Gilgamesh that cause him to evolve into a better king. Consequential, Gilgamesh recommences his position in Urk and evolves as an improved king.
The main character in the book The Epic of Gilgamesh, is Gilgamesh himself. In the beginning of the book one realizes that Gilgamesh is an arrogant person. Gilgamesh is full of himself and abuses his rights as king. He has sexual intercourse with the virgins of his town and acts as though he is a god. Throughout the story, many things cause Gilgamesh to change. He gains a friend, he makes a name for himself by killing Humbaba, and he tries to become immortal because of the death of Enkidu. Through these main actions his personality changes and he becomes a better person.
His dangerous voyages challenge his fate and saw the truth about human life. He felt pain like everybody else and misunderstood things yet the people of Uruk admire their king and the community change. With great discipline and equality. Gilgamesh exceptional qualities of being an epic hero make him prove that with his people and the dangerous voyages he went to.
Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Gilgamesh's journey is larger than life, yet ends so commonly with death. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed.
In Gilgamesh, he fights Humbaba with Enkidu, his best friend. Humbaba is the guardian of the Cedar Forest who was assigned by the god Enlil. Gilgamesh doesn't fight for the world, but he has his own reasons. In the text, it states, “Even if I fail I will have made a lasting name for myself’’ (181). In other words, Gilgamesh's motivation to slaughter Humbaba is not just to get rid of evil but to let his people remember him. Gilgamesh is being selfish because if he's dead, Uruk won't have a ruler, which means Uruk will be out of control. The choice Gilgamesh makes causes him not to care about Uruk but only himself. However, the encounter of Enkidu's death has turned Gilgamesh into another person. He couldn't confront the truth that Enkidu has died. Enkidu was more than a best friend to him, he was a brother whom he loved. Because of his love for Enkidu, Gilgamesh builds a statue so everyone in Uruk will remember him. This demonstrates Gilgamesh changing from selfish to selfless. This change is part of Gilgamesh's transformations towards becoming a hero. Gilgamesh changes as a result of Enkidu's death. According to the text, it states, “Gilgamesh interferes in the lives of his subjects beyond his right as king”(175). This proves that Gilgamesh was bothering and annoying the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh is going to become king soon and he shouldn’t disregard or interfere with his subject’s private life.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.
Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh The search for immortality has been a major concern for many men and women all throughout history. True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many. To spend time with a special someone, the person one feels closest to, and never have to say good-bye would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh explores the possibility of immortality following the saddening death of his friend and brother, Enkidu.
In, Gilgamesh, the quest for immortality is important in order for Gilgamesh to cheat death, after his one and only best friend’s quick fatal fall to illness. Gilgamesh being two-thirds God and one-third human has many great obstacles to overcome, especially with the Gods. The search for immortality and overall self may be a great accomplishment for Gilgamesh to overcome.
Gilgamesh is not only a character of a story; he is actually a portrayal of people and how they act out of human nature. he like many of us, does not want his existence to end when he leaves this world. He is not content with what he has, good looks, money, and power and desires more in life. In the story of Gilgamesh we, as people, can relate to. There are similarities between Gilgamesh’s journey and our own journey through life.
Enkidu and Urshanabi serve as the threshold guardians by showing he needs to get past them and earn their trust throughout the story. Then, Shamash provides supernatural aid by helping him pass major obstacles. Gilgamesh enters the unexplored land when he goes into the cedar forest to destroy Humbaba and when he searches for the plant Utnapishtim told him about, and he faces a challenge when Utnapishtim tells him he must stay awake for six nights and seven days in order to become immortal. Finally, Gilgamesh undergoes his transformation when he decides he will give the plant to his people before himself, and once he returns to Uruk, he is proud of his city and passes his story on to others. Overall, Gilgamesh goes through all of the stages of the Sumerian archetype of a hero’s journey and is therefore considered an epic hero in Sumerian
The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story portrays the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the prostitute seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried vainly to dissuade Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their adventure to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him.
Although there are differences between this ancient culture and ours, one similar idea found in the story is that of the worship of deity. There are many gods represented in the story of Gilgamesh. This reflects the tendency of the people of that time to cling to religious ideals to explain the unknown.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a moving tale of the friendship between Gilgamesh, the demigod king of Uruk, and the wild man Enkidu. Accepting ones own mortality is the overarching theme of the epic as Gilgamesh and Enkidu find their highest purpose in the pursuit of eternal life.