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…
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 …show more content…
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
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.
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.
Gilgamesh, feeling the fear of his own mortality, sets out on a journey to search for a way to preserve himself. Although the journey that he endures is much larger than life, Gilgamesh comes to realize that he can never achieve immortality. Before the creation of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is a man without an equal match. He is an individual with overwhelming power, and it is because of this that makes Gilgamesh a very arrogant person.
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.
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.
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.
Character deficiencies and external events force these three characters to embark on a journey that may be physical, metaphorical, or both. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, but he is not a kind or gentle ruler. The narrator describes Gilgamesh as "surpassing all kings, for his stature renowned" (I.30) and yet the people pray to the gods for help because Gilgamesh "would leave no son to his father" (I.67) or "girl to her mother" (I.73). In other words, Gilgamesh sees nothing wrong with taking what he wants from his people, including their lives. However, when Gilgamesh's best friend dies, he finds himself face-to-face with his own mortality, which he is not prepared to accept as inevitable. Gilgamesh states, "I have grown afraid of death . . ." (IX. 5). He decides to continue wandering the land un...
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.
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.
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.
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.