Gilgamesh Epic Hero Essay

If Gilgamesh was not so hubristic as to want to “stamp [his] fame on men’s minds forever” (94) by winning in battle against Humbaba, Enkidu would have lived. His death ravages Gilgamesh, who sets his sights on achieving immortality so that he may never experience the very human fate to which his soulmate fell victim. Gilgamesh devotes years of his life to seeking immortality, but his quest ends in vain. The damage that Gilgamesh’s hubris caused is apparent; he experienced awful heartbreak and sacrificed many years of his mortal life in an attempt to preserve it. However, Gilgamesh’s story ends with an interesting conclusion: instead of suffering for the rest of his days due to his tragic flaw, Gilgamesh is able to accept that “[t]here is no way to overcome death” (63) and

Gilgamesh’s journey caused him to mature emotionally and benefit the People of Uruk and himself. Gilgamesh was a tyrannical ruler of Uruk. An example of this is when he would sleep with brides of men right before they became married. Soon all of his mean spirited practices would stop when he meets Enkidu. Enkidu was an animal-man who lived in the forest. Enkidu would destroy all of the animal traps. Therefore, Gilgamesh ordered that he be brought to the city and sent a prostitute to convince him to come back. The prostitute was successful and caused Enkidu to become more human and to go to Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu then fight and find themselves equal. Enkidu was now his new-found best friend. Enkidu was against what he did to his people.

After Enkidu and Gilgamesh defeat the divine beast Humbaba, another pivotal sexual interaction tests Gilgamesh’s character and reveals his changed nature. As Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel back from the sacred forest, Ishtar (Babylonian goddess of love and

(Gilgamesh 71)” Gilgamesh's grief for his friend was natural, but he shouldn't have abandoned his people and his royal duties. As ruler, his people have to follow his decree, and need his support to thrive. By forcing them to grief, and abandoning his position, he left them in a very vulnerable position. His last and final abandonment of his people began with Gilgamesh's quest for immortality. He was so upset and shocked by what occurred to Enkidu's body after death, that he vowed he would never die. His selfishness has grown so far, that when he finds his cure for mortality, he chooses to let an old man test the plant in case it brings death instead. “I will bring it to Uruk-Haven, and have an old man eat the plant to test it. The plant's name is “The Old Man Becomes a Young Man.” Then I will eat it and return to the condition of my youth. (Gilgamesh 106)” Gilgamesh was a powerful man with a lot of ambition, and potential. It was just ruined by his selfish nature. He was, all-in-all, a famous and great ruler... but not a just one.

Gilgamesh, written by David Ferry, illustrates a story about a man who knows everything, but continues to try and learn more. Although Gilgamesh may be arrogant, he still remains a great ruler and commander of Uruk. Throughout the book, the adventures of Gilgamesh fit Joseph Campbell’s idea of the hero’s journey. After analyzing the pieces to the hero’s journey, Gilgamesh is proven to be a true hero because his journey parallels that of the hero’s journey described by Campbell. The latter part of this paper will prove Gilgamesh is a hero using Campbell’s model, by analyzing the pieces of the hero’s journey: separation or departure, the initiation, and the return.

Further analysis of the poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, described the characteristic of king Gilgamesh from the beginning, middle, and end. Throughout the poem, there are immature and petrified moments of Gilgamesh, but more importantly he learned to grow as he explore his journey. Friendship, love, and fear appears to be essential in this poem. Why are those terms relevant ? and how does it connect with the trait of Gilgamesh ?, let’s continue to find out the truth about Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh encounters Utnapishtim, a man who survives the great flood and receives immortality. Utnapishtim gives Gilgamesh eclectic tasks to achieve eternal life. The first task is to stay awake for seven days, which Gilgamesh is unable to accomplish. Feeling sorry, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh a secret that if he finds the “plant that grows under the water… [it] restores his lost youth” (31). Gilgamesh lights up and ties rocks to his feet to sink down to search for the marvelous plant. Gilgamesh finds the ultimate boon. He is overjoyed and eager to bring the plant back to his homeland to restore the youth of all the men there. The refusal of the return occurs when, he was returning home and becomes careless and bathes in a nearby well of cool water, leaving the plant unattended. A snake suddenly appears and eats the plant, restoring the snake’s youth. Gilgamesh begins to weep upon seeing that he failed in his quest for immortality. Gilgamesh returns back to his homeland, Uruk, and engraves his story on a stone for everyone to see and

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 virtue of loyalty in the Epic of Gilgamesh is best illustrated by the character Enkidu. He is introduced in the epic as a counter to Gilgamesh. Created by the goddess Aruru, Enkidu, a wild and solitary person, is defeated in a wrestling match by Gilgamesh. He then becomes a loyal and faithful friend to the king. This loyalty is tested before the battle with Humbaba. Enkidu, aware of the giant’s powers and strengths, pleads to Gilgamesh, “You do not know this monster and that is the reason you are not afraid. I who

Gilgamesh, on the other hand, is not so lucky. His weakness is something that he cannot escape. Since Gilgamesh is part human, death is an inevitable fact of life. Gilgamesh’s fate is first foreseen when he has a dream about a wild man Enkidu. Gilgamesh tells his mother,” Stars of the sky appeared, and some kind of meteorite of Anu fell next to me. I tried to lift it but it was too mighty for me, I tried to turn it but I could not budge it. – I loved it and embraced it as a wife. I laid it down at your feet, and you made it compete with me. (220-231)” Gilgamesh learns his destiny is to love Enkidu, but the gods create Enkidu to destroy Gilgamesh. When the goddess of love sends the bull of heaven to kill Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the bull, but the gods are not happy. As punishment, they speak the curse of death upon Enkidu. Heart-broken

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu helps act as a catalyst for the transformation of Gilgamesh’s character from an undefeatable god-like brute into a complex thinker. In the eyes of Gilgamesh, he is unstoppable and is willing to challenge death itself so long as he is remembered as a hero by his subjects. With Enkidu’s help, Gilgamesh learns to become a better person as a ruler, not as a better warrior. Although not blood related, Enkidu was like a brother to Gilgamesh and the duo shared an inseparable bond. Throughout the epic, Enkidu teaches Gilgamesh that he is not unstoppable, being stubborn will not stop him from dying, and that there are no easy solutions to life.

Following Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh travels in search of the puzzling answer to immortality. He battles with the realization that he will one day suffer death, like Enkidu. During this time, it was believed that when people die their spirits go to an awful place. Death is not seen as peaceful. This could be why Gilgamesh presented feelings of extreme discontent with the realization that he is not immortal. As Gilgamesh approaches Utanapishtim, Gilgamesh expects to see a man that is godly and strong. Gilgamesh realizes that Utanapishtim seems normal and frail like him. Gilgamesh was perplexed to realize that Utanapishtim was granted immortality because there was nothing unique about him that Gilgamesh could see.

Later, Enkidu is punished for killing the Bull of Heaven and Humababa, Enkidu suffers from illness and ends up dying. Enkidu’s death affected Gilgamesh a lot; Enkidu’s death marks a change in Gilgamesh life. Gilgamesh change from a harsh and a strong person into someone who has feelings and a loving heart. Gilgamesh keeps thinking that if Enkidu can die then he can die too and all that Gilgamesh

In the Epic of Gilgamesh Enkidu was created to be Gilgamesh companion and to help balance Gilgamesh out as a person. Gilgamesh is a powerful, brave, and strong man. He is two-thirds god and one-third human. He is the king of Uruk. Enkidu was created because the people of Uruk complained to the gods that Gilgamesh was being too harsh.

The definition of a hero is varies – a hero from a specific country or culture can be viewed as immoral or evil to another. The general traits of an epic hero includes relations with or chosen by the gods, an extraordinary birth fact, accomplished amazing feats, and went against some “malevolent” force. Typically, a traditional epic hero’s tale concludes with a seemingly happy ending, but some epic heroes are not so lucky. The tragic epic hero earns admiration through triumphing over insurmountable hardships, but is also destined to die by fate or the will of the gods. According to the Epic of Gilgamesh (Gilgamesh) and the Epic of Mahabharata (Mahabharata), Enkidu and Karna endured comparable experiences as tragic heroes, whereas Gilgamesh