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    World Lit Response Paper One

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    Robbi Selvidge
    The document analyzes how the Epic of Gilgamesh follows Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of the hero's journey. It summarizes that the story begins with Gilgamesh as a cruel ruler who is challenged by Enkidu, starting his transformation. They face trials like battling Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu's death is a climax that makes Gilgamesh fear his own mortality. He seeks immortality but ultimately returns home accepting his mortality but finding solace that mankind will continue.

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    World Lit Response Paper One

    Uploaded by

    Robbi Selvidge
    16 views2 pages
    The document analyzes how the Epic of Gilgamesh follows Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of the hero's journey. It summarizes that the story begins with Gilgamesh as a cruel ruler who is challenged by Enkidu, starting his transformation. They face trials like battling Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu's death is a climax that makes Gilgamesh fear his own mortality. He seeks immortality but ultimately returns home accepting his mortality but finding solace that mankind will continue.

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    World Lit Response paper One

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    The document analyzes how the Epic of Gilgamesh follows Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of the hero's journey. It summarizes that the story begins with Gilgamesh as a cruel ruler who is challenged by Enkidu, starting his transformation. They face trials like battling Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu's death is a climax that makes Gilgamesh fear his own mortality. He seeks immortality but ultimately returns home accepting his mortality but finding solace that mankind will continue.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    16 views2 pages

    World Lit Response Paper One

    Uploaded by

    Robbi Selvidge
    The document analyzes how the Epic of Gilgamesh follows Joseph Campbell's monomyth theory of the hero's journey. It summarizes that the story begins with Gilgamesh as a cruel ruler who is challenged by Enkidu, starting his transformation. They face trials like battling Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu's death is a climax that makes Gilgamesh fear his own mortality. He seeks immortality but ultimately returns home accepting his mortality but finding solace that mankind will continue.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Robbi Selvidge

    Dr. Neeta Bhasin

    World Literature

    September 20th, 2020

    The Hero’s Journey as it pertains to The Epic of Gilgamesh

    Joseph Campbell’s concept of The Hero’s Journey can be used to analyze The Epic of

    Gilgamesh as it falls into the monomyth category. This theory is that all stories and myths fall

    within a certain pattern of character development and behavior. In this paper I will be analyzing

    the journey of King Gilgamesh through his role as the story’s protagonist.

    The epic begins in Uruk, located in the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent, with King

    Gilgamesh as ruler. Gilgamesh is a successful ruler in the sense that he has accomplished many

    incredible feats; however he was cruel toward his subjects, particularly the women within his

    kingdom. The call to action is what pulls him away from this sense of normal and toward his

    growth as a character. Within this epic, the call to action happens when Gilgamesh is challenged

    by a creature in the wilderness known as Enkidu. When Gilgamesh wins and recognizes the first

    worthy opponent he’s had, the threshold of transformation begins and Gilgamesh meets his

    helper in Enkidu.

    Together the duo encounter trials and tribulations, particularly when they attempt to steal

    trees from a forest forbidden to mortals. On this journey they face the demon, Humbaba and fight

    for their lives. Without the supernatural aid of the sun god Shamash, the two might not have

    succeeded. Another trial faced was when the two were forced to fight the Bull of Heaven after

    Selvidge 1
    Gilgamesh spurns Ishtar, the goddess of love. In this moment the gods decided that the duo had

    become too powerful and that one must perish.

    Enkidu’s death, while not violent in nature, is arguably the main climax of this epic. It is

    where the monomyth’s abyss occurs forcing Gilgamesh into a revelation. In addition to taking an

    emotional toll on Gilgamesh, Enkidu’s decline into madness and eventual death spurs the King

    into frantic thought and fear of his own death. He proclaims, “Shall I not die too? Am I not like

    Enkidu? Oh woe has entered my vitals! I have grown afraid of death, so I roam the steppe.”

    (Tablet IX, lines 1-3).

    Gilgamesh comes to the realization that he is mortal and in his fear tries to find a way to

    live forever, even if only in the memories of people. He seeks a mentor whom he finds in

    Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh hoped that like Utnapishtim he could also be given eternal life;

    however, he is left hopeless once again when he fails the test and is told to return home. The

    final transformation happens when Gilgamesh acquires the plant which restores youth, only to

    have it taken from him again.

    His atonement is found in the end when he returns to Uruk empty handed but with the

    realization that while he himself will not live forever, he knows now that mankind itself will. He

    continues to live his life as ruler but this time as a just and fair one who respects his subjects.

    This shift in his character completes his arc and brings the world of the epic to its new normal;

    furthermore ending the cycle and rendering the story complete.

    Selvidge 2

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