The Hero's Journey In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient tale that tells the story of a man; two thirds god, one third man who struggles with his destiny and mortality throughout his journey, finally making peace with his destiny as a mortal. Gilgamesh does not fit the model of a hero in this tale, particularly the definition set by Brian Robb, as “his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father… his lust leaves no virgin to her lover” (62). While he does not fit the model of a hero, this term is irrelevant in this case as his story still follows the model of the Hero’s Journey set out by Campbell and by emitting both negative and eventual good values he becomes more approachable to reader who can be more empathic to his struggles. The concept of the Hero’s journey is arguable a popular storyline for many stories ranging from Epic of Gilgamesh to modern day Harry Potter and is frequently seen in other literature and media illustrating that the concept of hero and a hero’s journey is not a new one however is still very prominent today. According the Campbell, "The first work of the hero is to retreat from the world scene of secondary effects to those causal zones of the psyche where the difficulties really reside, and there to clarify the difficulties, eradicate them in his own case”. While Gilgamesh does not have the proper morals to be a hero, his story does follow the hero’s journey and is still being told because the values are still relatable and compelling

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