Gilgamesh Archetypes

In the epic genre of storytelling there are two character archetypes that represent a civilization’s view of the unquestionably good and evil. The unquestionably ‘good’ archetype is that of the ‘Hero’ character who is representative of a civilization's values and ideas. This hero is the wholly just, fearless, and godly man which every human strives to emulate. The other archetype is that of the unquestionably ‘evil’ character who represents the ideas or forces that exists to undermine everything that a civilization holds dear. This duality of the two archetypes of the unquestionably good and evil exists in the Sumerian epic of “Gilgamesh”, but it does so in a different fashion than in other heroic epics. The Sumerians present the hero Gilgamesh …show more content…
It is human nature to be fearful, and it takes remarkable will and courage to overcome this characteristic that exist in every human; yet, in epics such as this the hero is portrayed as being without fear. Nothing can overcome the will and might of the hero Rama, for example, who does his duty without fear or a second thought . In Gilgamesh, however, the hero is portrayed as a being both a coward and weak willed. For example, when journeying to the cedar forest to kill Huwawa, Gilgamesh is haunted by dreams that he interprets as foretelling his failure . While fighting Huwawa, Gilgamesh becomes fearful of the monsters face and flees, “hiding himself away .” This shows that the hero of the epic is not the perfect, fearless, lone warrior who is able to overcome any foe; in fact, Gilgamesh requires the help of his companion Enkidu in order to complete his quest. The evil value of fear controls the hero, and prevents him from achieving victory over the forces that stand in his way. Had it not been for Enkidu, Gilgamesh may not have been able to complete his journey. When Enkidu is killed, however, Gilgamesh finds himself alone, in the wilderness, on a journey that seems impossible. He is afraid of the lions which stalk the mountains, yet he is able to push forward . When he encounters a pair of scorpion-dragons guarding the path through the mountain, his body is “seized with terror,” yet he still is able to continue . As he journeys through the mountain, darkness surrounding him, he cries out for his companion; he receives no answer. Fearing that there is no hope left he sits down and weeps . Gilgamesh overcomes his fear and is able to complete his journey once he realizes that he has come too far and achieved too