![]() Aristotle’s tragedy is very clear for Gilgamesh with the loss of his friend Enkidu as his journey is clouded by the loss of his comrade. The journey of Gilgamesh, albeit long and ever changing, does show Campbell’s idea of monomyth where his ideology is firm, tested, and then reaffirmed throughout his journeys. Gilgamesh does have the self-realization journey for immortality, but his morals stay tried and true against many advances of the gods throughout the epic. The larger than life requirement does fulfill, at least in my opinion, the requirements for being a hero as well. ![]() Gilgamesh is considered to be two thirds god and one third mortal, so the larger than life requirement is definitely achieved. To me an epic involves some sort of main protagonist who is a larger than life figure that goes on a journey to find realization. I say disappoint because it did meet my personal criteria for embodying the meaning of an epic tale. The Epic of Gilgamesh was an epic that did not disappoint. This entry was posted in Myth & Tragedy by gustg. separation – initiation – return) to this ancient myth/epic? What key ideas or issues get raised via a careful application of Campbell’s ideas about the stages of a hero (i.e. Finally, you might tell us about how Campbell’s theories regarding the hero’s quest help us to understand the journey undertaken by Gilgamesh. ![]() If you are interested in the key notions of Aristotle, you might show how the plot of this Mesopotamian masterpiece fits certain “tragic” modes (such as leading toward a kind of “catharsis”), or work to view Gilgamesh (or perhaps Enkidu) as a kind of “tragic hero” according to the terms laid out by Aristotle. ![]() More to the point, I would like to see you carefully and critically apply the ideas of these thinkers to The Epic of Gilgamesh. Just what IS an epic, exactly, and why does this text qualify? How does it compare to other epics you know about, and what important things do we learn about the tale when viewing it through an epic lens? For your second and third options, you might hearken back to our work from last class, when we discussed the all-important theories of Aristotle (on tragedy) and Joseph Campbell (on the “monomyth” of the hero). With this in mind, your first possibility for this Blog post is to view and frame the story of Gilgamesh as an epic. Yet the title that is typically used for this (historically un-named) legend specifically suggests that this story is an EPIC, and not a myth per se. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often hailed as the earliest masterpiece of world literature. More to the point, it is often seen as one of the finest myths of the ancient world. ![]()
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