Campbells Hero Essay - 1147 Words

In this essay I will examine how Gilgamesh would be an example of Campbell’s hero. I will first introduce Joseph Campbell and his â€Å"hero.† By summarizing and analyzing the story, I came to the conclusion that Gilgamesh is a good example of a hero. I will point out in the text what lead me to that realization and explain the journey of the hero. Joseph Campbell was a well known mythology teacher who spent his whole life trying to understand the different types of stories that are told. To Campbell â€Å"all humans are involved in a struggle to accomplish the adventure of the hero in their own lives.† He made a list of stages that every hero goes through, and sums it up to three sections: separation (the departure), the initiation, and the†¦show more content†¦They decide to steal trees from a forest that mortals are not allowed to go in. When they return, Ishtar, a goddess, is filled with lust for Gilgamesh, and he rejects her. She became angry with G ilgamesh and asked her father for the Bull of Heaven to punish him. When the bull comes down Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill it, causing the gods to decide they must be punished. The gods decide that one must die, and they choose Enkidu. When he dies, Gilgamesh is devastated. Gilgamesh cannot accept what happened and sets off to find Utnapishtim, who was given eternal life by the gods, in hope that he too can have eternal life. On his journey, he meets Siduri, a tavern keeper, and tells her about the quest he is on. She warns that if he gains immortality, he will not be able to enjoy what the world could provide, such as a family. Gilgamesh does not care and continues his journey. He finds Utnapishtim and is told the story of the flood and how he was rewarded with eternal life, for humankind to continue. Still insisting to live forever, Gilgamesh is given a test, which he fails. He is then told about a plant that restores youth. When he finds it, he takes it and plans on sharing it with t he elders of Uruk, but a snake steals it and as it slithers away, it becomes young again. When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he is empty-handed and is forced to realize his mortality. He knows that he can’t live forever, butShow MoreRelatedMoses and Campbells Journey of a Spiritual Hero Essay1335 Words   |  6 PagesMoses and Campbells Journey of a Spiritual Hero Long ago, in the desert of Egypt, Hebrew slaves known as Israelites escaped from the tyranny of the pharaoh. This story has a common theme that an unlikely hero leads people out of a wasteland and into a place of new life. The Israelites heroes name was Moses. There are several attributes that his quest shares with Joseph Campbells theme of the journey of the spiritual hero, found in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 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