Epic of Gilgamesh

The epic of Gilgamesh can be grouped by using Cambell’s monmyth. It can broken-down into three stages, departure, trials and victories, and return. When you look at the story of Gilgamesh all of the events fit into the theory of monmyth.

The first stage that Cambell talks about is departure. This stage contains five elements: Call to Adventure, The refusal of the call, supernatural aid and in the belly of the whale. The refusal of the call, which doesn’t come from Gilgamesh but from Enkidu instead, happens when Gilgamesh wants to destroy Humbaba to make himself a hero. This stage is also marked by help from a supernatural Aid. Gilgamesh is helped by Shamash to defeat Humbaba (Thury 147). Next comes the other part of this stage is when Gilgamesh crosses the gate to Humbaba’s forest. He him self marks this crossing as the beginning of his death. Next comes the element of in the belly of whale, this takes place after Gilgamesh and Enkidu enter in to the forest and are completely overwhelmed by its grandness. This leads the trials and victories stage.

The second stage of the story is the part of trials and victories. This stage has six elements, the road of trials, the meeting with the goddess, women as the temptress, atonement with the father, apotheosis, and the ultimate boon (Thury pg 137). The first trial that Gilgamesh comes to is the atonement with his father. He however does not know it is his father but he still represent a father figure. Next in this story comes Ishtar. She represents two elements in this story. She is a goddess and the temptress. With this stage it leads to either the start of a new story and the end of first.

The final stage which Cambell refers to as the return has six elements. The six elements are, refusal of the return, the magic flight, rescue from without, crossing the return threshold, master of two worlds and freedom to live. Gilgamesh continues on his journey which has a road of trials in finding immortality and then returns to Uruk the same way he came.

The epic of Gilgamesh may not have every element from every stage of Campbell’s view of monmyth, but it is still a good way to look at this story. It is a way to separate the story and analyze it.

Monomyth

Criticisms
I think that the problem with this is that his theory is too generic. You can read any story and try to fit into this mold. Every story has these elements, a hero, a problem and a villain. You can read any story manipulate any story to fit in to this mold that Campbell has set up.

Praise
I do how ever think that by having a set mold to go by makes it easier for some one to analyze a story. They will know what to look for and how to interpret it in the world of myth.