Gilgamesh: Where it All Began
Morgan Gobin
University of Hartford
It is often stated by critics that
there are only seven stories that exist in human culture, and that every new
story is simply a variation of one of the seven basic plots. These plots
ultimately boil down to the following: overcoming the monster, rags to riches,
comedy, tragedy, the quest, voyage and return, and rebirth. While the classic
Greek epics are often cited as the birthplace of these plots, as well as
several other tropes still present in today’s storytelling, it can be argued
that The Epic of Gilgamesh is in fact their true sire. Not only does it
predate the Greeks by several millennia, but it goes much deeper than that. The
Epic of Gilgamesh depicts several of the basic plots, most notably that of the
quest and voyage and return, as well as the ubiquitous trope of the best
friend/sidekick.
There are several sequences in The Epic
of Gilgamesh that reflect the basic plot of the quest. The quest, by
definition, revolves around the hero and one or more companions as they journey
to achieve some goal; the road they travel on is almost never an easy one, as
the characters typically face various temptations, antagonists, and setbacks
along the way. The first instance in which shadows of this plot show in The
Epic of Gilgamesh is when Enkidu is told he must go to the city of Uruk and
stand up to the oppressive titular king. Initially, he eagerly sets off for the
city with Shamhat, the harlot who turned him human, but quickly becomes
sidetracked. He stays with a group of shepherds for an indefinite amount of
time, protecting their flocks by night and making love to Shamhat by day. This
can be interpreted as Enkidu being tempted away from continuing his quest,
similar to what occurs in The Odyssey when Perseus encounters Calypso. Enkidu
sees that he has a simple, pleasant life with the shepherds and, while it might
not be directly stated in the text, one can infer that Enkidu might
subconsciously be reluctant to leave and continue his journey. He does overcome
this temptation, which leads directly into the most notable instance of the
quest plot making an appearance. Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to the dreaded
Cedar Forest in the hopes of vanquishing the monster Humbaba, thereby freeing
the world from his evil and making a name for themselves. There is no doubt
that this plot—heroes traveling to defeat some enemy or monster—has influenced
countless generations of storytellers; the classic Greek legends that came
after, as well as contemporary novels such as The Lightning Thief series and The Underland Chronicles, are all a testament to how much
Gilgamesh’s quest plot has withstood the test of time. However, that is not the
only plot for which The Epic of Gilgamesh laid the groundwork.
The voyage and return plot also
gained its footing in The Epic of Gilgamesh. While this plot shares many
similarities with that of the quest—both follow the protagonist on a journey in
which they overcome obstacles—voyage and return generally includes the hero returning
to their homeland having gained something from their experiences, usually in
the form of self-discovery, knowledge, or wisdom. The entirety of Books IX-XI
of The Epic of Gilgamesh features the basics of this plotline. When Enkidu
dies, Gilgamesh is thrown into despair. He mourns the loss of his friend and
develops a deep fear of his own mortality. He then goes on a journey in search
of Utnapishtim, the man who
survived the Great Flood and gained immortality, in the hopes of gaining eternal
life himself. While he does eventually find the man in question, he ultimately
loses out on his two chances of conquering death; he fails the test of staying
awake for seven days and loses the fruit that grants its consumer immortality.
It is at this point that Gilgamesh is forced to accept the words that Utnapishtim and Shiduri had told
him all along: that he will in fact die someday and that he should not take
advantage of life for the short, ultimately insignificant amount of time that
he has it. Though the ending is left fragmented and ambiguous, the reader can
infer that Gilgamesh returns home an enlightened man. He now knows that there
is no hope of cheating death, so why not enjoy life while he can? While the voyage
and return plot remains relatively unfinished in the story, this ultimately left
it up to interpretation for the future storytellers who would apply it,
including Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and A.S King in I Crawl Through
It, both of which focus not only on the journey their protagonists take, but also the
after effects it has on their overall character arc. Basic plots are not the
only thing for which The Epic of Gilgamesh provided the foundation, though. It also
set up prototypes for various character tropes, the most notable of which being
the “best friend”.
Countless stories, both modern and archaic,
apply the archetype of the best friend in some shape or form. Anyone can name
the trope: the faithful companion who goes on adventures with the protagonist, who
fights alongside them, who loves them like a brother or sister. Such prime
examples include the likes of Sam from The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
Graystripe from the original Warriors series, and Ron Weasley from the Harry
Potter series. And they all have The Epic of Gilgamesh to thank for their
existence. Enkidu is the token best friend of Gilgamesh. The two do everything
together, from killing the monster Humbaba and defeating the wild Bull of
Heaven to simply holding each other’s hands, as brothers
might, when they walk through the city. It is their togetherness, their near
inseparableness from one another, that allows them to set the groundwork for
future literary best friends. On top of that, Enkidu also seems to serve as the
metaphorical Yin to Gilgamesh’s Yang, as can sometimes be the case in the best
of friendships. Where Gilgamesh is ferocious and brash Enkidu is often more
cautious, going so far as to reason the king out of venturing into the Cedar
Forest for fear of losing their lives. He is the consoling, truthful, loyal
companion that Gilgamesh can confide in during even the toughest of situations.
These ideal traits started with Enkidu and stuck for millennia to come, leading
to many of literature’s most famous best friends.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was ahead of
its time in terms of storytelling. It was one of the first written works
created by man, predating even Greek works by about two thousand years. It
provided several plots and tropes that the empire would later perfect and claim
as its own, not the least of which included the plots of the quest and voyage
and return, as well as the prevalent trope of the best friend. And perhaps, as
more of the story is pieced together, one might be able to distinguish even
more influences this epic had on literature as a whole.
Morgan Gobin
Professor Woodiel
UISC 180 Western Heritage Humanities
Spring 2019
