1.   The differences of perceptions of Heaven and Hell between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, is not so much the type of place, but rather the conditions required to get there.  For the Islamic believers, the conditions required to go to Heaven are dependent on both, having faith and performing the moral laws and actions described in the Koran.  This is also true for the Judaism, except that the moral laws are described in the Torah, although very similar, from what I read for this class.  Even the stories of certain characters, such as, Joseph and Noah were pretty much the same in the old Testament and in the Koran.  In the Islam religion, Islamic believers cannot be friends with Jews and Christians, although they accept that the Torah is a divine scripture through which God made a covenant with the Israelites.  For them, believing that Jesus is also God is a blasphemy, as opposed to Christians, for which not confessing that Jesus is God will send you automatically to Hell.  In the Koran, it seems that there is an inequality of sexes, with regards of treatment, and punishment for the sinner.  For example, males that commit fornication can be forgiven if they repent, but females cannot have the right to repent.  This is not the case in the Old and New Testament, in which both females and males are punished equally for their sins, and God simply speaks to a nation, and not to a specific sex.  In Christianity, the believers not only have to obey the moral laws of the New Testament and tenth commandments of the Old Testament, but also have to forgive anyone that sins against them.  This is different from Judaism and Islam, for which is “eye for an eye.’  Christians must love their enemies, as well as the humanity, in the same way you are supposed to love yourself.  The Christian religion demands more characteristics of compassion, love, faith in the unseen, and sacrifice of the human ego.  It is more centered in trying to deliver the message of Jesus through all world, which is of love, mercy, justice and repentance.  For the Christians, as long as you truly are repentant of your sins, you can go to Heaven, the faith and intentions of the heart are more emphasized than mere actions.  This is incongruent with both, Islam and Judaism, for which performing the law is more important to go to Heaven, than your truly intentions and the type of person you are.

2.   Having to believe all the way to the end, and doing your actions with a pure heart, is harder than doing something for the sake of it, no matter what are your intentions and what are your true beliefs. For that same reason, it was very difficult for the Jews to accept the message of Jesus.  All the sudden, not only what they are doing matters, but also how they do it, what they are thinking and feeling too.  However, this demands were accepted by the Greeks, because they already had to comply with the countless and contradictory requirements of all their gods.  An important element familiar to Greeks, was believing in prophecies.  The prophecies of the nativity of the Messiah and death were known through all this countries, and were very specific, in terms of where the Messiah was going to be born and how.  That a prophecy of such potential was accomplished, was attractive to the Greeks.  The passion of Jesus was also accepted by the Greeks because it set a story in which God’s purpose and sovereignty was established and nothing could change it, just like they believe that their Gods set the purpose of mankind.  The act of sacrifice of Jesus and his forgiveness for the Jews and humankind, was an element of heroic act, one very praised in Greek literature; even Pilatos declared the innocence of Jesus.  To me, this was the most attractive of all elements to the Greeks.  After all, who would not want to serve a God that forgives even the most outrageous acts of humankind?

3.   The emphasis on human repentance and divine mercy is not only emphasized in the New Testament, but also in the Old one.  Throughout many books, prophets called the Nation for repentance.  Many times God established new pacts with Israel, and many times God forgave the sins of the Nation.  God forgave David sons that committed outrageous acts, such as serving idols that require the Nation to sacrifice their own children to those idols.  God forgave them, to honor the pacts that he had done with his father, David.  God forgave David for committing adultery and homicide the husband of such woman.  God also forgave the country Ninive when he sent Jonah to give them prophecy about their destruction, because the country truly repented themselves.  Even Jonah was mad because God forgave the country, since Jonah had already gave the prophecy of destruction, and thus, it made him look like an idiot.  After Jesus, the human relation to God was more closer because you did not have to provide with a sacrifice for God to forgive you of your sins.  The sacrifice of Jesus was once and for all humanity and perfect so that you only had to believe to be forgiven.  In the Iliad and in Gilgamesh, there is no repentance and divine mercy from the gods.  Whatever the gods want, and who they favor, is all it matters.  The gods favor Gilgamesh and made Enkidu pay for the mistakes of both.  The gods had no mercy.  In the Iliad, each god manipulated the circumstances to their advantage and favor the character they liked the most.  Even though Hector serve them the way they wanted, his life was not forgiven, and Achilles life was favored.  In the Old and New Testaments, God has no favorites, he is equal to everybody and wants everyone to go to Heaven.  I cannot wait to be in a place, in which everyone has good intentions, they truly care for me and live in peace.

1.   Medea and Achilles shared two of the common reasons for humans to become inhumane, the feeling of being dishonored or betrayed, and the feeling to have a right to defend their own honor through vengeance.  Today, this feelings are very common among humans, often succumbing to commit immoral acts.  Medea was betrayed by her husband, after she saved his life several times through his journey to get the “Golden Fleece’, so he could claim his right to the kingdom.  She betrayed her own country and her father, and killed Pelias, Jason’s opponent to the throne, just  to help Jason, because she was in loved with him.    Medea made Jason, the hero he was.  For that reason, and because she was a foreigner in that country, with nowhere to go and fully aware of all the enemies she made for his cause, she felt her honor and pride were greatly destroyed, as well as, her life.  Achilles honor and pride were hurt when the king Agamemnon took his price.  Achilles was a great warrior that won every battle and put his life in danger for the king’s caprice.   Therefore, his honor was all he had.  Both, Achilles and Medea valued their pride and honor more than anything else.  Achilles refused to fight for his country, friends and the family of his friends, which costs the life of his beloved friend.    Medea valued her pride and honor more than her own children. Both, put the meaning of their life in pride and what they thought it was honor.  The difference between Achilles and Medea is that Achilles came to his sense when he felt remorse  after his friend Patroclus died, and ended up fighting the war in his name.   Medea, on the other hand,  did not felt any remorse.  For Medea, her cause was all it mattered.  For this reason, I don’t think Medea is a hero.  A hero is someone who will choose others before themselves.  To a hero, the meaning of their life reside in being humane, their love for humanity and compassion.  To me, Medea was just a selfish women, full of hatred and bitterness that thought her life was more important and deserved better than even her own children.  For that, she became something else, because I refuse to think that is human.

2.   Job is a representation of the humanity, for which the sufferings in life seems to happen for no reason. The Accuser tries to question the love of the humanity for God, by telling God that the only reason Job praised God was because of all the prosperity that was given to him by God, but if all that was taken away from Job, then for sure he would betrayed God.  God did answer Job.  God’s questions were a form of bringing Job into reasoning in that Job was of no position to judge God.  Even Job understood what God was saying when he stated:

“I know that You are all-powerful,

and that no plan is beyond You.

Who dares to speak hidden words with no sense?

I see that I spoke with no wisdom

of things beyond me I did not know.’

God was saying that his plans, as well as his power and wisdom, were beyond humanity’s comprehension because he is the creator of all.  Therefore, Job understood that it did not made sense to question something beyond his comprehension and that he was of better position to simply trust God by accepting God’s sovereignty.  Job’s position changed after God spoke to him.  Job’s position was not anymore of protest, but of humbleness when he stated:

“I knew You, but only by rumor;

my eye has beheld You today.

I retract.  I even take comfort

for dust and ashes.’

For this reason, Job was satisfied for what he was given.  I found the dialogue satisfactory because this story is one of the many stories in the bible that portrays God’s message, in that just actions must not be done with the purpose of obtaining something, because what matters to God is that just actions are performed with good intentions in the heart .  God praised Job and gave him doublings of everything because Job proved his love to God.  What a slap to the Accusers face to know that humanity loves God because of who he is and not because of what they can get from him!

1.   Achilles and Hector were both considered the best warriors, as well as, indispensable among their fellow comrades and societies.  It seemed that Achilles motivation to fight  for the Achaeans was honor, but not just honor from men, but from gods, and this was more valued than his loyalty or friendship to his fellow Achaeans.  This interpretation can be observed when Odysseus and Ajax, two of the greatest heroes, and Achilles’ friends, along with Phoenix, Achilles mentor and a type of father from the time of his childhood, were sent by Agamemnon with many gifts to persuade Achilles to forgive Agamemnon’s offense against him and to come back to fight in the Trojan war.  Achilles rejected the offer, even when they attested to their friendship and to the mercy of the wives and children’s horrific future, if the Greeks were to lose the war against the Trojans:  “Show some generosity and some respect.  We have come under your roof, we few out of the entire army, trying hard to be the friends you care for most of all’ (215).  Achilles did have his own troops and ship, called the Myrmidons, and they followed him, even after leaving the Achaeans when Agamemnon took his “price’, Briseis.  Achilles valued the friendship of one young man, Patroclus, more than his own honor and pride.  For this reason, the death of Patroclus made him changed his mind and he went back to fight in the war.

Hector’s motivation to fight for the Trojans was his love for his father, the king Priam, for his brother, and his country.  His family and friends were more important to him than anything else.  This can be observed when his wife, Andromache, tried to persuade him in not fighting Achilles, but he told her that the thought of the Greeks coming and taking the women and making them slaves, and killing their children, was of more concern than his own death.

      Achilles killed Hector as an act of rage, because Hector killed his beloved friend Patroclus.  Hector thought he was killing Achilles, because Patroclus was wearing Achilles armor.  The relationship between each other is of vengeance, since Achilles also had killed many Trojans, including family members.

2.   Achilles rage is brought to balance when Hector’s father, the king Priam,  visited Achilles, unnoticed, with the help of a god.  Priam first kissed Achilles  hands and persuaded him  into    giving him Hector’s body.   Priam accomplished this by making  Achilles remembered how many sons and cousins Achilles had killed in war, that  it was no different than Hector’s killing his friend.    Priam also made Achilles remembered his father, that was not suffering the same way he was, because at least, his father can have the hope of seeing him again.  The courage and words of the old man made  Achilles have mercy and pity.    Achilles changed his mind, and gave Hector’s body to Priam, but before he did  this, he made the servants washed the body and wrapped it in fine tunics for respect.  At this point, Achilles realized that the feeling he felt when Patroclus was killed was the same feeling that he caused to others, all under the command of a tyrant king.  He also realized that what he was doing to this old man, he would not want anyone doing to his own father.  The thought of his father that is destined to be far away from him, and that he cannot help or be with, filled him with guilt.  He needed to free himself from this feeling, and by honoring Priam, it was an opportunity to do this.  Benevolence came to him as he felt guilty for his actions and as he shared the grief with this King.

3.   The codes should be evaluated from two perspectives, from the country that is invading the other country, and from the country that is being invaded by another country.  In the case of the Greeks, the invaders, the warrior code and the familial code are unable to be both true at the same time.  This is because the offspring and spouse are being put in danger for the win of the battle that brings them the feeling of honor.  For Achilles, honor is the pride of winning many battles, the feeling that the gods chose his life over someone else.  For this pride, he refused to fight next to his friend, Patroclus, which cost his friend’s life.  He refused to fight for the families of his friends and for patriotism.  To fight only based on the Warrior code is to fight for oneself.

If the country is the one being invaded, there is no many options to have, in this case Troy.  For example, if the Trojans had not fought the war, their families would still be in danger.  In this sense, the Trojans fought for both, their family’s lives and future, as well as their honor, being respected for the bravery and patriotism, and both codes were possible at the same time.  Hector stated this when he told his wife, that it was necessary for him to fight Achilles, to fight in war, because for him, the thought of his wife being sold as a slave or his child killed due to the Greeks conquering Troy, was the reason for his bravery. That is, for the Trojans, fighting the war became the responsibility for the lives of their offspring and their spouses.

1. Can you identify any of the stages of the Hero’s Journey in the story of Gilgamesh? You may begin by asking yourself: What is Gilgamesh’s Call to Adventure; or what is Enkidu’s?

The phases of “The Hero’s Journey’, described by Joseph Campbell, can be observed throughout the epic of Gilgamesh.  The heroic characteristics of Gilgamesh are of protective nature.  At the beginning of the writing, Gilgamesh is shown as aggressive towards women and men.  However, this qualities are the symbol of his immaturity, part of a series of pictorial details that illustrates the transformations of the maturity life process of men.  Such metamorphosis, I perceived, can be seen as the rate by which men turns into a hero.  “The Hero’s Journey’ is dynamic, and is a process because the hero is not born a hero, but goes through the three stages proposed by Joseph Campbell:  “Departure’, “Initiation’ and “Return’, that happens at different points in time to cause the necessary changes for becoming a hero.

The “Call to Adventure’, which is part of the “Departure’ stage, can be observed when Gilgamesh proposed the quest to kill the guardian monster Humbaba.  Gilgamesh felt that “something was lacking’ or he “needed to win’ something, two of the characteristics mentioned by Joseph Campbell in the “Departure’ phase.  The particular something that Gilgamesh needed was to have his kingly power updated; that is, taken to the next level, the supernatural one, and not just to rule only the human world.  It is a destiny Gilgamesh took willingly, to which he entered into the Cedar Forest where the divine creature Humbaba was ruling.  Another element of “The Call to Adventure’ is that the initiation is often a quest imposed by a deity.  In the prayers of Ninsum, to the deity Shamash, she stated that Shamash inspired Gilgamesh to do such a journey.  The “Supernatural Aid’ is the deity Shamash, who first showed himself to Gilgamesh in dreams and showed him that was going to help him.  Later on, Shamash told Gilgamesh the specific moment that it would be advantageous to attack the monster.  Shamash used his powers of manipulating the weather against Humbaba, for which Gilgamesh took advantage and defeated the grotesque creature.

“The Road of Trials’ is part of the “Initiation’ stage, and is described by Joseph Campbell as an amplification of  the first problem.  In Gilgamesh epics, it is a series of troubles:  the “Bull of Heaven’, the death of his friend Enkidu and the quest to seek immortal life, caused because of Gilgamesh’s rejection of the deity Ishtar.  The rejection can be seen as part of the “Initiation’ phase called “Woman as the Temptress.’  Joseph Campbell defined this part as the hero’s awareness of the reality of the truly evil nature of the queen goddess to which the hero is married to.  Although Gilgamesh was already aware of Ishtar’s evil habits and therefore rejected her, it is still considered a “mystical’ temptation with a queen goddess, one of Joseph Campbell’s requirements for this phase.

The “Return’ of Gilgamesh from his heroic acts through the sun’s tunnel and water of the death, after finding Utanapishtim, does not quite well fit the characteristics of Joseph Campbell.  Gilgamesh did not brought back any trophies, powers or elixirs.  He actually failed both required tests.  He was not assisted with supernatural powers, let alone rescued.  It is not stated how he behaved after such a journey.  However, he was humanized and humbled.  Gilgamesh returned to his place to share his experiences and wisdom for others not to make his same mistakes and for his name to be remembered as a hero.

2. Do you believe any of the Four Functions of Mythology, as outlined in ‘Mythological Themes in Creative Literature and Art’, are alive and active in the story of Gilgamesh? Why or why not?

The Four Functions of Mythology are present in the story of Gilgamesh.  The more apparent one seems to be the first function, the “mystical function’, defined by Joseph Campbell as a symbolic way by which human nature dominates our most deepest animal instincts.  It is a transformation caused by the achievement of a certain “level of consciousness’ that is awaken when humans are fully aware of the reality of the cruelties of life.  It is often rejected, as Joseph Campbell states, because of the burden of such knowledge.  This level of awareness can be seen in Gilgamesh at the moment his friend, Enkidu, died.  Gilgamesh realizes how harsh life can be, in that death cannot be defeated nor avoided, and that his actions caused the loss of his friend.  Such burden was so heavy on him, he rejected it by choosing to become like a beast and searching for immortality.  The third function, “sociological function’, a need for sustaining social order, as defined by Joseph Campbell, can be seen when the gods sentenced Enkidu to die, because Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s actions were not considered appropriate, based on the social order, which can be perceived in terms of authoritative command.  In other words, certain behaviors were not socially accepted based on their position as humans in the social hierarchy.  The fact that the whole epic is about Gilgamesh achieving the necessary level of maturity, turns it into a total representation of the fourth function, “psychological’, in which humans should act according to social guidelines that are based on shared ideologies and cultural standpoints among their corresponding social groups, and the level of responsibility of such actions are dependent on their role in the society.

3. What judgement would you make concerning the success or failure of Gilgamesh’s journey? For instance, he failed to return with the Plant of Everlasting Life, but what did he gain instead? Is it a worthy

Gilgamesh’s journey has both, success and failure.  Gilgamesh’s failing of the test of staying awake for seven days was a teaching for him.  It was the way to show him that after all, he was still a human, and that because of it, there were going to exist circumstances out of his control, such as death.  The battle of his quest was over from the beginning because he could not have changed the fate of his friend.  When something is out of our human control, fighting for it is a waste of energy and time, acceptance of the reality is the necessary task in order to be able to continue with our lives.

Gilgamesh also lost the Everlasting Plant to a reptile.  However, he brought back within the true power that he was seeking for, but did not know it, for he was blind of ignorance.  Gilgamesh realized at the end, that it was the wisdom, the kingly and priceless power he had been trying to find all this time, and that such power, the wisdom, cannot be gained with strength or magic.

The journey of Gilgamesh is a symbol of the journey we all go through to become mature:  to think thoroughly before we make a decision, to control our emotional and behavioral states, to learn from our mistakes, to be aware of the reality that surround us, to be more humble and less selfish, to gain knowledge and share it with others, to not precipitate judgements, to avoid confrontations.  We can summarize all this in one phrase:  to be wise.  Such attribute is more valuable than any power, elixir or trophy that he could have ever won.

1.   What movies can you recall–besides The Matrix, which was mentioned in the lecture notes–that follow the thread of The Hero’s Journey? When you cite your film, or films, be sure to judge whether or not you believe the general formula was appropriated well or poorly; and, moreover, describe a few scenes that match some of the stages of the journey, such as done in the video in the lecture notes?

The movie Krull takes you to the journey of a hero in a battle against evil and the rescue of the beloved princess for the greater quest of saving his planet.  Krull almost depicted an exact representation of the phases of “The Hero’s Journey.’  During the “Departure’ phase, “The Call to Adventure’ can be seen at the very beginning of the movie, when alien invaders, called The Slayers, controlled by the Beast, attacked the castle, killed both kings and queens, and kidnapped Princess Lissa at the very moment of her wedding with Prince Colwyn.  Immediately, a “Supernatural Aid’, represented by an old man that was full of wisdom and knew every secret from the past and future, came to help Prince Colwyn.  The old man convinced the prince of his avoidable hero’s call and revealed him the hidden place of the secret weapon that was the only chance to kill the Beast (the commander of all invader aliens).  Rejection of this quest is not possible, since if so, the aliens will ultimately kill the humans, including his future wife, the princess.

The “Initiation’ phase consists of “The Road of Trials’, and can be observed in the series of tests that Prince Colwyn had to pass.  The first test was in order to get the required magical weapon, found inside of the lava of a volcano at the highest peak of the mountain, that could only be acquired by the chosen one.  After winning the magical weapon, he had to find a blind emerald seer, who had the ability of seeing where the Black Fortress moved next, the place  in which the aliens resided and kept the princess, because the Black Fortress moved to a different location with each sunset.  It is a long quest, characterized by battles and supernatural circumstances, but he is protected by the old men secrets at all time and his followers, including a Cyclope.  After finding the Black Forest and invading it, the final test of the hero was to battle the Beast and to rescue the princess.  This scene can be seen as a representation of “The Meeting the Goddess’, also part of the “Initiation’ phase.  In the “Ultimate Boom’ phase, he defeated the Beast by recognizing that only the love between each other, princess and prince, was the ultimate power of fire, which ended up killing the Beast.

The “Return’ phase is recognized by the returning of his kingdom with Princess Lissa, and the honor of those who helped him achieve this journey.  This movie is about the meaning of love as the best weapon against the cruelty of life’s circumstances, that often separate people that love each other.  The Krull’s movie definitely portrayed the details of the phases in “The Hero’s Journey’ expressed by Joseph Campbell.

2. Do you believe current cinema either meets or fails to meet the human needs expressed in the four functions of mythology? Those needs would be: the need for mystery; the need for a picture of the universe in which human beings belong; the need for a picture of our society in which each person belongs; the need for a picture of our own psychology that helps with the transitions of a human life, from childhood to adulthood, from adulthood to death. Can movies meet any of these needs? Why or why not?

In my opinion, the present movies do meet the human needs depicted in the four functions of mythology.  The need for mystery is also one for finding the truth, for finding what is considered real and what not.  For example, many movies have a mystery setting, in which a case have to be solved or the truth has to be uncovered.  The need for a picture of the universe, in which human being belongs can be seen in many science fiction movies, such as Star Trek, in which it shares a message in that we are part of something bigger in the universe, whether there aliens or not, we have a mission in the universe.  Disaster-type movies are known to present the need for humans to belong to a society, because after a disaster, humans often opt for trying to find others that share the same ideologies.  The need for a psychology is often presented in Drama movies, where it can give to the audience an understanding of life’s difficulties and transformations that human beings go through.  It seems to me that needs of the four functions of mythology are represented or are part of the different genres of movies.

1. Can you identify any of the stages of the Hero’s Journey in the story of Gilgamesh? You may begin by asking yourself: What is Gilgamesh’s Call to Adventure; or what is Enkidu’s?

The phases of “The Hero’s Journey’, described by Joseph Campbell, can be observed throughout the epic of Gilgamesh.  The heroic characteristics of Gilgamesh are of protective nature.  At the beginning of the writing, Gilgamesh is shown as aggressive towards women and men.  However, this qualities are the symbol of his immaturity, part of a series of pictorial details that illustrates the transformations of the maturity life process of men.  Such metamorphosis, I perceived, can be seen as the rate by which men turns into a hero.  “The Hero’s Journey’ is dynamic, and is a process because the hero is not born a hero, but goes through the three stages proposed by Joseph Campbell:  “Departure’, “Initiation’ and “Return’, that happens at different points in time to cause the necessary changes for becoming a hero.

The “Call to Adventure’, which is part of the “Departure’ stage, can be observed when Gilgamesh proposed the quest to kill the guardian monster Humbaba.  Gilgamesh felt that “something was lacking’ or he “needed to win’ something, two of the characteristics mentioned by Joseph Campbell in the “Departure’ phase.  The particular something that Gilgamesh needed was to have his kingly power updated; that is, taken to the next level, the supernatural one, and not just to rule only the human world.  It is a destiny Gilgamesh took willingly, to which he entered into the Cedar Forest where the divine creature Humbaba was ruling.  Another element of “The Call to Adventure’ is that the initiation is often a quest imposed by a deity.  In the prayers of Ninsum, to the deity Shamash, she stated that Shamash inspired Gilgamesh to do such a journey.  The “Supernatural Aid’ is the deity Shamash, who first showed himself to Gilgamesh in dreams and showed him that was going to help him.  Later on, Shamash told Gilgamesh the specific moment that it would be advantageous to attack the monster.  Shamash used his powers of manipulating the weather against Humbaba, for which Gilgamesh took advantage and defeated the grotesque creature.

“The Road of Trials’ is part of the “Initiation’ stage, and is described by Joseph Campbell as an amplification of  the first problem.  In Gilgamesh epics, it is a series of troubles:  the “Bull of Heaven’, the death of his friend Enkidu and the quest to seek immortal life, caused because of Gilgamesh’s rejection of the deity Ishtar.  The rejection can be seen as part of the “Initiation’ phase called “Woman as the Temptress.’  Joseph Campbell defined this part as the hero’s awareness of the reality of the truly evil nature of the queen goddess to which the hero is married to.  Although Gilgamesh was already aware of Ishtar’s evil habits and therefore rejected her, it is still considered a “mystical’ temptation with a queen goddess, one of Joseph Campbell’s requirements for this phase.

The “Return’ of Gilgamesh from his heroic acts through the sun’s tunnel and water of the death, after finding Utanapishtim, does not quite well fit the characteristics of Joseph Campbell.  Gilgamesh did not brought back any trophies, powers or elixirs.  He actually failed both required tests.  He was not assisted with supernatural powers, let alone rescued.  It is not stated how he behaved after such a journey.  However, he was humanized and humbled.  Gilgamesh returned to his place to share his experiences and wisdom for others not to make his same mistakes and for his name to be remembered as a hero.

2. Do you believe any of the Four Functions of Mythology, as outlined in ‘Mythological Themes in Creative Literature and Art’, are alive and active in the story of Gilgamesh? Why or why not?

The Four Functions of Mythology are present in the story of Gilgamesh.  The more apparent one seems to be the first function, the “mystical function’, defined by Joseph Campbell as a symbolic way by which human nature dominates our most deepest animal instincts.  It is a transformation caused by the achievement of a certain “level of consciousness’ that is awaken when humans are fully aware of the reality of the cruelties of life.  It is often rejected, as Joseph Campbell states, because of the burden of such knowledge.  This level of awareness can be seen in Gilgamesh at the moment his friend, Enkidu, died.  Gilgamesh realizes how harsh life can be, in that death cannot be defeated nor avoided, and that his actions caused the loss of his friend.  Such burden was so heavy on him, he rejected it by choosing to become like a beast and searching for immortality.  The third function, “sociological function’, a need for sustaining social order, as defined by Joseph Campbell, can be seen when the gods sentenced Enkidu to die, because Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s actions were not considered appropriate, based on the social order, which can be perceived in terms of authoritative command.  In other words, certain behaviors were not socially accepted based on their position as humans in the social hierarchy.  The fact that the whole epic is about Gilgamesh achieving the necessary level of maturity, turns it into a total representation of the fourth function, “psychological’, in which humans should act according to social guidelines that are based on shared ideologies and cultural standpoints among their corresponding social groups, and the level of responsibility of such actions are dependent on their role in the society.

3. What judgement would you make concerning the success or failure of Gilgamesh’s journey? For instance, he failed to return with the Plant of Everlasting Life, but what did he gain instead? Is it a worthy

Gilgamesh’s journey has both, success and failure.  Gilgamesh’s failing of the test of staying awake for seven days was a teaching for him.  It was the way to show him that after all, he was still a human, and that because of it, there were going to exist circumstances out of his control, such as death.  The battle of his quest was over from the beginning because he could not have changed the fate of his friend.  When something is out of our human control, fighting for it is a waste of energy and time, acceptance of the reality is the necessary task in order to be able to continue with our lives.

Gilgamesh also lost the Everlasting Plant to a reptile.  However, he brought back within the true power that he was seeking for, but did not know it, for he was blind of ignorance.  Gilgamesh realized at the end, that it was the wisdom, the kingly and priceless power he had been trying to find all this time, and that such power, the wisdom, cannot be gained with strength or magic.

The journey of Gilgamesh is a symbol of the journey we all go through to become mature:  to think thoroughly before we make a decision, to control our emotional and behavioral states, to learn from our mistakes, to be aware of the reality that surround us, to be more humble and less selfish, to gain knowledge and share it with others, to not precipitate judgements, to avoid confrontations.  We can summarize all this in one phrase:  to be wise.  Such attribute is more valuable than any power, elixir or trophy that he could have ever won.