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Comparing Hero's Journey In The Matrix And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

484 Words2 Pages

Annalia Avila
Dunning
Humanities 3rd
5 October 2017
TITLE
How can one decide what classifies a hero’s journey? Is it one specific detail or multiple details that compile into one common thing? The answer to this is simple, because it could be both. There are multiple things that make a hero’s journey which every movie, book, TV show, or life may present; however, all of the aspects of the hero’s journey are because of one common thought found across all cultures and time periods, this is also known as a monomyth. In the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Matrix aspect of this monomyth are present in both pretty much to the tee. Each story also has designed characters conquering this journey, in order to show the readers the disadvantages to the constant need for power within society, not only in today’s, but also ancient times. …show more content…

Although, Neo, from the Matrix, and Gilgamesh encounter different obstacles during their journey they both reach the common goal of self acknowledgement, and overcame the greed of society. During Neo’s journey he had the choice to give up and have a “normal” life, or join Morpheus to save a world he doesn’t even know. At the very start Neo was forced to go against his own inner greed of the easy way out. However, Gilgamesh allowed for his greed for power drive his journey until the loss of his beloved Enkidu even then he was “afraid of death” (Sanders 16). This caused him to go on a quest for immortality, but in the end he “went alone” accepting the fact he would never be immortal and finally overcame his greed. In each journey the heroes, Neo and Gilgamesh, were presented with obstacles they were forced to overcome so that they could gain self acknowledgement about the greed within the world and how to fight against

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However, later in life Achilles accepts his fat and realized the fact that death is inevitable. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, fears death. Also, Achilles believed that it death is not worthy as dying with glory in a battle, while Gilgamesh always fears death as he thought it will not let him find the glory in battle. Another difference is the way in which they both depict the women in the stories. In Gilgamesh, Shamash, a temple prostitute is introduced and sent to sleep with Enkidu.

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