Monkey and Gilgamesh

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that when comparing the ancient heroes Gilgamesh and the Monkey King the similarities in both characters are surprising and intriguing in nature. The parallels are interesting because the two stories have much the same theme but were written on two separate continents during two distinctly separate eras, yet the themes of both stories sound eerily familiar. The writer points out that Gilgamesh is the world's first super-hero and the reader discovers the stories of his fantastic deeds on tablets dating back to approximately 2000 BC. Monkey is also described in a super-human manner and as a being that acquires super-human skills. The writer concludes that both stories allow the reader to understand and carefully comprehend the ancient message of what we, as human beings, will endure if we believe the reward is big enough. The similarities of the goals and objectives from both stories leads the reader to believe that perhaps mankind is much more closely aligned than some experts would have us believe.

From the Paper:

"In both the story of Gilgamesh and the story of Monkey, each hero travels on a journey that could be described as a journey of life. It is interesting to note that both characters begin their journey by displaying the 'bad' side of their particular character. Both heroes initially oppress their followers, but as they travel this 'life' journey they both evolve into super-heroes that help their people rather than oppress them.
"Both characters are also seeking fortune and redemption on their journeys, yet the tone of both stories could not be more different. This difference could be primarily due to the culture and traditions of the people the stories originated from."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hooker, R. (1999) Mesopotamia: Gilgamesh, http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM, accessed November 14, 2007
• Study Guide to Monkey, http://www.nvcc.edu/home/dashkenas/MONKEY.htm, accessed November 14, 2007

More papers on Monkey and Gilgamesh:

• Book Review # 104770 : "The Monkey and the Monk": An Allegory"
• Comparison Essay # 86478 : "Odysseus, Joseph, and Gilgamesh"
• Analytical Essay # 46235 : "Monkey and "The Journey to the West"

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