Postcolonial Theory of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Identity is the most controversial issue in most of the postcolonial literature. While colonialism was a tool used by the colonizer to influence the status of the colonized, formation of independent nations led to increased conflict between the colonizers and the colonized culture. Independence was the only means of gaining identity in the cultural, political, and psychological realms (Boehmer, 2005). The postcolonial era was characterized by the struggle for decolonization and restoration of identity which was lost by the powers of colonization. The theme of identity in the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest Act I and II function as a tool used by the colonized to resist the powers of the dominating cultures. Gilgamesh is identified with the gods and considered an immortal being.

This level of superiority makes Gilgamesh a leader among his people up to that time the gods create another creature, Enkidu, who is equal in strength and stature. Initially, Gilgamesh proves to be a tyrannical leader who oppresses his people to death. He kills people as he wishes and subjects women to sexual assault. However, as the Epic progresses to the end after the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh learns the importance of one’s life and honor. McCaughrean and Parkins (2003) writes that “one part of the self [is] showing the way for another until a final reintegration is possible” (38). This “reintegration “leads to the realization of identity when Gilgamesh discovers the importance of relating to the world and its inhabitants. Literature has taught me that identity in postcolonial writing is used to mark the restoration of the lost identity in the hands of the colonizers, postcolonial writers recount on lost identity through written work.