Civ. and Its Discontents and Gilgamesh comparison

A detailed Summary of Civ. and Its Discontents and Gilgamesh comparison

Freud and Mason: Religion and Freedom Theme

Themes such as religion and freedom are prevalent in both Gilgamesh by Herbert Mason and Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud. Throughout Gilgamesh the character Enkidu is portrayed as an easygoing creature who has an overwhelming sense of freedom in his everyday life. This is comparable to Freud's understanding of the "oceanic feeling" which is "a sensation of 'eternity', a feeling as of something limitless, unbounded...the source of religious energy" ( Freud 11). Also, Freud presents a concept involving the feeling of freedom when he talks about the libido. He speaks of its ability to make a man and woman happy and how it is the ultimate free feeling. This idea is parallel to Enkidu's experience with the prostitute in Gilgamesh, giving him a whole new idea of his body and feelings. This is a different kind of freedom, sexual freedom. This sexual freedom can also be described as a religious feeling too. Some people feel that the actual act of sex is a very free and religious feeling because of the deep love felt between the two people involved. And this concept of love leads me into the next point that both books talk about love between two people and how it is

a very unrestrained feeling. This is shown in Gilgamesh between Enkidu and Gilgamesh, men who feel a very deep connection to each other. Also in Civilization and Its Discontents when Freud talks about how "at the height of being in love the boundary between ego and object threatens to melt away" (Freud 13) basically saying that love is a very intense feeling that makes people feel boundless.

Another component in the freedom theme of Mason and Freud's books is the libido. When Freud discusses the libido he understands it as sexual energy. He says that it is a man and woman's drive to be happy and that both are directly related. The libido is so that both sexes strive for sexual interaction because of the way it makes them feel. This is comparable to religion because religion also gives people a certain feeling that they strive for time and again otherwise they would not go to church repeatedly. This is like sex because people strive for interaction time and again. This idea is shared in the book Gilgamesh also. Enkidu comes in contact with sexual situations for the first time in the book. Enkidu learns first hand that libido is a very powerful thing because it gives you a feeling of freedom and pleasure. This is when he comes in contact with a prostitute who guides him into the world of sexuality. He learns that sexual pleasure (libido) can give him a feeling he had never felt before, one that can be thought of as religious. Both Freud and Mason show in these books that the libido can be considered both a religious and boundless feeling.

One main idea presented in both writings by Mason and Freud is the religious feeling one gets when

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Approximate Word count = 1123
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English