The Journey of Self-Discovery in Greek Epic and Tragedy and in the Western

Frederick M. Ahl (Cornell University)

Journeys and quests have been fundamental features of the lives of mythical heroes since the Epic of Gilgamesh and have continued to be so in classical, medieval, and later mythologies. The myth of the American West conforms to this tradition: “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country,” in Horace Greeley’s words. The two genres of ancient literature that most extensively turn to the motif of heroic journeys are epic and tragedy, both of which derive most of their subject matter from myths. Traveling epic and tragic heroes learn about others (cf. Odyssey, proem) and themselves (cf. Iliad 24 or Sophocles’ Oedipus). Self-discovery is as important as discovery.

This paper will first outline the mythic motif of the hero’s journey and then apply it to specific parallels in some of the major American Western films. Special emphasis will be on filmic examples of the country’s westward expansion and on the serious, even tragic, Western, often defined as the quintessentially Oedipal genre of cinema.