She is a young girl, merely a child, involved by accident in a guerrilla war against one of the greatest evils of modern times; the fascism combined with an authoritative regime. The trickster in this modern fiction does not become her friend, neither does he fight along with her. She has to fight her own battles and he is not even in the position to oversee any of her errors. She is an archetype herself. As soon as she takes her new born brother into her arms she becomes the mother who throws herself into the fire rather than throwing her offspring. It is embedded in her to act this way and the symbolism of her being a princess resides in the true nature of humanity.
Although del Toro's film could be reduced at the representation of the fight between republicanism and monarchy, the symbolism goes deeper that just this aspect. The closeness to death, birth and motherhood are elements that make Ophelia the representation of humanity in its archetypal patterns. Ophelia is...
This way, the trickster in Gilgamesh's poem become like the hero in Pan's Labyrinth. That is another reason why Enkidu appears as both trickster and hero.
The modern fiction has gained tremendously in means of expression compared to ancient times, but it is still keeping symbols and archetypes of the myths and legends of ancient times. Despite the more complex ways of representation and expression, when considering Pan's Labyrinth and the Epic of Gilgamesh, the modern art of fiction has become more rigid. It has kept the archetype of the trickster, but only in his strict role as an enabler and a guide. Modern fiction is keen to keep the fabulous world apart from the human world as soon as the story comes towards the end.
