Epic Of Gilgamesh Analysis

Ancient history tells many stories – some created on fantasy and some based on truth. Ancient Mesopotamia has its own share of stories and many of these tales focus on a man named Gilgamesh. The “Epic of Gilgamesh,” tells this man’s life story. Throughout the tale, Gilgamesh struggles with the concept of his own mortality and refuses to believe that his life will come to an end. Being two-thirds god, he perceives himself as a god-like creature.

Ultimately however, Gilgamesh gains wisdom on his journey to discover immortality and painfully realizes that his goal is unattainable. His grim outlook on life forces him to accept his worst fear – that someday he will die.

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In Gilgamesh’s youth, he was a ruler and was, for the most part, praised by the inhabitants of the city of Uruk. At this time, death did not concern him. He lived as if he were invincible. Later in the epic, a powerful man named Enkidu shows up in Uruk and helps put Gilgamesh’s power into balance. Together Enkidu and Gilgamesh set out on adventures and achieve many feats; however, one cannot forget why Enkidu was created in the first place.

Enkidu was sent to Gilgamesh because his power was overstepping its bounds and “Gilgamesh would not leave [young girls alone]” (“The Epic of Gilgamesh” 50). Although overall a popular ruler, Gilgamesh is at one point portrayed as a demanding ruler that disregards the wishes of his subjects and rapes women as he pleases.

In this regard, does Gilgamesh deserve immortality in the first place? This deeper philosophical question must be addressed before one begins to understand why immortality is an imposs………

During one adventure, Enkidu and Gilgamesh go to the Cedar Forest and Humbaba, a monster tasked by the gods with guarding the forest, confronts them.

After a long struggle, Humbaba begs for his life, but Gilgamesh, encouraged by Enkidu, kills him anyway. The gods find out and are angry at this defiance and ultimately kill Enkidu as punishment. After all, Humbaba was innocent and did not deserve to die. When Enkidu dies and “has turned to clay” in Gilgamesh’s arms, Gilgamesh, petrified that he will experience the same fate, “roam[s] open country for long distances; [as the] words of [his] friend Enkidu weigh upon [him]” (“The Epic” 104).

When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes into a depression and cannot stop mourning the loss of his friend. He talks to Enkidu’s body as if it was still alive and refuses to bury him. Gilgamesh is depressed and fearful for his own life for several reasons. He has had very few close friends in the epic that we know of and when his best friend dies, Gilgamesh does not know what to do without Enkidu and becomes delusional about his situation.

Gilgamesh becomes more aware of his mortality because Enkidu’s strength matched his own when he was killed. Gilgamesh resolves to conquer death.

Gilgamesh is determined to live forever, and he begins to track down a mortal named Utnapishtim who was granted eternal life. Gilgamesh overcomes m,…………………….

Gilgamesh Analysis

Gilgamesh Analysis

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