Preview

Epic Of Gilgamesh Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1052 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Epic Of Gilgamesh Research Paper
The True Value of Life

Sometimes, in order for you to change, it takes losing something so dear to you. This is proven in one of the oldest stories ever written, “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. Although the main plot is focused on Gilgamesh losing is closest friend and going on a journey of immortality, by studying Gilgamesh’s idea of avoiding death, we can see throughout the story that death is inevitable, lack of humility is an issue, and the symbol of the serpent. Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, is a mighty king that built magnificent temple towers and high walls that surrounded the city. However, he came about these building projects by forced labor. The gods heard the people of Uruk’s pleas, so the gods created Enkidu, who is just as magnificent …show more content…
Siduri, the goddess of wine disguised as the tavern keeper, warns him of seeking immortality. “As for you, Gilgamesh, let your belly be full, make merry day and night. Of each day make a feast of rejoicing. Day and night dance and play! Let your garments be sparkling fresh, your head be washed; bathe in water. Pay heed to a little one that holds on to your hand, let a spouse delight in your bosom” (Tablet X). This is her telling him it would be pointless and to just enjoy what he has in his life now. It was Enkidu’s fate to die as a consequence after him and Gilgamesh killed the Bull of Heaven. Gilgamesh realizes in the end that it is also man’s fate to die, as it is for humankind to live on. Death is inevitable and immortality is promised only to the gods. Life must be treasured. Life isn’t worth living if you don’t take what is has to offer, for death will come faster than you know. Gilgamesh may have started his quest as two-thirds god and one-third man, but he returned as a man, realizing his own inevitable …show more content…
In the story of Gilgamesh the serpent changes Gilgamesh’s perception of life. After his long quest he is given an herb that restores his youth. He hasn’t yet used it when a snake steals it. Though the snake robs Gilgamesh of his chance to enjoy youth again, it restores Gilgamesh’s sanity. The snake is a benefit. Gilgamesh now carries back the gift of wisdom. He now focuses on what is in front of him and doesn’t take life for granted. In the Bible, the serpent is a source of evil that brought life-long punishment to humankind. The serpent tempts Adam and Eve to disobeying God into taking what rightfully belongs to God - knowledge. As punishment, God exiles Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and brands them as sinners. The serpent stole their innocence, so in a way the serpent brought both death and knowledge into the world. As descendent of Adam and Eve we also hold the name as a
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Brief Summary And Symbolism In The Epic Of Gilgamesh
    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Brief Summary And Symbolism In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    If Gilgamesh was the same animalistic selfish ruler he once was he never would have even thought about taking the plant back and sharing it. He would have taken it all for himself at the moment he retrieved it. I believe that after his rebirth and awakening he came to grasp with is his life and understood there was something much more bigger than himself going on in Uruk. Although I believe Gilgamesh has matured more than he was, I do not think he has fully matured. I say this because when he complains to Ur-Shanabi after having the plant stolen, “ For myself I have obtained no benefit” (316). He makes it seem as if not only is he upset the plant was wrongly taken from him but that he deserves to have it because of his good intentions. If Gilgamesh really had the best intentions and had completely understood the story of the flood, he never would have thought of dividing himself a portion with the elders. That is why I believe that the snake represent humans and that maybe the snake was sent there from a higher power because he still had not learned his full…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Gilgamesh Develop
    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did Gilgamesh Develop

    Then Gilgamesh meets and develops a codependency with his perfect opposite, another man formed by the gods to balance him out. This two-thirds animal man, Enkidu, challenges Gilgamesh, but eventually falls in next to his side as Gilgamesh’s other half. Here Gilgamesh learns to love and care for another, and he faces many conflicts and fears with the support of Enkidu, which leaves him wiser and more mature. When Enkidu dies from Humbaba’s curse, Gilgamesh’s pride and power is worn down by the hopelessness of watching his other half leave him. “Shouldn’t my cheeks be hollow, shouldn’t my face be ravaged, frost-chilled, and burnt by the desert sun… I cannot bear what happened to my friend” (Mitchell, 167). He embarks on his quest for eternal life, and from those that assist and hinder him along the way, he learned humility, acceptance, and perhaps even the beginning of kindness. The futile quest takes away nearly everything that made Gilgamesh’s character at the exposition of the epic, leaving a complex and grief driven man, who yet still self-centered, now has seen and lived…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh in response to Foster
    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gilgamesh in response to Foster

    Gilgamesh’s experience of loss leads to strife, toil and extreme suffering which shows him what is truly means to be human. The disintegration of his relationship with Enkidu, through the absence of this friend, establishes pain in his life which develops in to a strong fear of death. His unsuccessful plight for immortality and the impossible leads him to further suffering but ultimate acceptance of his life and the importance of himself even without his dear friend.…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Gilgamesh Change
    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did Gilgamesh Change

    In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh the main character is portrayed as the strongest and biggest in the land. He is the mighty king of Uruk and some events came into his life, causing him to change who he was. He encounters a man of the wilderness that is as big and strong as him, they eventually become great friends, but then the man of the wilderness, Enkidu, dies. The way Gilgamesh changes are from those impactful events that come into his life, causing Gilgamesh to change his morality and attitude about death, from having is best friend die, and actually seeing death makes him want to be immortal, when he used to think death came upon everybody and it wasn’t a big deal, and…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Gilgamesh Research Paper
    • 1661 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Gilgamesh Research Paper

    mortality that are explored in this book. Gilgamesh, the oldest written work and a poetic…

    • 1661 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dualism In Gilgamesh
    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dualism In Gilgamesh

    There is a dualism in the text “Gilgamesh”. This text is an epic story of great loved followed by grief which ends in a great change in character. This epic story’s main character, Gilgamesh, is the person who is feared, respected and a person who hates and loves. But Enkidu made drastic change in Gilgamesh’s life. Before Enkidu came into Gilgamesh’s life, Gilgamesh was really a strong person and he was even called two thirds god. He boasted about his victories and other achievements. But, the first change that came into his life was the coming of Enkidu. Enkidu was the only one who would serve as a lifelong companion to Gilgamesh. This great friendship began to change Gilgamesh’s selfish ways, his arrogance and the abuse of his power. He opened…

    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gligamesh
    • 604 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gligamesh

    Gilgamesh is a man of little value, just like all the other men of his time. He is deemed peripheral, because he cannot procreate. He is told he is “two thirds a god but one third a man.” He wants to live forever and after witnessing the death of his beloved friend, Enkidu, he must do just that. He goes to the land of Dilmum to find the only immortal man, Utnapistum. He travels to the mountain of Mashu where he is questioned and ridiculed for his notion of being everlasting. The Scorpions guard the door from him, standing in the way of eternal life and him, but finally he is let in. Here he is again remind that his quest is unavailing, this time by Shamash the Sun God: “You will never find the life for which you are searching.” He meets Siduri, the goddess of wine she too reminds him of his vacuous journey and the common lot of men: “Be merry and rejoice, cherish your child and embrace you wife.” Not only is Gilgamesh again told his fate; she too locks her tavern, barring him again from reaching the next level to immortality. Eventually, Gilgamesh meet with the epitome of the male hope, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim gives him a speech that averages to “nothing last forever”. He…

    • 604 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Enkidu Vs Gilgamesh
    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Enkidu Vs Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh and Enkidu learn all too well that the gods are dangerous for mortals.There are many obstacles that these men endure during their journey. One of the many differences between Gilgamesh and Enkidu would be When the temple prostitute seduces Enkidu, he loses his animal attributes but gains his self-consciousness and his humanity. The theirs Gilgamesh; who has no afterlife to look forward to and no moral ideal to aspire to. Although he may not know, really Gilgamesh’s many journeys mirror his internal journey to become a selfless and devoted king. Sadly along this journey Gilgamesh looses Enkidu andgrieves heavily over the loss, and made a decision to find the key to everlasting life. The loss of a great friend and the thought of mortality were to much for Gilgamesh to bear. He tried hard to understand why one would both to stay on earth to end up in a terrible afterlife. He soon tried to become immortal like the…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Dynamic Character In The Epic Of Gilgamesh
    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Dynamic Character In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    This element of the epic is symbolized through the living maggot that falls out from the nose of Enkidu’s lifeless body. After Gilgamesh observes this, he leaves his friend’s dead body and seeks answers regarding immortality from a higher power. When Gilgamesh encounters Shiduri on his quest for answers, the tavern keeper claims, “Humans are born, they live, then they die, this is the order that the gods have decreed” (Mitchell 168). Correlating directly with life, death serves as a reward for a well-lived existence on earth. Gilgamesh refuses to discern that death gives life a meaning. On a separate note, after Gilgamesh completes his quest and undergoes his transformation, he returns to Uruk as a wiser king, sensitive to the needs of all individuals. From there, he establishes his legacy by offering thorough protection through building impenetrable walls, creating an economy in the city, and developing infrastructure for all citizens. Without the death of Enkidu and the experience of human emotions, Gilgamesh never would have been able to transform into a phenomenal…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    In The Shadows Of Gilgamesh Analysis
    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In The Shadows Of Gilgamesh Analysis

    Following the passing of Enkidu, his closest companion, he transforms into a man with a new purpose. Throughout his life, Gilgamesh has ruled his kingdom from afar, never connecting with his people. He has always been envious of the immortal gods because, though he is two-thirds god, he will never be immortal. Along his journey, he constantly grasps with chances to prove his equality to the gods, depicted perfectly in his defeat of Humbaba. With that in mind, it is clear Gilgamesh demonstrates his power as a king whenever he is given the opportunity. Though Gilgamesh may think that demonstrating his power prove his equality to the deities, it actually makes him more human in many ways. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh begins to truly and deeply understand the capabilities of the gods he has strived his entire life to become. When he loses the plant of life, Gilgamesh realizes that he is not fit for immortal life and that he should move on because the dead will stay dead. Finally, because of this new found enlightenment, Gilgamesh is finally able to forgo his past desires and live freely without the weight of death, specifically Enkidu’s, on his shoulders. From Gilgamesh’s story of painful lessons turned positive, people can conclude and learn that at the end of every difficult journey, there will be development. However, in order to obtain the acceptance that although generations go by and people pass away, the cycle of life and the hand of time never stops, in essence, humanity never fades away. People going through hardships similar to that of Gilgamesh’s, need to learn the extremely difficult lesson, and undergo the journey, about life and more importantly, self-discovery. For Gilgamesh this means living in the moment, not in the past or the…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    the epic of gilgamesh
    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    the epic of gilgamesh

    Satisfied with his divinity he built the great walls of URuk at the cost of his people, to add to the glory of URuk. The glory of URuk echoed all around the world from East to west .But this glory confined only to the world and not URuk. The King regretted time as no invasions came by. Took to leisure making.”May my subjects be my entertainment?” No son he left to a father forged them to labor games and tests of strength, no wife to a husband on the day of wedding, used them for his evil desires.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Death In The Epic Of Gilgamesh
    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Theme Of Death In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    However, this all changes when Gilgamesh’s newfound friend and carbon copy, Enkidu, dies. The king is deeply saddened by his death and also faces the fact that he too will eventually die. So, in order to cheat death, Gilgamesh decides to search for Uta-napishti and ask how he can live forever. He tells Gilgamesh to do different tasks, but Gilgamesh fails every time. Gilgamesh realizes that if he cannot complete these tasks there is no way he can beat death. Gilgamesh accepts his fate and returns home. Gilgamesh’s story concludes with him seeing his city’s walls which “will be his enduring monument” (George 88). It is important to note that The Epic of Gilgamesh, quite possibly the earliest work of literature, has a central theme of mortality, because it is at the very core of the human experience. This story greatly depicts a dilemma that most humans will eventually face in life. Death is something that is guaranteed and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. However, there is something that one can do; something that will metaphorically make one live forever. That something is making a notable impact on the…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Epic Of Gilgamesh
    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    The story of The Epic of Gilgamesh is a western civilization historical poem that is mix of mythology and literature. It is to be believed was written around the first centuries of the second millennium B.C. considering one of the oldest, if not the oldest, ancient poem. It is about a hero who is desperate to become a god and goes an on quest for immortality. Within the pages of the old tale it reveals many hints of history, human nature, and myths of an ancient culture. Though the Sumerian Empire, the Mesopotamian culture, is long forgotten it has been told and retold by many for a reason. Is it because it’s similar views and culture? Is it because of its great story telling, its rich words? Or maybe because it enlighten the people historically? Though the tablets were founded by archaeologists in Middle East, it is a tale written by people of…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Epic Of Gilgamesh What It Means To Be Human
    • 1632 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Epic Of Gilgamesh What It Means To Be Human

    The Epic of Gilgamesh presents a fascinating interpretation on what means to be human, and informs us a great deal about how the ancient Mesopotamians saw themselves in relation to a seemingly chaotic natural order. An initial reading of the Sumerian epic presents a bleak and confusing outlook on the events of the story, was the story of Gilgamesh irrelevant? While his quest for immortality was ultimately in vain, and he would have to concede the uncomfortable fact of his own mortality, this is not the entire truth of the text. The story of Gilgamesh presents a much more optimistic view on humanity then this superficial interpretation; death is an inevitable part of all human existence, yet similar to Gilgamesh, we can all attain something meaningful with the time allotted to us. Gilgamesh learns this universal of the human connection through his relationship with Enkidu; their friendship is a source of joy for Gilgamesh, a relationship which enables him to accomplish great things and create a lasting legacy. The Epic of Gilgamesh serves as reminder, not only to the ancients to whom recited the tale but to the modern reader, that while we are destined to perish, what we do with what little time we have should define us, not the fear of the inevitable, thus the epic depicts human life as a thing of consequence, an end in itself.…

    • 1632 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Business
    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Business

    In the epic we have seen that Gilgamesh was strong , powerful and important among his people . Gilgamesh was regarded as great hero in the people of uruk because of his wisdom and braveness. Even though he was a ruler not all people of uruk were happy about his action as he was cruel among women. Gilgamesh had the quest where he was wanted to kill Humbaba and gain the eternal fame .This essay will discuss on how Gilgamesh’s quest shift from wanting the eternal fame to search for immortality.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More