Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Themes of Gilgamesh

As Enkidu obviously becomes an important part of Gilgamesh’s life, in the beginning, he is represented as Gilgamesh’s total opposite; his other half in fact. Once Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh cannot go about life the same. “Gilgamesh cannot comprehend that his friend, his soul-mate, is now dead. He is confronted by the absurd nature of this loss, while at the same time he realizes that the universe is indifferent to his suffering; there are no answers, no solace. He begins to question the meaning of life or its meaninglessness.

He dreads it so much that he tries to prevent his inevitable fate from happening. Seeing his friend die and rot away has scared Gilgamesh beyond belief. He cannot bear to think of himself being lost forever, not remembered by anyone. Likewise, Oedipus is afraid to fulfill his prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, making him a sinner not fit to rule his kingdom. He knows that if he commits this horri... ... middle of paper ... ...s made a mistake and "this sudden illumination (or epiphany) assures us that order and purpose do exist in the universe, even if we cannot fathom the exact nature of that order and purpose"(Markos 39).

Thorkild Jacobsen points out that “…it touches him in all its stark reality, and Gilgamesh refuses to believe it.” (Thorkild Jacobsen, “And Death The Journey’s End,” 191) Gilgamesh goes on to seek eternal life. Death had never been a topic he had to deal with. Jacobsen explains, “death, fear of death, has become an ob... ... middle of paper ... ...ves after him. There is a measure of immortality in achievement, the only immortality man can seek.” (Jacobsen, 196) The whole reason Gilgamesh takes this journey to search for eternal life is due to the death of Enkidu, with whom he was close with. Before all of the events occurred, Gilgamesh had never thought about the topic of death.

Shamash, Gilgamesh’s protector, pleads with the other gods to spare his life. The other gods disregard Shamash’s appeal and Enkidu dies. In each instance, one god is not able to impose his agenda against the wishes of the other gods. Enkidu’s death evokes a disturbing thought in Gilgamesh. He finally realizes that he is mortal.

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Abstract: The most interesting stories invariably are about love and death. These two themes underlie the Epic of Gilgamesh, a mythic tale of the quest for immortality. Gilgamesh, profoundly affected by the death of his friend Enkidu at the hands of the gods, questions the injustice of life. Finding no answer, he of course tries to change—indeed, eliminate—the question by seeking immortality. The following essay examines Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship, and the effect of Enkidu’s death on Gilgamesh.

When he says this line, it is very intense, Finn is on his knees avoiding eye contact with the king and Beowulf has his weapon using it to lift Finn’s head so he is looking at him. Beowulf insists that the gods will not let him die and then he says that he can’t be killed because he died many years before. This can be taken in a few different ways: one, he is immortal and he can’t die because he is too busy saving other people. Two, God will not let him die because he doesn’t want to. Or three, he want’s to die but he can’t so he won’t.

125) Death is not accepted by Everyman. He begins to ask Death if he can make things right with God and return to earth. Death tells Everyman that after he meets God, there is no return to earth, as this is impossible. The reader learns, that you only live once. What is done is done once an individual is called home.

Gilgamesh says: “Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest” (101). I would infer that if Enkidu were still alive, Gilgamesh would have no fascination with finding eternal life. In other words, it seems that Gilgamesh never had the time to ponder immortality because he was contented with his life, as it was, when Enkidu was alive. In fact, in tablet two, Enkidu tries to talk Gilgamesh out of fighting Humbaba. Gilgamesh says: “Then if I fall I leave behind me a name that endures; men *will say of me, “Gilgamesh has fallen in fight with ferocious Humbaba” (71).

Not only is Achilles mortal, but he is forced to perpetually dwell on his own mortality and try to make sense of it, since he is ultimately granted the power to choose his own death. This choice is a contradiction: determining fate is a godly ability, but death is solely experienced by mortals. Achilles’ impending death is his defining characteristic, the fatal flaw that separates him from both the gods and the humans. He recognizes his tremendous strength and his resulta... ... middle of paper ... ...melus / Something else from my hut, I will do so’” (23.572-73,575-76). With his godly rage calmed, Achilles naturally slips into the character of a respected leader.

Ending with repetition of the same words used in the first quest with Enkidu, and with the first words of the epic is telling of this. This translation emphasizes that Gilgamesh is unchanged, and still affected by the loss of Enkidu. By alluding to the quest, the translation shows that the death of Enkidu is still weighing on Gilgamesh, and affects him even after his failed journey for immortality. Additionally, the repetition of the opening lines of the epic demonstrates that Gilgamesh gained no greater understanding or management from his crisis, and therefore had been unsuccessful in embracing his