Pessimism In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that deals with various sub conflicts that are known to create a lasting impression on how we view the characters and their status in the general schemes. Sub conflicts like Immortality vs mortality, betrayal, death, violence and sorrow, gives us a grand perspective of how negative and pessimistic the general schemes and plot of the Epic truly is. Today I will be arguing that The Epic of Gilgamesh takes a pessimistic view on mortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character Gilgamesh is conflicted with the death of his best friend Enkidu, in fear of death; he goes to Utanapishtim who is an immortal that is also human. Utanapishtim tells Gilgamesh about the cure and where to find it; Gilgamesh finds the cure but sets it …show more content…

He is unable to accept the fact that people die and life is limited, instead of making new relationships and getting the best out of what life has to offer he decides to dwell on the negative. Gilgamesh would also state on (X.210) “I have worn myself out in sleeplessness, my muscles ach of misery.” This shows me the reader that humans are fragile beings that can be worn out through old age, pain and misery which are traits and qualities that makes it seem like being human has many physical downfalls. The epic fails to show the tavern girl or Ur-Shanabi trying to help Gilgamesh cope with his depression and this is another reason why I think humans are depicted has pessimistic beings in this epic. As a reader I am influenced to see life has meaningless through the lens of Gilgamesh. After the snake took away his only chance of becoming immortal, Gilgamesh would be left with nothing to go home to; his mother was a god who was too busy for him and his subjects all hated and feared him. This teaches us the reader that in our life we can loss everything we care about and can be forced to live a pathetic life until we

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