The Epic of Gilgamesh

The death of his friend Enkidu plays a big role in this transformation. Gilgamesh goes from independent to having companionship, which he had never had, back to being alone again. This grief would incite in him the fear of his own mortality and drive him to press forward for the answer to immortal life. Pressing forward on this journey would prove to be a daunting task for Gilgamesh. The struggle of losing his friend and the difficult terrain brings him to a low that he had never experienced before.

Hamlet wants to end his life but says that God made it a law against suicide. Hamlet also fears death, “The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns…Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,” (Act 3,Scene 1,Lines 80-81,84). Hamlet fears the unknown of death and isn’t ready to deal with that, so that is why Hamlet is willing to live in his pointless

In a more symbolical way of thinking, immortality could be living on through remembrance of one’s accomplishments. This paper concentrates on the character of Gilgamesh and his pursuit of immortality after the loss of his friend Enkidu in tablet VII. For such a powerful character, a demigod at that, Gilgamesh lets his human side to emasculate his true power. Desperate for obtaining immortality, Gilgamesh deserts Uruk to begin his search for Utnapishtim, whom had survived the great flood and given immorality by the gods. 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.

Gilgamesh, who before was enthralled with the idea of dying a hero, suddenly became terrified of death. This growth, albeit not positive growth, was a direct result of the prior circumstances. The heroes’ shared hubris angered the gods who struck Enkidu down, causing Gilgamesh to lose his best friends. This loss causes gilgamesh to grow by fearing

The characters Oedipus and Gilgamesh are very similar in that they both are fearful of their fates. After the death of his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh is distraught with worry, asking, "shall I too not lie down like him./And never get up forever and ever? "("The Epic of Gilgamesh" 76). The prospect of laying forever in a grave is not appealing to Gilgamesh. He dreads it so much that he tries to prevent his inevitable fate from happening.

The Epic of Gilgamesh The epic story of Gilgamesh in its long, poetic form speaks of another, fantastical world. Yet within the narrative of gods, half-gods, and humanization of creatures, many familiar themes arise that continue to be relevant and explored in modern literature. Ideas on friendship, the power of the gods and love are among those raised in the story with one of the main themes being the desire and search for immortality. As the story unfolds, Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, learns of death leading him on a quest for eternal life only to discover and finally accept the inevitability of humans dying. Recognizing that he will one day die allows Gilgamesh to finally appreciate the city he has built and the people within it.

Hamlet fears “the dread of something after death/The undiscover’d country, from whose bourn/ No traveller returns” (3.1.78-80), and this fear is what prevents him from committing suicide. Hamlet longs for death to relieve the agony of his weary life. The soldier in contrast, to Hamlet, wishes to die “Pillowed in silk and scented down […] in blissful sleep” (Seeger17-18); the soldier wishes to die in peace. Which alludes to the fact that the soldier has made peace with his fate whereas Hamlet has not. Hamlet’s theatre production is a distraction from this reality.

Grieving for days, lost in thoughts, and stricken with immense sadness and loss of direction, Gilgamesh laments for days over the loss of his friend Enkidu. Gilgamesh shouts aloud the following statement in regards to his current state of bereavement: “Me! Will I too not die like Enkidu? Sorrow has come into my belly. I fear death; I roam over the hills.

Their gods were all-powerful, and could grant people godly features. For example, Gilgamesh embarks on a quest for eternal life from the gods when his fear of death becomes a reality with the death of Enkindu. The Mesopotamian people also believed in an afterlife. Through the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see that this civilization had an ancient version of what we consider to be heaven and hell. Their hell was controlled by the Queen of Darkness, and was believed to be a place of no return.

It is almost as if the more he tries, the worse it gets for him. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh embarks on a crusade to bring Enkidu back to life. His quest takes him traveling across the sea of death in search of Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh spends a lot time and effort in search of Utnapishtim. He travels great lengths, as well as risks his life in attempting to bring life back to his lost friend.