Every hero has a journey whether it may deal with slaying a dragon or obtaining immortality like our hero Gilgamesh. The story starts out in the ordinary world with Gilgamesh and Enkidu causing havoc on the city that Gilgamesh rules as king. As Enkidu is on his deathbed, he has a dream about old kings being in hell because of the selfish lifestyle they lived, which gets Gilgamesh determined to find immortality. On his journey, he prays to the gods and as he awakens lions attack him, but he is able to defeat them with his bare hands thanks to his prayers being accepted by the gods. Gilgamesh is stopped at the gates of Mashu and a scorpion guard that warns him about the difficult journey he will face if he goes through the gate, but that does
The Gilgamesh Epic is among the earliest works in history and is categorized under epic poems. Originating from Mesopotamia, the poem consists of twelve tablets covering the relationship between the main character Gilgamesh and Enkidu who is his closest male companion. The narration is done in past tense trying to bring out the fact that the poem is Gilgamesh own wordings and he wrote it by himself. ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh” commemorates historical deeds and people as it breaks down Gilgamesh life experiences that were characterized by grief, heroism, and his wisdom in a universal and perpetual process. His story can be viewed to be both immediate and timeless. The scope of this paper however will be limited to the themes, ideas, characterization and arguments that are evident in tablet 1 of the poem (Andrew pg 45).
The first part of the hero’s journey is the call to adventure. This is the voyage that the hero is asked to go on in order to accomplish greater good for human kind. This is the hero’s chance to help his or her community, family or friends by embarking on a long journey and challenging his, or herself. Gilgamesh does not go on a journey to help others, he goes to make himself look better. “ I have not established my name stamped on bricks as my destiny decreed, therefore I will go to the country where the cedar is felled” (page 70). This passage shows that the only reason that Gilgamesh wants to go on a journey is for fame and popularity.
There are many stories about heroes that change from a bad guy to the good guy. In the ancient story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, details are given to reflect how a hero transforms from a static to dramatic character. The hero of the epic, better known as Gilgamesh, undergoes many experiences as he embarks on a long journey to discover what his purpose is in life. Throughout his adventure, Gilgamesh establishes a friendly relationship with a man named Enkidu; in addition to that, he also makes contact with deities that either supported or threatened him. As these events took place, Gilgamesh was experiencing some major changes to his personality. These events are better known as external factors, and they all had an effect on Gilgamesh in some way. The altering of Gilgamesh’s behavior shows how a hero changes dramatically by external factors, which is a common theme throughout the epic.
...a journey to search eternal life which he never found. In the end, Gilgamesh learns that death in inevitable and every human being is destined to die; only the gods are immortal. In essence, the story is about the epitome of immortality which has existed and will never change. The story is very important because, it perpetuates that, despite the western influence on life, the essence of the human nature and experience will never change; they will always remain the same. Gilgamesh was a cruel ruler but in the end of the story, he went back to his people a changed person who no longer fought death, and started embracing the life he had with the people around him because he knew that, death was unavoidable. Gilgamesh learnt that, death is inevitability, and immortality is unachievable.
Although the central protagonists of this story are men, women also have an important significance in the legend of Gilgamesh. A prime example of this significance is the character Shamhat the Harlot, the first woman that Endiku comes across in the story. Shamhat is a prostitute who was sent to tame Enkidu on behalf of King Gilgamesh and a hunter residing in the city of Uruk. When Enkidu is introduced he is a wild man living in nature, unfamilar of human kind. Enkidu’s transition into a man allows him the opportunity to befriend Gilgamesh. By introducing Enkidu into society and influencing his relationship with Gilgamesh, Shamhat is pivotal to the success of their adventure and relationship.
Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, and also who was a third god and one/third human. He constructed glorious ziggurats, or sanctuary’s or towers, enclosed by his city with large walls, and laid out its groves and grounds. Gilgamesh was really attractive massively solid and very smart. However since Gilgamesh was superhuman in the appearance and mind, he then started his reign as a mean ruler. He used his people in his land, and then took advantage of woman by sexually abusing several women whom hit his attention, nevertheless if she was a wife of his warriors or either the daughter of a patrician. Gilgamesh created his large building missions with involuntary employment, and his tired people in land cried during this brutality. The gods then heard that his people cries and then agreed to Gilgamesh in check by forming a uniquely man named Enkidu who was a wild creature who was almost as great as the great Gilgamesh. Enkidu after time then became Gilgamesh’s friend, and then Gilgamesh’s life was hurt when Enkidu died of an sickness caused by the great gods.
The main character in the book The Epic of Gilgamesh, is Gilgamesh himself. In the beginning of the book one realizes that Gilgamesh is an arrogant person. Gilgamesh is full of himself and abuses his rights as king. He has sexual intercourse with the virgins of his town and acts as though he is a god. Throughout the story, many things cause Gilgamesh to change. He gains a friend, he makes a name for himself by killing Humbaba, and he tries to become immortal because of the death of Enkidu. Through these main actions his personality changes and he becomes a better person.
In Damrosch works he engages in the historical point of view of one of the lost books from centuries ago. Damrosch starts from its discovery in 1872 rather than when the book was written itself, he explains its journey through time and George Smith’s involvement in unearthing the Epic of Gilgamesh. He also splits his book into two main areas; the discovery and history of how King Ashurbanipal’s Royal Library fell along with the archaeologist's journeys during their time of discovery.The second half is about the epic itself, and its influence on specific writers and works. It also analyzes the epic as well and the historical figure of the great king Gilgamesh and the events surrounding him.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the first pieces of recorded literature in the history of the world. It was written on stone tablets between 2700 and 600 BC . However, by the time that archaeologists could decrypt these tablets, a hanfdul of them were broken and parts of this Epic vanished . The Epic of Gilgamesh is about the king of the city of Uruk, Gilgamesh. and his quest, and failure, to achieve immortality. While telling the story of Gilgamesh, the unknown author also incorporates several aspects of Sumerian society into the epic such as the government structure of Uruk, floods that would constantly interfere with the lives of the people of the Sumerian society, and showing how vital clay was in the Sumerian society.
This historical perspective examines the period in which the literature was produced and the prevailing ideas of the time that may have affected the writings of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Many themes are incorporated into the story line of Gilgamesh. These include three very important concepts: death is inevitable, immortality is unachievable, and friendship is a necessity.
Would an infinite life be better than a finite life? Many people throughout history have pondered such thoughts and, The Epic of Gilgamesh, by an anonymous author from ancient Mesopotamia, is a story that focuses on this idea of eternal life. Gilgamesh who is a powerful king in the city of Uruk is two thirds god and one third man and therefore mortal. The idea of death does not fully penetrate him until his best friend, Enkidu, dies. Enkidu is much like Gilgamesh in being both part god and part human. Enkidu’s death is what sparks Gilgamesh’s motivation to set out on a journey to find eternal life. At first Gilgamesh fears death because Enkidu died; his feelings change after his quest when Gilgamesh accepts death, and he realizes mortals are not meant to live forever.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the lines that are repeated at the beginning and the end of the epic shows the only definite immortality a human can gain lies in creating things that last beyond a person’s lifetime. Though at first on a quest for eternal life, when Gilgamesh concludes his journey he realizes that he has created an enduring legend through the foundation of his city, Uruk. Through this legend, Gilgamesh lives on in the memory of his people, long after he has passed away. The epic conveys this message multiple ways. The opening lines immediately introduce and impress upon the audience the importance of Gilgamesh, and the significance of his kingship. The following stanzas continue on to describe the city of Uruk, with special consideration given to the walls surrounding Uruk. The juxtaposition of Gilgamesh and Uruk shows how closely the two are connected, and the influence they exert upon each other. Finally, the ending repetition of the lines shows
Analysis of the Character of Gilgamesh In the epic Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits. The main character in the novel is Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is a character who is very self-confident.
In the epic poem Gilgamesh, retelling by Herbert Mason, Gilgamesh goes on a journey to find a way to reserve death for this friends, Enkidu. Through his journey, Gilgamesh experiences different challenges that end up giving him wisdom on the grieving process. Enkidu’s death benefits Gilgamesh, but not in his way Gilgamesh expects. Gilgamesh expects to resurrect Enkidu with the help of Utnapishtim, but instead Gilgamesh gains wisdom about death from his journey.