Obedience and Arrogance in Gilgamesh and Genesis
The issue of obedience figures prominently in both "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and the book of Genesis in the Bible. These works were produced by very different cultures and traditions (Middle Eastern and Hebraic, respectively) and the characters in each react to authority or advice with very different levels of obedience. Noah is found to be righteous by God and is rewarded with a means to escape the devastation of the flood. Gilgamesh, in his arrogance, thinks himself to be above the mortal concept of death. I have chosen the two opening paragraphs from the seventh chapter of "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and Genesis 6:8-22 to illustrate the conflicts between obedience and arrogance.
One obvious distinction between "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and Genesis can be traced back to the cultures of the authors. The Gilgamesh epic comes from a culture and religion that is polytheistic. The author (and thus the characters in the epic) believed in a pantheon of gods and goddesses, each possessing human attributes and vices. The Hebraic culture that gave us Genesis revolved around the belief in one Almighty God. The Hebrew God was above man in every way: He was omniscient and all-powerful and yet retained compassion for the humans He had created. While Noah had but one God to serve, Gilgamesh was responsible to many. It seems that many human-like gods each command less respect than one all-powerful God. This idea can be examined by looking at Ishtar's advances to Gilgamesh. This goddess desired the mortal Gilgamesh and he responds by shunning her, thereby being disobedient to his gods. Gilgamesh may be king of Uruk and two-thirds god but that does not make him an equal. "Come to me Gilgamesh, ...
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... achingly close to eternal life. Each are equally immortalized by their respective cultures.
In a way, Gilgamesh did achieve his goal. His aim was to be immortal and in a way he is, witnessed by the fact that we read his story today and will no doubt continue to do so in the future. And as long as Christianity exists in the world, Noah will also be remembered. Gilgamesh gained his notoriety through his arrogance: he ravished women, was desired by a goddess, and rejected his own mortality. Noah achieved fame by being obedient: he was found worthy by God, given an escape route from death, and salvaged the creatures of the earth. Arrogance and obedience may have each achieved the same goal in the end, no one will forget Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, nor Noah, builder of the ark.
Works Cited:
Sandars, N. K., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin, 1972.
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The Epic of Gilgamesh records a story of a world-wide flood and pre-dates Genesis. So some claim that this invalidates the Genesis record. But P.J. Wiseman presents an interesting theory in this regard in his book Ancient Records and the Structure of Genesis (New York: Thomas Nelson, 1985).
Gilgamesh is not only a character of a story; he is actually a portrayal of people and how they act out of human nature. He, like many of us, does not want his existence to end when he leaves this world. He is not content with what he has, good looks, money, and power, and desires more in life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that we, as people, can relate to. There are similarities between Gilgamesh’s journey and our own journey through life. Some of the texts that will be compared with The Epic of Gilgamesh, are the Bible, and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The characters of these stories are all have that burning desire to be successful in life, which we can relate to. These texts span across different time periods and societies illustrating how human nature, particularly the desire to obtain more than one possesses, plays a significant role throughout written and present human history.
Gilgamesh’s most prominent characteristic is his bravery. This is exhibited when Gilgamesh and Enkidu decide to fight Humbaba in the Cedar Forest, one of the most feared beings in the world. “Enkidu said, ‘But how can any man/ dare to enter the Cedar Forest?” (pg. 92). Since Humbaba is so feared, no one dared to fight him. Gilgamesh also went on a quest to find immortality. After his beloved friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh decides to try and bring him back by finding immortality. This is an epic journey that humans could never accomplish. “This one who approaches--he must be a god.” (pg. 160). Though Gilgamesh is two-thirds divine, finding immortality is still an incredible feat, regardless of whether he became immortal or not. Not only did this journey require bravery, but it also
Even though The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis: Noah and The Flood have similar details they both differ dramatically, because of the religious aspects, their different views of destroying mankind , and the importance of the arc.
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Gilgamesh is a strong, powerful, arrogant leader that is two-thirds god and one part human. Gilgamesh was truly a hero by showing his skill in battle, intelligence, valor, reverence, and yet he held a respect for death. On his quest to finding the plant that contained the components for a mortal man to acquire everlasting life, the protagonist overcame obstacles and complications. Gilgamesh slay the demon monster, keeper of the forest, Humbaba and showed his impressive fighting skill. The man that was more than half of a god showed his arrogance by refusing the goddess Ishtar’s love. Gilgamesh walked past giant scorpions and rowed his way through a sea that consumed anything that touched its surface. Throughout the epic of Gilgamesh, the story is rash, violent, and impetuous; however, it not until he finally acquires wisdom that he earns the respect and devotion of his people. The lines within the oldest text amongst men proclaimed what he had learned was when the epic states that “he looked at the w...
Gilgamesh was a very self confident and at times that self confidence led to him to have little compassion for the people of Uruk at he beginning of the story. He was their king, but not their protector; he kills their sons and rapes their daughters. He felt like he was superior to others due to the fact that he was two-thirds god, his mother was a goddess Ninsun and one third human. This fact is the key to all of his actions. This is also what sets him apart from the hero Odysseus.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
The ancient Mesopotamian writing, The Epic of Gilgamesh, gives readers insight into the traditions and customs of the people who wrote it. Like all epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a heroic national figure: this epic gives the story of the life of Gilgamesh from his birth as two-thirds god, one-third man to his death. Throughout the epic the importance of loyalty is addressed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh readers see that loyalty is the most important aspect of a Mesopotamian relationship and that there are always consequences for violating trust.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s pursuit for immortality is marked by ignorance and selfish desire. Desire and ignorance, as The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha suggests, pollutes man’s judgment resulting in his inability to break the cycle of birth and death. At the core of Gilgamesh’s desire resides his inability to accept the inevitability of death, making his rationality behind the pursuit of immortality ignorant and selfish. Implicitly, Gilgamesh’s corrupt desire for immortality conveys that Gilgamesh does not mature as a character.
Gilgamesh was considered a hero because he had many great qualities, such as loyalty, perseverance, and heroism. Although these are heroic traits, he also had his flaws and was self-righteous, selfish, and prideful. Gilgamesh was a great man and was seen as flawless and “perfect in strength” (4). He represented almost a human version of a god; therefore, making it hard to see his flaws because he seems so ideal. He appeared like the perfect man that had absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was very courageous and this was evident when he states, “There dwells in the forest the fierce monster Humbaba, [You and I shall] kill [him] [And] wipe out [something evil from the land]” (18). This statement shows both a heroic quality and a flaw in Gilgamesh. It shows his heroism and how he felt that he could accomplish great things. His statement also shows how prideful he was because he always wanted the glory and wanted to be seen as the hero. This comes from the fact that he was part human and part god and he knew how amazing everyone thought he was and felt that he needed to live up to that expectation. This can be seen as both positive and negative because it shows his determination, but yet shows his pride. Being prideful is not necessarily a good thing because in this situati...
The Comparison of the Creation of the Universe and Origin of Man and New Species
The focus of this analysis is on Genesis (chapter 7) and Gilgamesh (lines 1 - 25). These two different passages will be analyzed to relate each document and how the author's worldview shapes his account of the flood.
We see him change from a tyrannical leader to someone who has immortality on his mind. Does that sound like a good leader? The poem opens up with how Gilgamesh treats the people in his city. More importantly the women. While society back then was mostly male dominant, this was still something that was against most moral codes. The way this is translated you can tell Gilgamesh is not a popular king. “Gilgamesh sounds the tocsins for his amusement, his arrogance has no bounds by day or night.” (George, Page 839 Kindle Edition). The book even talks about how he is supposed to “shepherd” over his people but they think he is more like a “savage bull”. The journey Gilgamesh and Enkidu went on was not so heroic. This journey is to make an even bigger name for himself. I find it interesting that Gilgamesh doesn 't understand he could have more fame than ever by pleasing his people instead of pleasing himself. When Enkidu is on his death bed I don 't think the actual death of Enkidu affects him. Gilgamesh realizes his impending death and searches for immortality to obtain more fame and recognition. A very important part of the story is how the gods react to the way he has handled himself. Utnapishtim talks about the meritless journeys he went on instead of helping Uruk. This goes to show that even back in 2000 BC, they still knew how important it was to be a selfless leader. The story ends by