The Epic of Gilgamesh (trans. Maureen Gallery Kovacs) - Essay Example

King Gilgamesh is supposed to have lived around 2700 B.C. After the death of Gilgamesh stories of his great deeds were propagated through oral transmission. Though short episodes of these stories were written later, the first complete version of the epic was written in Akkadian, the extinct Semitic language of the Southern Mesopotamia. Later so many versions of the epic appeared in written form. The translation by Maureen Gallery Kovacs is from the “Standard” Akkadian “Edition.”. Originally written in 12 clay tablets in Cuneiform script, the translator chooses to eliminate tablet twelve, for the simple reason that it appears to be more a sequel to the first eleven tablets.

Why it is an Epic? : Epic poems are long poems that celebrate the deeds of heroes of legendary Stature. Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk was two third God and one third human. “Gilgamesh is strong to perfection, son of august cow Rimat Ninsun; Gilgamesh is awesome to perfection.” (Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 1; 35-36). The stories of legendary epic heroes happen long long ago, there by taking the listener/reader to a world of super reality and strange enchantment. Both the time and the space of the epics are, far too removed from our day today realities.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is no different. . xamples for these epic poetic patterns are Homer’s Odyssey, and Saint Valmiki’s Indian epic poem, Ramayana written in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. The second and third books of Ramayana deals with the going of King Rama into exile into the forest where he confronts the demon king Ravana who steals away the king’s wife Sita and he had to fight to get back his wife. Odyssey, as the very title of the epic indicates is the return journey of the King Odysseus ten years after the Trojan War which it self lasted for ten years.

The Epic of Gilgamesh has two journeys – One from the forest and wild life into the civilization and the other a reverse journey from the evils of civilization to the wisdom of the wilderness. Both journeys are hazardous, full of challenges -- physical as well as from the forces of nature. Odysseus and Gilgamesh: Comparison between Odysseus and Gilgamesh, both heroes of ancient literature, is very interesting in that their approaches to the challenges are different. Gilgamesh, one third God and the rest human used to be sadistic to his people.

He oppressed the newly married women during their wedding nights. He challenged young men with games and tests of strength or exhausted them with forced labor. Unable to bear with these the people of the kingdom cry out to the Gods in the haven above, to rescue them from the sadistic attitudes and actions of their own king. The Gods responding to the plea of the people decide to create an equal to Gilgamesh so that he will get distracted from his sadistic attitudes and activities. This alter ego of Gilgamesh is Enkidu.

He is a primitive man who has a very hairy body and is inhabited with animals in the forest. The first journey in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is the journey of Enkidu from the