The Epic of Gilgamesh - Essay Example

The Epic of Gilgamesh This epic gives the story of King Gilgamesh of Uruk who was a much loved king and also strong but soon became despotic in his actions against the subjects. These acts by the ruler of Gilgamesh led to complaints by the subjects who asked the gods to reign in on the atrocities committed by Gilgamesh. The gods heard the complaints and the cries of the subjects and brought forth a man by the name Enkidu who was half human and half animal and lived in the wild or the forests feeding on wild plants. After the domestication of Enkidu, he became great friends with Enkidu, but he later died after he had helped Gilgamesh fight many battles including killing servants of the gods in order to satisfy their earthly desires. Fearing that he would also face the eventuality of dying, Gilgamesh traveled to the edge of his kingdom to far of lands in order to find means in which he would remain immortal and escape death. All the people that he met told him that all men would eventually die and no man is immortal. The epic begins with the discovery of Enkidu from the wild by a woman who convinces him to leave the wilderness and live with the other human beings far from the wild. After his domestication, he easily befriends Gilgamesh and they are involved in many activities together such as their battles (Puchner, 109). At one time, the two go into a forest that had hitherto been forbidden by the gods from any human activity and fight the servants of the god thereby stealing cedar poles and he uses it to build a beautiful gate at the kingdom. Through his beautiful dressing, Ishtar the goddess of love admires Gilgamesh and wants to make him fall in love but he refuses his advances. The goddess therefore seeks to punish Gilgamesh for spurning her and seeks the help of his father to punish him through famine sent by the Bull of Heaven sent by Anu. This does not come to pass as Enkidu fights the bull and kills it which earns him the wrath of the gods who decide that he must be punished by death for killing the servant of the gods. The adventure that Gilgamesh and Enkidu go through fighting with the demons and servants of the gods including the Bull of Heaven, clearly indicate that they also derive their physical strengths and prowess from the gods. It also shows a rejection of worshipping of goddesses in favor of the male gods that was common in the primeval world, as Gilgamesh only prefers the friendship of his fellow male gods and not that of goddesses. Enkidu falls ill and suffers immensely later on dying under the watch of Gilgamesh and this worries him as he faces a similar fate. He goes about looking for ways of avoiding the death and meets a man by the name Utnapishtim who tells him that all men are bound to die but humankind will continue even after the death of an individual. Gilgamesh is left with no option but to live the life the way it is and waits for his death and therefore he can only derive happiness in what he has built for his kingdom and not the fear of death. From this epic, we can learn that once domesticated by the prostitute, Enkidu in turn tames Gilgamesh as his vicious urges are comforted and he becomes more human and less wild. Just as Enkidu initially was wild like an animal, Gilgamesh is at first portrayed as violent and destructive person until he befriends Enkidu and is changed with an urge to carry out greater things for his city and that of his citizens rather than worrying about his inevitable demise when the time comes. The epic shows us that through the death of Enkidu, all humans are facing the inevitable prospect of dying which comes as a punishment for defying the gods. Their trespass into territories that are forbidden to men to steal what is deemed to belong to the gods to make earthly things that are only pleasing to themselves annoy the gods who vow to punish them. From the poem, it can also be shown that excessive pride must be punished as shown by the fact that though Enkidu and Gilgamesh triumph; the gods also want to revenge on them by punishing them. The punishment of death is therefore shown as the ultimate fear by all human beings and in spite of killing the demons, death is still dreaded and this sis shown by how disturbed Gilgamesh is of the death of Enkidu and his coming death. From the above analysis, we get the theme that fear and death cannot be escaped but human beings can also function normally within the community as Gilgamesh and Enkidu shows long-lasting boundaries. . This epic also shows the finality of the decisions made by the gods as confirmed when Enkidu finally dies a wasting death for defying the gods (Puchner, 131).Though the prospect of death in itself is devastating, men can overcome fear of death by showing comfort in each other as shown by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is shattered and distraught, wanders in the wilderness wondering if he would also die and seeks out Utnapishtim who survived the floods in Mesopotamia that almost wiped out the entire humanity (Puchner, 143). The grieving by Gilgamesh of the death of Enkidu shows the origins of Enkidu as having been from the wild, and that is why he grieves while using the names of animals like the lions which live in the wilderness. The journey that takes Gilgamesh through tunnels, darkness and thereafter emerging through a beautiful mysterious garden under light shows that Gilgamesh has been reborn and no longer fears the death. Through his walk and thereafter reaching the sea, Gilgamesh meets Siduri and asks her whether he will also die just as his friend Enkidu had died and he is told that only gods live forever and human beings must eventually die at some point. He continues with his search for Utnapishtim and eventually when he finds him, he is told tat just as his father had died so shall he also die and there is no need of seeking the elusive immortality for human beings (Puchner, 142). Conclusion The epic of Gilgamesh discusses a number of themes that are central to the existence of human beings and the gods. It stresses the pursuit of fame and immortality by the king of Uruk after the demise of his friend Enkidu. This confirms the religious story of eventual death by all human beings despite their stature in the society as shown by the death of Enkidu and the impending death of Gilgamesh. The theme of competition between human beings and the gods or the goddesses is also brought forth in the epic as shown by the acts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. From the fights waged by the two men against the demons and the gods to steal cedar posts from the forest and using them to honor themselves, it can be shown that the gods’ only reason for being irked is the humans portraying themselves as small gods. The theme of love is also brought out clearly through the fight between Ishtar’s bull and Enkidu which is all about love and romance. This war is due to the fact that the goddess has been spurned by Gilgamesh and the feeling of rejection show a strong sense of romance as depicted by the goddess of love Ishtar. Work Cited Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2012. Print. Read More