The Epic of Gilgamesh: Character and Theme Analysis - Essay Example

The Epic of Gilgamesh: Character and Theme Analysis This story was based in Mesopotamia, a time when the culture of the Sumerians dominated the ‘land between the two rivers.’ The story originally consisted of a series of tales, which were later on merged into one masterpiece that dates to the 18th century BC, “Old Babylonian.” Various cultures have overly revised the story, and various scholars have argued that it has significantly impacted various literatures, such as that of Genesis (Benjamin 213). The story is minted around the relationship between the King and the closest companion for him, Enkidu. In order to distract the oppressive ruler from subjecting the citizens to suffering, the gods created Enkidu. He was considered equal to Gilgamesh. However, they both engage in very dangerous quests that get the gods angered and displeased. The very first expedition was their journey to the mountain of Cedar, with the intention of annihilating Humbaba. Humbaba was the monstrous guardian of the mountain. They later on conspire and kill the Bull of Heaven sent by Ishtar, the goddess to punish the king for rebuffing her advances. Towards the end of the epic, the central focal point is the distress that Gilgamesh has due to the death of Enkidu. The kings reaction takes the form struggling to get immortal. In his attempts to learn the clandestine of the eternal life, the king sets out on a hazardous and long journey in order to meet the flood hero, Utnapishtim; which was considered immortal. The distressing words that are uttered to the king in the process of undertaking his quest highlight, though bleakly, the result, foreshadowing: “The life that you are seeking you will never find. When the gods created man, they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their keeping.” However, the king was widely celebrated because of his achievements, besides bringing back the cultic knowledge that had long been lost, through his meeting with Utnapishtim. Principal characters in the story Gilgamesh A king, he is the main character, who is regarded as selfish, proud and cocky. He is considered to be half man and half beast. He is involved in various expeditions in accompaniment of his friend Enkidu. However, all their expeditions only served his will. He, however, changes his character and becomes a reasonable personality. He forcibly takes a daughter of his warrior, who is betrothed to a young mad to bed. Enkidu Enkidu was a very primitive man, rather referred to as a wild beast, who marked his arrival through the uprooting of traps set for animals. The trapper reports the incidence to the king, who in turn organizes with a prostitute to lure Enkidu. The prostitute managed to acquire her confidence and eventually convinced into going with her to Uruk. The central plan was, however, to get him distracted by keeping him far away from Uruk. The prostitute takes the gullible Enkidu to a shepherd’s camp. There she introduced him to the human diet, and he was given a job as the watchman of the night. He was symbolical of the non-civilized, natural world. As a punishment of the troubles, he and Gilgamesh cause, he faces a far too much early death (Benjamin 217). Companions While at the camp, Enkidu learned of the continued terror reign of Gilgamesh at Uruk, prompting him to leave the field to go and attack the king. This led to a brutal battle between the two, however, none of the two won. From the battle, Enkidu managed to recognize how superior the strength that Gilgamesh had was. They settled on being companions, a deviation from the initial duty for which he was created. Under the influence of Gilgamesh, the two set out on an adventure aimed at seeking fortune and fame. The primary goal of the king was to defeat the lesser gods residing outside Uruk. Even though the elders, as well as Enkidu, warned the king against the trip, he would not hearken to their advice. Humbaba In their adventure, they made it to the Cedar Forest, where they encountered the god named Humbaba. Humbaba, the ogre that guarded the forest, had, however, been warned of the reproach by the two in the form of a dream. Though he had prepared for the battle and attacked, the duo was aided by Shamash, goddess mother of Gilgamesh, who helped them capture Humbaba. In the end, the king killed him and cut down too much cedar trees for use in the gates of the temple of Enlil. Though a monster, he does not display so complicated traits. The description given to him was that he had seven layers of mystical armor (Gallery, 10). Shamash She was the Sun-god who was closest to Gilgamesh; the one Gilgamesh regularly consulted. She constantly hanged around the two to help them. Utnapishtim He was the only human that was given immortality. In his search for immortality, the king roams out of Uruk to see him. Because only his family was faithful to the gods, Utanpishtim, and his wife was granted immortality. Hoping to find a solution to his worries, the king sought him. However, he left empty-handed. Urshanabi Ishtar As the goddess of love and water, she has a tiny yet devastating role in the epic. She gets into a clash with the duo when she lets loose all fire and brimstone. Siduri She is a personality that refuses altogether to advise Gilgamesh and is portrayed as the one who runs a bar in hell. The other characters that are, however, not very instrumental in the epic are Shamhat, Anu, Ea, Aruru, Trapper, Antum, Ninsun and the Trapper’s wife. Themes outlined in the epic Death comes out as the most prominent theme in the story. In the second tablet, when Enkidu tries to talk the king out of attacking Humbaba, the king replies, “ We all die anyway.. .” Instead, the two kill Humbaba with the aid of Ishtar. In the seventh tablet, the king is so scared by the death of Enkidu to a point whereby he sets out to seek immortality. Besides a better half of the poem bases on the king’s expedition to see Utanapishtim, who is considered the only immortal. When Gilgamesh successfully gets to Utanapishtim, though there is not a very relevant information he gets with regards to what he was seeking, Utanapishtim continually blabs about the flood that led to mass deaths. He was the sole survivor (Gallery 12). At the core of the epic lie the story of the tight friendship that developed between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. In the beginning, the king is presented as a very unfriendly personality. However, with the coming of Enkidu, he changes and becomes very friendly. The very first encounter between the two, however, is a fight, after which they become magnificent friends. Out of the love that Enkidu has for Gilgamesh as a friend, he tries to stop the king when he sets off to fight Humbaba. He thinks that it is too dangerous and fears for his friend. At the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is so aggrieved, though this was also based on his fear of facing the same someday. Man vs. the natural world In the ancient Mesopotamia, the tussle between man and the wild was a very prominent occurrence. In the poem, the difference between the humans and natures is very evident in the very early stages. For instance, the coming of Enkidu, who was considered equal-but-separate from Gilgamesh. There exists a very profound contrast between the two; whereas Gilgamesh is civilized, Enkidu is a representation of the wild natural world that he originates. In Tablet 1, the differences in the ways of life in the two worlds are outlined. The question that remains is the world that the poem portrays as being better. In reading the poem, one is likely to take sides, and thoroughly analyze the differences that may exist between the two worlds. This could be in terms of advantages and disadvantages. For instance, when the king arrives at the underside to see Utanapishtim, he notices that the trees on the underside bear precious stones rather than fruits. Wisdom and knowledge In the ancient Mesopotamia, the people who were considered wise had the advantage of garnering all the fear and reverence they expected. The tale is closely related to the same. However, upon reading a bit into the poem, one may easily conclude that the Sumerians either did not know too much or that the king was in for surprises. Indeed, it was expected that he would perish due to his lack of wisdom. The question that the audience then remain asking themselves, who the wisest person in the tale was. Towards the end of the poem, the king sets out in search of wisdom on how to become immortal. However, does he want only to get the solution to being immortal, or does he want also to get to know what happens once a person dies? Theme of fear The epic is so full of things that any mortal would be afraid of. The poem unfolds so many scary scenes, one after the other right from the Scorpion dudes. The second part of the poem is based on the most dreary thing in the universe; death. Here, we find Gilgamesh trying to uncover secrets about death, and the possible ways of being immune to it. When the two attack Humbaba, Enkidu urges Gilgamesh to be the one to blow the final beat to him. This could be perceived as out of fear of the god that appointed Humbaba, Enlil. In the beginning, the king claims to be unafraid of death (Tablet 2), however, as the story unfolds, he eventually remains as the only one seeking ways to evade death (Tablet 8-11). Theme of pride In most cases, the heroes of the old Sumerians were often portrayed as lacking in humility. At the beginning of the epic, Gilgamesh is described as unwavering and excessively proud. Indeed, he believes that he has the ability of doing everything. Even towards the end of the epic, the king is convinced that he could avoid death; the reason he goes seeking ways of becoming immortal. In their hero stories, the Sumerians often depicted pride as the main cause of the downfall of the great ones. Does the king also fall due to his pride? Works cited Foster, Benjamin R. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.2001. Print. Kovacs, Maureen Gallery. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California .1989. Print Read More

The trapper reports the incidence to the king, who in turn organizes with a prostitute to lure Enkidu. The prostitute managed to acquire her confidence and eventually convinced into going with her to Uruk. The central plan was, however, to get him distracted by keeping him far away from Uruk. The prostitute takes the gullible Enkidu to a shepherd’s camp. There she introduced him to the human diet, and he was given a job as the watchman of the night. He was symbolical of the non-civilized, natural world.

As a punishment of the troubles, he and Gilgamesh cause, he faces a far too much early death (Benjamin 217). Companions While at the camp, Enkidu learned of the continued terror reign of Gilgamesh at Uruk, prompting him to leave the field to go and attack the king. This led to a brutal battle between the two, however, none of the two won. From the battle, Enkidu managed to recognize how superior the strength that Gilgamesh had was. They settled on being companions, a deviation from the initial duty for which he was created.

Under the influence of Gilgamesh, the two set out on an adventure aimed at seeking fortune and fame. The primary goal of the king was to defeat the lesser gods residing outside Uruk. Even though the elders, as well as Enkidu, warned the king against the trip, he would not hearken to their advice. Humbaba In their adventure, they made it to the Cedar Forest, where they encountered the god named Humbaba. Humbaba, the ogre that guarded the forest, had, however, been warned of the reproach by the two in the form of a dream.

Though he had prepared for the battle and attacked, the duo was aided by Shamash, goddess mother of Gilgamesh, who helped them capture Humbaba. In the end, the king killed him and cut down too much cedar trees for use in the gates of the temple of Enlil. Though a monster, he does not display so complicated traits. The description given to him was that he had seven layers of mystical armor (Gallery, 10). Shamash She was the Sun-god who was closest to Gilgamesh; the one Gilgamesh regularly consulted.

She constantly hanged around the two to help them. Utnapishtim He was the only human that was given immortality. In his search for immortality, the king roams out of Uruk to see him. Because only his family was faithful to the gods, Utanpishtim, and his wife was granted immortality. Hoping to find a solution to his worries, the king sought him. However, he left empty-handed. Urshanabi Ishtar As the goddess of love and water, she has a tiny yet devastating role in the epic. She gets into a clash with the duo when she lets loose all fire and brimstone.

Siduri She is a personality that refuses altogether to advise Gilgamesh and is portrayed as the one who runs a bar in hell. The other characters that are, however, not very instrumental in the epic are Shamhat, Anu, Ea, Aruru, Trapper, Antum, Ninsun and the Trapper’s wife. Themes outlined in the epic Death comes out as the most prominent theme in the story. In the second tablet, when Enkidu tries to talk the king out of attacking Humbaba, the king replies, “ We all die anyway.. .” Instead, the two kill Humbaba with the aid of Ishtar.

In the seventh tablet, the king is so scared by the death of Enkidu to a point whereby he sets out to seek immortality. Besides a better half of the poem bases on the king’s expedition to see Utanapishtim, who is considered the only immortal. When Gilgamesh successfully gets to Utanapishtim, though there is not a very relevant information he gets with regards to what he was seeking, Utanapishtim continually blabs about the flood that led to mass deaths. He was the sole survivor (Gallery 12).

At the core of the epic lie the story of the tight friendship that developed between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. In the beginning, the king is presented as a very unfriendly personality. However, with the coming of Enkidu, he changes and becomes very friendly. The very first encounter between the two, however, is a fight, after which they become magnificent friends.

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