Analysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an Epic poem coined from the ancient Mesopotamia, and it is regarded as one of the earliest surviving literary pieces. This poem is closely connected to history as it tries to explain to the audience on the origin of the people of Mesopotamia. The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu as well as the ways the two view each other forms very central aspects in this poem.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a very popular epic that is difficult to understand at first, which is why there is different translations of the same book. Although Foster and Sander’s translations have a lot of similar words and the stories are basically the same, there are also a lot of differences between the two. One of which is more straightforward and easier to understand, whereas the other is more of an in depth thoughtful read for the reader. Both translations differences have their own particular reasons for doing so, and add to the depiction of the story. I feel like the translation in the Anthology is a more complex read, whereas Sander’s translation is much easier to understand.

In the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, it is easy to conclude that Gilgamesh, the protagonist of the story, is the hero. In “Like Mayflies in a Stream”, Gilgamesh is merely a scary person who appears in the story here or there rather than being the protagonist. Instead, Shamhat is the main person that the story focuses on, but the book is imprecise on one hero of the entire story. There are numerous characters that could reflect hero aspects such as going on a quest, having another to help guide them, or facing trials. Personally, I believe that there is no true hero in this story due to the nature that Shamhat is a woman, who were represented badly during this time, and that Shauna Roberts did not want to misrepresent the epic due to extreme

(1) The black demon saw a beautiful woman and out of all the nobel women. He picked the one that was about the be married. He kidnapped her on her wedding night. It shows that the black demon does things impulsively. He does not care of the consequences. It shows that since he is a demon. He does not fear the consequences of men. When he saw her he could not longer live without her. When he kidnap her. He locked her in box showing that he does not trust the women he kidnap with other men. It also means he wants to keep her pure. She was kidnap on her wedding night so she did not have sex yet so the demon believed she was pure. The untainted virgin that has not been violated by men was his and his only. When he traveled he took her out of the box and wanted to sleep beside her. It shows when he his comfortable. He would sleep better beside her. The women was the demon's most prized possession. It is like comparing the women to a boy's secret toy. When a boy is around someone he would hide his secret toy from everyone. When the boy is alone he would take it and worship it. This meaning is similar to Metamorphoses when Apollo wanted Daphne. Even though she refused him. He impulsively try to rape her. She was turned into a tree, but he still tried to rape the tree. Another text with the similar meaning is in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Any women Gilgamesh desired he would take married or not. Since he was part god and king. He did not care of consequence like the demon.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest epic known to date. It is an old Babylonian tale first written down in Sumerian. The first known copy of the epic is dated to around 2100 to 2000 B.C.E. However, it is believed to have originated many years earlier passed along though oral story telling. The epic was used in Babylonian schools to teach literature to students (Puchner 36). In ancient times, the Epic of Gilgamesh was widely read from Mesopotamia to Syria to Levant and Anatolia. The epic was also translated into non-Mesopotamian languages such as Hittite (Puchner 34). The story we know today was expanded upon around 1200 B.C.E. by a Babylonian priest. “The eleven-tablet version may be said to have assumed its present form during the latter part of the second millennium”(Abusch 618). It was then written down again and stored in the library of an Assyrian king named Ashurbanipal (Ziolkowski 55-56). It was thanks to this act that

There once lived a king, the great king of Uruk in Mesopotamia. This great leader was Gilgamesh. His preserved epic is of great significance to modern day culture. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is a great love, followed by a lingering grief that cause a significant change in the character of Gilgamesh.

Justice is described as a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity. The people of ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia also believed and relied on this concept. Rulers, if not fair and just, were often eliminated by their subjects or their enemies. There were many great kings and pharaohs of the ancient age that were just to their kingdoms, and these often went down in history. Yet, those kings and pharaohs who were blinded by their own selfishness often became just as famous. Two men, Akhenaten of ancient Egypt and Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, were such rulers. They were powerful and cunning individuals, yet they let their own selfish nature ruin the ability to be a great

The story about Gilgamesh is one of the earliest pieces of world literature dating back to the second millennium B.C.E. This story has been evolved gradually over a long span of a millennium, and has been enjoyed by many nations. The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches life lessons that apply to the past and present while revolving around the question of what it means to be human, and to experience the phenomenon of friendship, love, and death.

The epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest primary document discovered in human history dating back to approximately 2,000 B.C.E. This document tells a story of an ancient King Gilgamesh, ruler of Sumer in 2,700 B.C.E. who is created gloriously by gods as one third man and two third god. In this epic, Gilgamesh begins his kingship as an audacious and immature ruler. Exhausted from complaints, the gods send a wild man named Enkidu to become civilized and assist Gilgamesh to mature into a righteous leader. However, Enkidus death causes Gilgamesh to realize his fear of immortality and search for an escape from death. On his journey, Gilgamesh learns that the gods will not grant his wish and that he must

Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.

Gilgamesh, I think is one of the earliest evidences to embody a certain existential idea in the work. Many scholars and reviewers have over the years pointed out many existential themes and elements that prevail throughout the story. Critics have openly suggested that Gilgamesh, Enkidu or other characters represent a type of existential figure. Throughout the text, I do agree there certainly exist an existential idea throughout the whole text. I do think the characters truly represent existential figures in the case of Sartre.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, a book written millenniums ago, is the story of a two-thirds god and one third man named Gilgamesh who is devoted to the self-improvement of full god. Even though Gilgamesh knows immortality is impossible he continues to seek the self- improvement eternal life because the god within him conflicts with his humanity.

The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the legend of King Gilgamesh of Uruk and his adventures with the feral human Enkidu. At the beginning Gilgamesh shares a lot of similarities to Egyptian Pharaohs. He’s worshiped by his people in a way that’s almost pious and holds himself up with a certain arrogance. The only difference with Gilgamesh is he is one part deity and two parts human. Over the coarse of the Epic we see Gilgamesh’s demeanor change to a more humble one. This change can be attributed to the trials and tribulation he endures with Enkidu as well as the influence of the female characters he encounters along his journey. Even though the female characters did not have much presence in the epic they were by far the most influential characters.

The very first lines of the epic focus on Gilgamesh and the impressiveness of his accomplishments. They stress the wisdom he attained, drawing attention to it right away with the repetition of what he learned;

The Epic is the name of the story and it was written by N.K. Sanders. It was first translated to English by R. Campbell Thompson in 1930. N.K. Sanders did an article of the story. Gilgamesh is about a half god and half human, who is the king of Uruk. He was very arrogant, which causes unhappiness for his people, meeting and befriending Enkidu, and their adventures together. Towards the ending this leads Gilgamesh to seek immortality. Gilgamesh learns that he can’t live forever,it is inevitable and unavoidable. He gradually comes to accept that he will one day die.