Comparing Epic Of Gilgamesh And Ecclesiastes From The Hebrew Bible

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible are considered by their audiences’ as two of the greatest literary works of ancient literature. The universal truths on The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible, are most fundamental when viewed from both the contemporary and traditional audiences. Fundamentally, both audiences develop their own universal truths during the time in which the events transpired or by reading the scenic events from an anthology or other literary works.

In the ?Epic of Gilgamesh,? Gilgamesh deals with an issue that nearly destroyed him. He sought after immortality so much that he put his own life on the edge. Centuries later, this quest unites our high tech, fast paced culture with the remote and different culture of Gilgamesh. Humanity has yet to find the secret of letting go of the idea of everlasting life.

Through this theme, Gilgamesh experienced first-hand just how real his own death would be, even as a king and holding the favor of the gods. It was not until Enkidu dies that he seriously contemplates how he should cope with his own. When he finds Utnapishtim, who “entered the assembly of the gods” and achieved immortality, Gilgamesh anticipates the answer to his complicated search (24;118-121). Instead, Utnapishtim tells him something that he doesn't want to hear; that questing for immortality is pointless, because “When the judges come together, and Mammetun the mother of destinies, together that decree the fates of men. Life and death they allot but do not disclose” (24;130-133). This quote essentially means that creation itself also contains the promise of death, making it inevitable. After failing his last chance to a

The first work, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh goes on numerous journeys. I will focusing on his last journey, where he fears death and his own morality. Tablet XI begins as Gilgamesh is going to find Utanapishtim, one who seemingly lives forever. Utanapishtim lived through a flood that covered the world. Upon finishing this story Utanapishtim told Gilgamesh “‘Now then, who will convene the gods on your behalf, that you may find the life that you are seeking? Wait! You must not lie down for six days and seven nights.’ As soon as he sat down (with his head) between his leg sleep, like a fog, blew upon him. Utanapishtim said to his wife: ‘ Look here! The man, the youth who wanted (eternal) life! Sleep, like a fog blew over him’” (104). This passage is shows how human life is not made to be immortal. In addition Gilgamesh’s journey to find immortality demonstrates how when people are younger they tend to be focused on prolonging

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, after the hero’s friend dies, he sets out on a journey to gain immortality, the hero faces multiple challenges to find that he cannot gain everlasting life. Gilgamesh is tempted to gain immortality and to live forever, however he finds out he cannot reach his goal. In The Odyssey the hero is returning from a great war, after he gets struck by lightning sent by Zeus

This passage shows a similarity between the imagined world and our world through the idea of mortality vs. immortality. Gilgamesh recognizes that he will not live forever as he imagines the gods do, and believes that the acts of men are often forgotten as time passes. In order to become famous, he desires to have an accomplishment so great that legends will be told of him. By becoming a legend, Gilgamesh will, in a sense, live forever.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh the author is trying to teach us that nobody will live forever, but they can be known and remember forever. An example is when Gilgamesh said “For myself I have gained nothing; not 1, but the beast of the earth has joy of it now.” This is significant because it shows that after all he did he did not earn internal life and will eventually die. Gilgamesh new in this moment he wasn't going to live forever so he sat down and cried because he new he quest was over. The author put this part in the story because it shows how Gilgamesh new everything he had worked for was done. Another important example is at the end when the author says “ He went a long journey, was weary, worn out with labour, and returning engraved on a

Gilgamesh, stricken with grief and fear of death sets out on a quest to find a source of immortality for himself and his past dead friend. This shows that the society of the ancient Mesopotamian society feared death more than anything else because it was one thing out of anybody’s control. Peasants and kings alike, despite the amount of divinity in their blood, all die at some point. Gilgamesh himself soon comes to accept this himself when he realizes that immortality is ultimately out of his reach; expressing that the only thing that lives on in a person is their deeds and actions during their lifetime.

Since the dawning of civilization and in millennia hence, the human race recognizes its own demise. On the macro scale, the universe never permits a species to eternally reign. Just like the dinosaurs, so too will our meteor wipe us clean. As for the micro scale, the life each of us live and the air each of us breathe is fleeting. Big surprise. Even the humans of centuries distant understood the concept of mortality, but even now we yearn for everlasting life. From our fear of death and our instinct to survive, we strive for immortality. So far (to my knowledge) none of us have been successful. The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first pieces of epic literature, seeks to solve the problem of mortality. The poem suggests that one who struggles

The epic of Gilgamesh, written in cuneiform during the Uruk Dynasty, focuses on many binary themes which emphasize characters’ emotions and create dynamic plots. One of the major theme deals with death and the main character’s search for immortality. In the epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the priest-king of Uruk, explores the possibility of his immortality after losing his friend and brother, Enkidu. He had never lost someone so close to him whom he loved very much and that made him think about his own death. The death of his friend brings significant change in his perspective on life and he sets on a journey to look for his own immortality.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered a masterpiece because it showcased the best of the Mesopotamian Era. This selection starts off with the story of a flood, which parallels closely with the Great Flood of the Bible. I think that the people of the culture believed in some type of religion and this helps to show some insight into what they believed. In addition to their religious beliefs, this selection also showed that the culture had a fear of death. Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu died, which ignited the fire in Gilgamesh to find immortality because of his new found fear of death. He goes on a quest to find Utnapishtim, the only immortal human. When he arrives, Utnapishtim says he can have immortality if he can stay awake for six days and seven

One of the main topics touched in The Epic of Gilgamesh is immortality.

Through the many of mankind’s tales of adventure the search for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the objective of their travels and adventures. This is no different in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. The heroes in both are tempted by the offer of immortality, however each of them turns it down for their own reasons.

The Epic of Gilgamesh’s was written to teach that true immortality is acheived through everlasting works, not everlasting life. Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, came face-to-face with the inevitability of death when his friend Enkidu died: “Hear me, great ones of Uruk, / I weep for Enkidu, my friend, / Bitterly moaning like a woman mourning / I weep for my brother” (22). Gilgamesh was a mighty and powerful demigod who had never feared before this turning point in his life. Unable to accept this reality, Gilgamesh’s fear of the unknown led him to embark on a quest for eternal life. Gilgamesh eventually realized the futility of conquering death when he exclaimed, “O Urshanabi, was it for this that I toiled with my hands, is it for this I have wrung

Another characteristic of an epic fulfilled by The Epic of Gilgamesh, is that the hero of the story goes on a journey in search of immortality. This is seen in many epics of the ancient world (Kramer 8). After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh realizes that one day, he too will die. From the beginning of the story, it can be seen that Gilgamesh has an obsession with fame, reputation, and the revolt of mortal man against the law of separation and death (Wolff 694). Tablets IX, X, and XI are all dedicated to this journey for everlasting life. Hoping to learn the secret of immortality, Gilgamesh makes a long and difficult journey in search of Utnapishtim, the one human being who has obtained it. Although several people told him along the way that he would not succeed in gaining eternal life, he didn’t let that stop him. When he finally finds Utnapishtim, he tells him there is no way for Gilgamesh to have what he has. He also reveals to