Fate Vs Fate Essay

One of the most fascinating pieces of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, deals with and explores many of the problems humans have wrestled with for thousands of years. Even though the text does not explicitly answer any of the questions it poses, it gives clues that point to the answers. One of these questions, the dilemma of whether to act based solely on a person’s intuition or act based on reason and advice, occurs regularly in the text. Throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh, characters have success and failure when they act based on either their intuition or using reason, but the epic clearly points out, through examples, that acting based on reason instead of intuition constitutes more success in all facets of life.

Because of his pride, he does not listen, which is one of his biggest flaws in the story. Furthermore, you can see Gilgamesh’s perseverance when he finds out that the outcome of his journey is not favorable, but he still continues to go after praying to Shamash (26). This shows that he would always continue with what he started and that he was not one to give up on what he says he is going to do. His loyalty to his friend, Enkidu, is also very obvious, especially after Enkidu passed away, when Gilgamesh “Slaughtered fatted [cattle] and sheep, heaped them high for his friend” (62). This shows that Gilgamesh really enjoyed and appreciated Enkidu as a friend, and even after his death, he did everything possible to make sure that he was recognized and respected. But, after his death, Gilgamesh still showed his flaw of being self-righteous because he felt that he deserved eternal life because he was part god. For instance, he stated, “Enkidu, my friend whom I loved, is turned into clay! Shall I too not lie down like him, and never get up forever and ever?” (78). The idea of death really hit him after Enkidu because he realized that death is inevitable, no matter how prideful you are or how much you achieve, it is still going to happen. Gilgamesh definitely had too many heroic qualities that were

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

When faced with mortality, in the Sumerian tale of Gilgamesh, the hero Gilgamesh displays juxtaposing side of himself between being uplifting and somber. Early in the tale, Gilgamesh appears optimistic when counseling Enkidu of Enkidu’s fleeting strength. Gilgamesh tells Enkidu that he will feel better after defeating the great giant Humbaba. It appears that Gilgamesh values the legends that will be left by such a great defeat, and hopes to spread this wisdom to Enkidu. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh realizes his own impermanence and becomes quite woeful. Gilgamesh travels in search of the immortal Utanapishtim, desperate to learn the way to achieve immortality. In order to accept his fate, Gilgamesh must be subdued enough to propel

Arguments concerning the influence of Fate over Free Will, and vice versa, are not unique to our post-Enlighten mindset. Some of the greatest thinkers of all time, such as Aristotle or Plato, dealt directly with this issue in their numerous commentaries that we still look at today. Even within our Bibles we see Fate and Free Will actively playing roles within the famed stories and lives included in both the Old and New Testament. It’s not surprising, then, when we see similar themes relating to these concepts come up within fictional or mythical works originating from the same period. One of the works that these issues are most evident within is Homer’s famed poem, The Odyssey. All throughout the play, you see the characters at the mercy

Eventually, Gilgamesh throughout his journey arrives to the conclusion, that as a man and a mortal, he will in fact, die someday. The one compromise he can make with this realization is the possibility of leaving a legacy of himself that mankind in the future can use to honor him with. While humankind will continue with Gilgamesh or not, it is his legacy that can leave a lasting impression of himself in the world. And in the end, he does this and “has given unexampled supremacy over the people”

One of the central explanations as to why The Epic of Gilgamesh is so prevalent and has made such a lasting impression is because it offers a vision into the worries of humans thousands of years ago, which have managed to remain pertinent to the present day. A few of the trepidations uncovered in the epic that are still applicable include: the anxiety and distresses mankind has in relation to mortality, tremendous longings to be immortal, and the influence a single relationship has on an individual's existence. It does not take an abundant deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for one to trace these themes within the text, and even less examination to relate to them. Prior to losing Enkidu, Gilgamesh had never considered the topic of death, but when Enkidu

In this epic, we are told the story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his attempt to uncover that which all men seek, immortality. At the beginning of the poem, we observe a selfish king who raped and oppressed his citizens for pure enjoyment. At the end of the story, we’re not exactly told whether or not Gilgamesh exhibited a sudden change in character. Although Gilgamesh never achieved immortality throughout his voyage, he certainly developed a sense of pride in his position as the king of Uruk as seen in the final portion of the text in tablet XI. Gilgamesh recognized that no man could live forever, and although immortality were impossible, he understood that perhaps the closest thing to immortality was being remembered for what you accomplished while living. In the end, I believe that Gilgamesh has exhibited very little change in character, for when you examine his paradigm on life at the beginning, where he believed that one should accomplish as many grand and spectacular deeds in life in order to be remembered in death, and cross examine it with his outlook on life at the end, you’ll find the two to be exactly

Now he is scared and isn’t certain of that anymore. When Gilgamesh leave his kingdom to go on a quest for immortality “he is looking for something that is impossible to find. His quest is like the mind’s search for control, order, and meaning in a world where everything is constantly disintegrating. The quest proves the futility of the quest. There is no way to overcome death; there is no way to control reality” (Mitchell 63). Gilgamesh trip to find immortality at the end of the world will leave him much wiser. He will realize that even though he doesn’t have Enkidu at his side anymore and could not obtain physical immortality he still obtained immortality because he has his city of Uruk, so his name will live forever. Gilgamesh says these lines to close the

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the idea of life and death and the mortality of all living things looms menacingly overhead for a majority of the collection of literature. As the main premise of the work, we as readers can assume that the concept of mortality played an important role in the ancient mesopotamian society. In a similar work written nearly two thousand years later, Homer’s Iliad also focuses on the mortality of man. Homer’s Iliad provides a view into how the ancient Greeks viewed the issue of life and death in their own society. By looking at both Homer’s collection and the Epic of Gilgamesh, we can see how these two societies as a whole compare in terms of their views on life based on the regions they lived and the hundreds of years between the writing of these collections.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, perhaps the most important literary piece of Mesopotamia, displays a world in which even the mightiest of human beings possessed little freedom to control their own fate due to an insurmountable environment. The Epic of Gilgamesh’s plot centers on Gilgamesh’s unavailing struggle to find eternal life. Naturally, he comes close but ultimately fails. A key aspect of Gilgamesh’s endeavor is his quest for wood in a cedar forest guarded

The first half of Gilgamesh’s story does not exactly delve into the main theme of death but help sets up the situation that the latter half uses to expand upon. The story of Gilgamesh starts out explaining the might and power of this king. Proclaiming Gilgamesh’s demi- god status as a “perfect” being the gods created by imbuing him with mighty strength and powers. One would assume him to be above mortal limits being two parts god and one part man. Therein lies the problem, since one third of him is human, he is affected by the all-encompassing factor humankind faces, which is death. At first Gilgamesh knows he is not meant to live forever but his name will live on though the stories his people pass down. As a king, he is privileged to this certain life legacy. Gilgamesh is, at first, content with letting his name be remembered, far after he has passed on. This is a form of memorial immortality is one that few are able to achieve, he knows this and takes it in with honor. In order to make

Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian hero, featured in the famous tale of “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, who embarks on a perilous quest for immortality. This idea, “…touches on the most fundamental questions of what it actually means to be human…” (Homer 33), and gives us light into the minds of the people during the era. Gilgamesh’s tale gives us a glimpse at how the people of that day viewed a “hero”, and allows us to reflect upon what we consider a “hero” today. Using the Epic Hero Cycle, I will analyze Gilgamesh’s life and journey and analyze why I feel that he is truly a hero.

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

The qualities that enable Gilgamesh success is bravery, superhuman strength, and honor. Throughout the story, Gilgamesh exhibits the skills of being a warrior and leader. In the prolog the gods created Gilgamesh as perfection, “Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others” (Sandars 61). Also, it is said that Gilgamesh is, “one-third human and two-thirds God.” He is perceived as more than a man with unlimited powers. During the forest journey he has proven to become very courageous Gilgamesh said, “only the gods live forever …, but as for us men, our days are numbered, our occupations are a breath of wind” (71). Gilgamesh is describing that he wants to die with honor because the journey isn’t easy, it definitely takes a lot of courage for a man to get what he wants. Gilgamesh is also risking everything he got. During the defeat of Humbaba Gilgamesh reveals that you have to be brave and throw away fear (81). Yet, it all turn around when his good friend Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh has shown a lot of emotions since