Immortality In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

If Gilgamesh was not so hubristic as to want to “stamp [his] fame on men’s minds forever” (94) by winning in battle against Humbaba, Enkidu would have lived. His death ravages Gilgamesh, who sets his sights on achieving immortality so that he may never experience the very human fate to which his soulmate fell victim. Gilgamesh devotes years of his life to seeking immortality, but his quest ends in vain. The damage that Gilgamesh’s hubris caused is apparent; he experienced awful heartbreak and sacrificed many years of his mortal life in an attempt to preserve it. However, Gilgamesh’s story ends with an interesting conclusion: instead of suffering for the rest of his days due to his tragic flaw, Gilgamesh is able to accept that “[t]here is no way to overcome death” (63) and

Though described as strong, wise, and handsome, Gilgamesh was brutish, causing his subjects to become weary from his maltreatment. After his subjects began looking towards the gods for aid, the gods create Enkidu, a wild savage, who then waged in a battle with Gilgamesh. After the feud, Gilgamesh and Enkidu become close friends and embark on many heroic adventures together. However, after rejecting an invitation from the goddess Ishtar, she sent the Bull of Heaven to slay Gilgamesh. As a result, the two friends kill the bull, but as punishment, the Gods decide that Enkidu must die for his partaking. Upon the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh recognizes his mortality and goes in search for the secret to eternal life. Gilgamesh eventually discovers the secret plant of immortality, with the aid of a boatman, but it is later stolen from him by a snake before he is able to utilize

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s oldest existing stories that were collected in Mesopotamia. It is a story about a heroic king named Gilgamesh, who treated his people in a nasty way. He was a domineering, and cruel leader, feared by many because of his unnatural strength. He forced his people into labor in order to expand his kingdom. The people cried unto the gods and they created Gilgamesh’s equal Enkidu, who they later became friends. Gilgamesh witnessed the death of his close friend Enkidu, and this made him to search for immortality because, he was afraid to die. However, he learnt that, no human was immortal, and that he was destined to die, just like his friend Enkidu.

The two immediately become companions because Gilgamesh finally finds his match. They set off on an adventure to destroy the cedar forest and its guardian, Humbaba, all to be forever remembered. Gilgamesh appears to be improving his ways and not exasperating his people. However, Gilgamesh then takes his journey to be remembered one step too far and kills the bull of heaven. This infuriates the gods so greatly that they decide that one out of Gilgamesh and Enkidu must pay for their actions. The gods therefore bestow a deadly illness upon Enkidu, which brings about his death. Enkidu’s death devastates Gilgamesh, for he not only loses his best friend, but also comes to the realization that he soon too will die. Not only does Gilgamesh lose his best friend, but he also comes to the realization that he will also die some day. Thus, Gilgamesh decides to seek out immortality so he will not have to endure death.

When his best friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is deeply saddened and is terrified by the thought of how he will die. Putting off every worldly possession that he once cherished, Gilgamesh journeys to learn the secret of eternal life. After the long, arduous trek, which included a nearly impossible test by the only man who was ever granted immortality by the gods, he finds instead the wisdom needed to strike harmony with his divine and mortal attributes. After realizing his proper place in the world,

The hero Gilgamesh cannot resign himself to die now that this awareness was brought forward by the death of his best friend Enkidu and he searches for everlasting life. In this segment, there is an attempt to portray the tragic hero, the once invincible, arrogant and intimidating Gilgamesh is now on the path of "enlightenment" where he experiences sorrow and endures the physical exhausting search. Here it can be seen that a little humility is yielded in exchange for Gilgamesh understanding kindness, manifested by retrieving the secret plant that restores youth and preserving it for the elders of Uruk instead of taking care of himself first.

Together, the two undertake dangerous quests which displeasured the gods. They went out to fight obstacles to save the world. In their journey to the Cedar Mountain, they killed the Bull of heaven that the goddess Ishtar had created to punish Gilgamesh for snubbing her advances. Enkidu later on dies, and this affects Gilgamesh so much. Enkidu died of punishment for challenging one of the gods. Gilgamesh feared death especially after his close companion’s death, and this led him to embark on a quest for immortality. He was very bitter that only gods can live forever without dying, and he was terrified of death and wanted eternal life. In the end, Gilgamesh in his epic learns that, death is inevitable, and an inescapable fact in human life. The story has a number of themes like the inevitability of death, and immortality is unachievable.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh has to go through a series of hardship to obtain immortality. Gilgamesh’s determination to find immortality is impacted by the death of his best companion, Enkidu. At the end of Gilgamesh’s quest, he learns the destined fate of mortals (which is...?). Gilgamesh’s character development is shown throughout the story; he changes from an invincible, fearless king to a king who has accept his mortality and sees his own limitations. Although the quest of Gilgamesh seems to focus on gaining immortality, it works as a bridge to help Gilgamesh accept his mortality and to understand that immortality is not achieved by the length of life, but by the stories that’s pass on.

Post 2 I agree with you in the fact that Gilgamesh becomes a better person after the fight with Enkidu. As he discovers friendship, he becomes more concerned of others. Gilgamesh also learns that by working as a team, with Enkidu, they become invincible. As any member of a team, his relationship with his team member is so close that he even shares his

Filled with grief, Gilgamesh mourns his friend for seven days. When the death of Enkidu really hits Gilgamesh, he seeks out immortality. Gilgamesh seeks out Utanaphishtim to learn the secret to immortality. Gilgamesh missed out on his chance for immortality and returns to Uruk a changed man. Without immortality, Gilgamesh is humbled.

After seeing his friend died, Gilgamesh was not confident of his immortal life. He found himself being scared of dying. The death of Enkidu drove him to search for the power of immortal life and this took him on a long journey. Gilgamesh’s journey was not like a normal journey. In his

Even though it was very evident that Gilgamesh was connected to the supernatural through Humbaba, he did not further his spiritual journey. His fights with Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven delay Gilgamesh’s journey to becoming a great king. This journey begins upon the death of his closest companion, Enkidu. The slaying of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven are only distractions for Gilgamesh. These two fights side tract him from becoming a great king. The death of his friend at the hands of the Gods makes Gilgamesh realize the value of life. He then searches for the key to eternal life; to escape the fate that his friend met. He tries multiple times to obtain his goal but is defeated by all the tasks. He then returns home and begs the gods for a chance to see Enkidu

Since they both are equal and have power, gilgamesh saw an interest in his heart pertaining to

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.

Enkidu's death left Gilgamesh frightened and confused. The despair in his heart was so great that he could not rest; would he ever be at peace? He became terrified of his own death. Puzzled and searching for answers, Gilgamesh set out on a quest for Utnapishtim. It is on this great journey that Gilgamesh learns of a