Shadow Of Death In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” (Mark Twain). This quote from the famous American writer is the basis for what became one of the hardest ideas to comprehend, death. Death has always been a complex term, causing one to struggle with what the true definition is. It is also hard to wrap your mind around what does it truly mean to die. These are the questions we long for the answer. Whether we acknowledge it or not, death has always been feared by many. Death remains an impossible question, one that has been unexplained since beginning of time. Even though dying is a natural, we as a human race still fear it. What can be done to defeat this never-ending battle? According to Montaigne’s “To Philosophize is to Learn to Die” and Cory Taylor’s “Questions for Me About Dying” we can overcome this by living to the fullest, living with no regrets, living a legacy, and lastly not fearing the inevitable. If you want to conquer the question of life, live in the moment.

Death is the most inevitable and unknown aspect of life. It is unescapable, and by most of today’s population, it is feared in the utmost regard. Our materialistic views and constant desertion of religious ideals has forced our society to view death as an ultimate end. Socrates and St. Augustine’s views on death differ from many views on the subject in 2017, however, for their time, these men had the power to influence a plethora of individuals with their theories. For Socrates, death should never be feared and should be considered a blessing if our souls were to ascend to heaven, or death could be an extensive slumber without any dreaming whatsoever. With

In this poem, one is able to learn that, all human beings are destined to die. As much as we might strongly desire to live forever, the inevitable truth is that, death in inevitable and all will die. Gilgamesh thought, because he was half man and half god that he is immortal, but to his surprise, only gods are immortal, but all human beings are destined to die someday. If human beings were given a choice to become immortal, everyone would go for it, just as Gilgamesh feared death and wished that he were immortal. Gilgamesh embarked on a journey in search for eternal life, only to come back facing the truth that he will never have eternal life. Siduri tells him that, “You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man, they allotted him death, but life they

The epic gives insight to the ways in which ancient Mesopotamians valued life. This becomes most obvious when Enkidu reveals to Gilgamesh his nightmare of the dark and enslaving afterlife as he is dying (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 2). This leaves Gilgamesh with extreme terror of death which provokes his desperate attempts to escape it. Giving death fearful and dark characteristics communicates that the afterlife is a harrowing experience and life is the individual’s harmonious experience. This serves to establish that ancient Mesopotamians sensed that life was something to be cherished and conceived of in a positive light. In addition, Mesopotamian life views are also illustrated when Gilgamesh must accept that he will not receive his requests for immortality from the gods (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 2). This suggests Mesopotamian society believed wise men should be grateful for their destiny and that he or she should not reach beyond what they are given. In doing so, this

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s pursuit for immortality is marked by ignorance and selfish desire. Desire and ignorance, as The Buddha-karita of Asvaghosha suggests, pollutes man’s judgment resulting in his inability to break the cycle of birth and death. At the core of Gilgamesh’s desire resides his inability to accept the inevitability of death, making his rationality behind the pursuit of immortality ignorant and selfish. Implicitly, Gilgamesh’s corrupt desire for immortality conveys that Gilgamesh does not mature as a character.

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,

“You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted him death, but life they retained in their own keeping,” Siduri talking to Gilgamesh. (Gilgamesh 4). The epic of Gilgamesh has an abundance of parallels to the trial and tribulations of any human life. Gilgamesh’s story is humanities story of life, death, and realization. The awaking of Gilgamesh from a childish and secure reality connects my own life experiences to the epic tale.

By biological logic, we human beings will face death sooner or later in our life and death has its very own ways to approach us - a sudden deadly strike, a critical sickness, a tragic accident, a prolonged endurance of brutal treatment, or just an aging biological end. To deal with the prospect of death come different passive or active reactions; some may be scared and anxious to see death, some try to run away from it, and some by their own choice make death come faster. But Viktor Frankl, through his work Man’s Search for Meaning, and Bryan Doyle; in his essay “His Last Game” show us choices to confront the death, bring it to our deepest feelings, meaningful satisfaction. To me, the spirit of the prisoners at deadly concentration camps, Frankl’s Logotherapy theory of “. . . striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.” (99), as well as the calmness of Doyle’s brother on his last ride, like an awaken bell, remind us of how precious life is, how we should find the significance in every act of living, determine to live a meaningful life at any circumstances; hence, when death comes, we can accept it without anxiety nor regrets.

When faced with the inevitable fate of death, the reaction of the population is very different because of their relation to life. Some men did not stop for death; they “hurried to and from” grinding their teeth in anger, which indicated their frustration in their inability to change the inevitable. Some “hid their eyes and wept” because of their unwillingness to accept the end while others rested “Their chins upon their clinched hands.” The latter watched their world fall apart bravely and smiled at their fate.

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.

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.

Death is an inevitable fate for all living beings. It’s an aspect of life that can be hard to deal with, and the ability to overcome the fear of this unavoidable event can be difficult when it comes to knowing the reality of your fate in an

Death is one of the world's greatest mysteries. Human's have always asked "what happens next?", and have subsequently tried to explain it. Countless answers have emerged, and as a consequence, some people now fear death. In the Apology, Socrates points out the folly of fearing death (29 a). While death may be the end of the life we know, we should not fear it.

Death cannot be explained, yet it can be viewed as tragic. In Plato’s ‘Apology’ of Socrates, Socrates examines the idea of the fear of the unknown, and questions why fear is associated with dying. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh promises himself he will not have the same fate, and questions why it would ever be right for him to “…not lie down like him, and never get up, forever and ever?” (Foster 142) Socrates challenges the preconceived thoughts about death and the process of dying by reminding the jury who have just sentenced him to their most terrible punishment of death that, “No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it was if they knew that it is the greatest of all evils.”

Gilgamesh, at the beginning of the story, is presented as uneasy as the gods of heaven state to Anu “Day and night he rampages freely” (I.75) and “He is harrying the young men of Uruk beyond reason” (I.73). His restless attitude towards his citizens could be explained by his immoral attitude towards life. Rather than remembering that he is two thirds divine, and not invisible, he seems to forget this because no man or king is parallel to his strength and power. He changes when he finally meets his counterpart, Enkidu, and seems to open up to the acceptance of mortality when he gives Enkidu advice stating “People often die before their time” (VII. 45). Gilgamesh’s advice can be interpreted as the point where he finally accepts his mortality and starts to realize the value of life when Enkidu dies, as this is his first experience of the loss of a loved one.