The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay

Although I found the story of “Gilgamesh” to be somewhat strange it contained several familiar elements that are prevalent in many heroic tales from the past and present. One familiar element was what some people refer to as the “under-dog” factor. Gilgamesh and Enkidu embarked upon the most grueling and epic journey of their lives just to find the vicious giant named Humbaba. The way that Humbaba was described in the story made you feel like there is no way possible he can be defeated. This makes the audience want to side with the lesser opponents because you can relate

Two understand how the gods influenced our hero, Gilgamesh, one must first look at the various ways the gods meddled into his life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a tale of a half-mortal man whose quest to break his own boredom turns into a tale of friendship, immortality, and kingship. However, his tale would not have been able to happen if it was not for the influence of the various Sumerian deities. After the people of Uruk complained to the gods about Gilgamesh’s child-like behavior, the goddess Aruru creates the man that will become Gilgamesh’s closest friend, Enkidu. Enkidu was created as an equal to the king so that Gilgamesh would have a way to occupy his time. Unfortunately, after the two friends defeated the giant Humbaba, a terrible demon creature, the god Enlil becomes enraged, but despite Enlil’s best effort, he is unable to punish the two.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh the lines that are repeated at the beginning and end of the epic show that only immortality a human can gain lies in creating things that last beyond a person’s lifetime. While at the beginning of the epic Gilgamesh is seeking eternal life, when he concludes his journey he realizes that he has created an enduring legend through the foundation of his city, Uruk. Through this legend, Gilgamesh can live on in the memory of his people, long after he has passed away. The epic is able to convey this message multiple ways. The opening lines immediately introduce and impress upon the audience the importance of Gilgamesh, and the significance of his kingship. The epic continues on to describe the city of Uruk, with special consideration given to the walls surrounding Uruk. 3. Finally, the ending repetition of the lines shows that Gilgamesh has become aware of the legacy he has created in Uruk, and and accepts that in lieu of immortality. okay so these are the three? points you are talking about in your paper? make sure they match up with your paragraphs proving them and are not so vague

The short epic revolves around the namesake character Gilgamesh, who regularly acts impulsively using his intuition and instincts without heeding the advice and wisdom of others. The adventures and downfalls of Gilgamesh illustrate why using reason matters so much. Gilgamesh’s propensity for rashness can be seen early on in the epic when he meets Enkidu and immediately decides to go after the monster Humbaba. Once he decides to go, nothing can persuade him otherwise (Gilgamesh 109-110). Even when Enkidu, who lived in the area where the monster guards, tells Gilgamesh “The haunt of Humbaba is a hopeless quest (110),” Gilgamesh remains steadfast in completing his conquest of the monster. When the elders hear about their king’s plan they sternly tell him:

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

This explain that Enkidu is trying to point out how dangerous Humbaba is. Gilgamesh didn’t care how powerful Humbaba is because he believe that he could take anyone down, he didn’t care about Enkidu thoughts of Humbaba. “Gilgamesh opened his mouth to speak,/ say [to Enkidu:]/ why, my friend, do you speak like a weakling?/ with your spineless words you [make me] despondent.” (19). This shows that Gilgamesh is arrogant and immature, thinking he could defeat the monster himself without having any fear. Gilgamesh went back to the Uruk to make an announcement of battling Humbaba the vicious monster. Gilgamesh said, “I will conquer him in the Forest of Cedar:/ let the land learn Uruk’s offshoot is mighty!/ let me start out,/ I will cut down the Cedar./ I will establish for ever a name eternal!” (20). Next, Gilgamesh and Enkidu climbed up the hill into the forest to find Humbaba. They end up on the hillside to rest before the battle. Gilgamesh had his first dream, “[My friend, did you not call me? Why have I wakened ?]/ [Did you not touch me? Why am I startled ?]/ [Did a god not pass by? Why is my flesh frozen numb?]/ [My friend, I have had the first dream!]” (30). This symbolize fear, for the first time Gilgamesh experiencing the feeling of being afraid. Gilgamesh suddenly changed as he went onto a Journey to the Forest of Cedar. When Gilgamesh continue to see Humbaba knowing that he is

Gilgamesh was a very intelligent leader. He shows throughout the entire epic a sense of foresight that keeps him safe and his city powerful. It is known, that a good leader must prove that he is powerful, and that he can defend his people in the best way possible. Gilgamesh knew that by fighting the terrible beast Humbaba he would prove to his people that he was strong and powerful and could out wit even the strongest beast. He tells Enkidu that, “All glory will be ours if now we conquer this unprecedented foe and risk the woe that frightens others.” He also shows foresight by respecting his mother’s wisdom when she told him that Enkidu was his true friend. Additionally, throughout the entire epic Gilgamesh looks to his mother, “who is wise and worries not,” for advice and counseling on things to do and the right paths to take in his life. Looking to those who are wise and more intelligent, is

Everyone has qualities that are heroic and noble, and everyone has their flaws. No matter who they are, or how perfect others think they are, people still have some negative qualities that can hurt their heroic ones. In the book, The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Benjamin Foster, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu had positive and negative characteristics that affected the outcome of their journey and their adventures they experienced throughout their lives.

Gilgamesh struggled to establish moral principle. His personality at first was an arrogant, self-centered tyrant ; he was described by Enkidu "His teeth are dragon's fangs, his countenance is like a lion his charge is the rushing of the flood..." (pg. 16 line 3-6). But towards the end of this epic narrative Gilgamesh switched

As the epic starts, Gilgamesh is portrayed as a self-centered, self-admiring leader who believes that he is the only individual that can lead the city of Uruk. Gilgamesh believes that he is a god-like figure and often refers to himself as one. He believes that he is above everyone else in the city of Uruk. For example, in the epic there is a scene where Gilgamesh enters the city of Uruk, the epic describes the scene as; “He entered the city of Uruk-the-Town-Square, and a crowd gathered around. He came to a halt in the street of Uruk-the Town-Square, all gathered about, the people discussed him” (15). This quote is a good example of how Gilgamesh expected those around him to respect and look up to him as a god-like figure. He did not lead the city of Uruk humbly; he wasn’t a leader who strived to feel like a normal citizen of the city. Instead, Gilgamesh felt that he was entitled to more privileges than the average person. Early on in the epic, Gilgamesh is described as a “tall, magnificent and terrible, who opened passes in the mountains, who dug wells on the slopes of the uplands, and crosses the ocean, the wide sea to the sunrise” (2). This demonstrates how selfish Gilgamesh truly was, and how all

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu helps act as a catalyst for the transformation of Gilgamesh’s character from an undefeatable god-like brute into a complex thinker. In the eyes of Gilgamesh, he is unstoppable and is willing to challenge death itself so long as he is remembered as a hero by his subjects. With Enkidu’s help, Gilgamesh learns to become a better person as a ruler, not as a better warrior. Although not blood related, Enkidu was like a brother to Gilgamesh and the duo shared an inseparable bond. Throughout the epic, Enkidu teaches Gilgamesh that he is not unstoppable, being stubborn will not stop him from dying, and that there are no easy solutions to life.

After reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, I have come to realize that Gilgamesh is not a hero, but a failure. His journey does not follow the traditional circular hero’s journey and he does not posses the traits that an admirable hero should have.

The Epic of Gilgamesh has its place as one of the first examples of epic poetry in recorded history. The epic describes the adventures of the demigod-king Gilgamesh who, after the death of his close friend Enkidu, seeks immortality but is ultimately unsuccessful. This story arc is not dissimilar to those found in the epics of the ancient Greeks centuries later. This excerpt from The Epic of Gilgamesh clearly demonstrates Gilgamesh’s reckless lust for pride and fame at all costs.

Later, Enkidu is punished for killing the Bull of Heaven and Humababa, Enkidu suffers from illness and ends up dying. Enkidu’s death affected Gilgamesh a lot; Enkidu’s death marks a change in Gilgamesh life. Gilgamesh change from a harsh and a strong person into someone who has feelings and a loving heart. Gilgamesh keeps thinking that if Enkidu can die then he can die too and all that Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story depicts the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried “vainly to dissuade” (18) Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their voyage to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him.