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The Gilgamesh Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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The Epic of Gilgamesh consist of narratives in tablets that effectively forwards the ideology of kingship in Mesopotamia through a compilation of themes. Gilgamesh outward appearance was magnificent, but inwardly he was a relentless tyrannical king. The epic makes it clear that he was beautiful, strong, and wise collectively these facts intertwine with him being one-third god and two-third human. Oddly, Gilgamesh never effectively utilized his assets for the betterment of his people; rather he used it for his own wishes. Despite, his abusive kingship, there was always an overarching restorer of balance overtly seen through the themes of love, immortality, religion, gods’ wrath, and womanly intervention. Ultimately, kings in Mesopotamia had absolute power, but once it was abused, the gods intervened to restore order. The narratives, tablet by tablet, served to critique the perception of kingship. King Gilgamesh, ruler of Uruk, was as petrifying as one could imagine; in modern terms he would be labeled a terrorist. Yes, in some respects he fulfilled his role as king; he built the great infrastructure of Uruk for his citizens, but that in it of itself was not sufficient because his evils overweighed his good doings. He exploited women for sexual gratification, he killed sons, he sacrificed warriors, and he essentially did what he wanted when he wanted with absolutely no consideration of the people he reigned over. The citizens were helpless, they sought refuge to a source
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