The Epic of Gilgamesh paper
Analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh
In the Epic of Gilgamesh there are many themes, major characters, similarities to the old testament of the bible, and how they portray the life of Mesopotamian society. These are great importance to how early civilization had become and how we are affected by them today.
The themes that has presented itself in the story is of love, inevitable death, and the wrath of the gods. Love as a motivating force was apparent in the story early on. In the beginning of the story the gods had created Enkidu as a response to the people’s prayers for an equal for Gilgamesh. When Enkidu faced Gilgamesh they quarreled. Even though Gilgamesh won the fight he respected Enkidu. They both became the best of friends and they loved each other like brothers. It was also how Gilgamesh was overcome with grief and depression when Enkidu died. Erotic love also appears in the story too with two accounts in the story with one being successful and the other not. The prostitute of the temple seducing Enkidu ridded him of his animal instincts and gave him human consciousness. The other of Gilgamesh refusing the Ishtar’s advances, resulting in the death of Enkidu.
Inevitable death has always been a major themes of human culture and always will be. So it wasn’t surprising that such motif would be present in the Epic of Gilgamesh. After the death of Enkidu Gilgamesh realized that he too would die someday because he was still one-third human. He even searched for Utnapishtim so he may learn the secret to immortality. He manage to meet him after a long and tiresome journey. After such persistence Utnapishtim gave a way on how he could achieve it. By capturing a flower at the bottom of the ocean. And though Gilgamesh did get that flower it ended up being taken by the snake. After all that hard work Gilgamesh didn’t really cared about immortality after all. He learned that all people would die and gladly accepts his fate.
The actions of the gods and how they treat
In the Epic of Gilgamesh there are many themes, major characters, similarities to the old testament of the bible, and how they portray the life of Mesopotamian society. These are great importance to how early civilization had become and how we are affected by them today.
The themes that has presented itself in the story is of love, inevitable death, and the wrath of the gods. Love as a motivating force was apparent in the story early on. In the beginning of the story the gods had created Enkidu as a response to the people’s prayers for an equal for Gilgamesh. When Enkidu faced Gilgamesh they quarreled. Even though Gilgamesh won the fight he respected Enkidu. They both became the best of friends and they loved each other like brothers. It was also how Gilgamesh was overcome with grief and depression when Enkidu died. Erotic love also appears in the story too with two accounts in the story with one being successful and the other not. The prostitute of the temple seducing Enkidu ridded him of his animal instincts and gave him human consciousness. The other of Gilgamesh refusing the Ishtar’s advances, resulting in the death of Enkidu.
Inevitable death has always been a major themes of human culture and always will be. So it wasn’t surprising that such motif would be present in the Epic of Gilgamesh. After the death of Enkidu Gilgamesh realized that he too would die someday because he was still one-third human. He even searched for Utnapishtim so he may learn the secret to immortality. He manage to meet him after a long and tiresome journey. After such persistence Utnapishtim gave a way on how he could achieve it. By capturing a flower at the bottom of the ocean. And though Gilgamesh did get that flower it ended up being taken by the snake. After all that hard work Gilgamesh didn’t really cared about immortality after all. He learned that all people would die and gladly accepts his fate.
The actions of the gods and how they treat