‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ – From Sumerian Tablets to Modern Insights

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Table of Contents

Roles of Women
Quest for Immortality
Reference

Firstly, Gilgamesh was the king of Uruk, the city of Mesopotamia, known for its beautiful walls around it. Moreover, he is described as a half-God, a crucial characteristic for the epic hero at that time. By stating that “Two-thirds they made him god and one-third man” (2), the author even enforced Gilgamesh’s heroic status (2014). However, as with every epic character, Gilgamesh’s heroicness should be proved through specific examples of situations where he demonstrated the special ability distinct from ordinary characters.

For instance, when describing Gilgamesh’s journey to the mountain Mashu, the author illustrated his persistence and tenacity through the scorpion’s attitude to the main character. More specifically, he stated that (23) “No man born of woman has done what you have asked, no mortal man has gone into the mountain; the length of it is twelve leagues of darkness; in it, there is no light, but the heart is oppressed with darkness” (Sandars et al., 2014). On the contrary, the main hero proved his braveness in front of the real-life danger by answering that (23) “Although I should go in sorrow and pain, with sighing and with weeping. Still, I must go” (Sandars et al., 2014). As a result, this concrete example illustrates that even though Gilgamesh is one-third a man, his major part of the soul was created by God’s power so that no human danger could destabilize his intentions to execute his initial plan. In addition, the dangerous situation which requires a high amount of bravery for the main character usually testifies to the individual’s heroic attributes.

However, to analyze the situation holistically, it is crucial to understand the main reason for climbing the dangerous mountain Mashu. This requires some understanding of the culture of that time, where the king’s father played a major role in the main hero’s establishment. Moreover, the readers should understand that the general concept of a hero at that time was developed through the notion that the hero should be “half-God.” As a result, the heroes were facing real danger for their lives so that ordinary people could not achieve the final goal, and Gods would find these obstacles too easy to overcome.

Turning to Gilgamesh’s outward metamorphosis, he was selfish and arrogant at the beginning of the epic, convinced of his exceptionality and ultimacy of judgment. He was the authoritarian king of Uruk, living an extensive life by spending much time with women. On the contrary, when his father Lugalbanda died, the main hero realized that he was not immortal, that his time of being a king of Uruk was not infinite. Consequently, he became a genuine epic hero since he took the risk on himself and started taking active decisions.

After that, he executed his famous journey to Mashu, where he faced many obstacles coming from absolute darkness. As a result, the reader’s perception of Gilgamesh was positively influenced by his apparent metamorphosis from an egoistic king to the epic hero devoted to his dream and kingdom. This consideration of Gilgamesh’s heroicness significantly contrasts with today’s vision of an epic hero. This is since these days, the main characters are described as ordinary people who are struggling with ordinary but severe life challenges throughout the story. On the other hand, Gilgamesh faces tough obstacles which require unhuman braveness and endurance.

Roles of Women

When analyzing specific examples of women’s domination in the Epic of Gilgamesh, there are no characters influencing the main character’s representatives, such as Shamhat, who seduced for the first and the last time Enkidu. Being in such a strong effect, Enkidu proclaimed to Shamash, the God of Sun, concerning the women’s power that (18) “A ring for your hand and a robe shall be yours. The priest will lead you into the presence of the gods. On your account a wife, a mother of seven, was forsaken” (Sandars et al., 2014). This situation represents the power that certain women could control men by using their sexuality and attractiveness in those times. However, it was the only women’s remedy for their weak and unstable status in society since when a woman is not already interesting for a man, then her future life would not be more as good as it was before.

Quest for Immortality

Throughout the whole epic, the question of infinite life was raised several times. At first, Gilgamesh thought that he was immortal since he has only one-third of real-world man. However, after his father’s death, Gilgamesh completely changed his point of view on his eternal life and its perspectives. More specifically, he realized that the genuine king should dedicate his life to effectively leading the kingdom and developing its population well-being. In addition, he understood that his time was strongly limited so that he began acting, and his main journey started. Consequently, it is possible to provide a parallel between Gilgamesh’s or “Mesopotamian” and the current perception of immortality. The concept of eternal life discourages an individual from appreciating every second of their life, while the strict life boundaries motivate and even “force” a person to live for today without expecting to wake up tomorrow.

Reference

Sandars, N. K., & Kelley, R. L. (2014). The Epic of Gilgamesh (1st ed.). Assyrian International News Agency. Web.

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‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ – From Sumerian Tablets to Modern Insights

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