Epic of Gilgamesh

Essay by spwclarkCollege, UndergraduateA, July 2007

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What?Epic is centered on human more than divine. The Epic of Gilgamesh celebrates the hero’s strength and exploits dark night of the soul and his quest.

Gilgamesh established Uruk as supreme city in Mesopotamia. He met a Trapper named Enkidu which later his mother adopted. Together they set out to kill a monster named Humbaba. They succeeded and a woman named Ishtar was amazed by his strength. She then asked him to marry her. He refuses and she has her father, Anu send “The bull of Heaven” to punish him. Enkidu and Gilgamesh slay the bull. The gods seek revenge and Enkidu dies after a long illness.

Depressed about the death of his friend, Gilgamesh decides to go see Utanapishtim to learn the secret of life. Along the way he is warned of the dangers by creatures. When he reaches him he is told of the flood in Genesis. Utanapishtim gives him a plant to make him young, but looses it to a snake.

Gilgamesh returns to Uruk understanding the value of accomplishments of earthly life.

So what?This story was interesting to me once I translated it to what I believe would happen in today’s world.

Gilgamesh is like a cult leader. He then meets a man which becomes his best friend. Through life the friends support each other in their adventures of women and experiences in life. I see the woman, Ishtar as a spoiled brat that doesn’t get her way so she goes to her powerful Dad to have him try to fix it so she gets her way. This fails and unfortunately Enkidu gets sick, not due to a spell, but maybe aids. He dies and Gilgamesh needs to figure out how to move on in life as many of us do with the loss of a...