Gilgamesh Essay

Gilgamesh Mini-Argument

        Herbert Mason’s interpretation of the epic poem Gilgamesh, narrates Gilgamesh’s journey of realization and self-transformation from god to human.  It first highlights Gilgamesh’s total disregard for human life, before it follows his godly self destruction as life becomes his only fixation.

        Gilgamesh was “two-thirds god, one third man” (Mason 57).  Because of this disparity between being more god than human, Gilgamesh was a tyrannical leader who did not care for, or value anyone out of unfamiliarity to the true value of human life.  This showed in how he treated his people of Uruk: “Sometimes he pushed his people half to death/ With work rebuilding Uruk’s walls,/ And then without an explanation let/ The walls go unattended and decay” (16).  His actions toward his people accentuated his neglect for life in general, until the day he met Enkidu.  Gilgamesh saw Enkidu as an equal and treasured his companionship. The two, acting as perfect matches on a spiritual and friendly level, conquered numerous obstacles together.  As Gilgamesh built his love for Enkidu (someone he finally cared about), his inner wall of being a god was slowly being torn down.

        While Gilgamesh gradually evolved into a caring and loving human, he experienced the first real struggle of humanity: loss.  Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s companion who had battled beside him and grown to be his best friend, died right in front of him.  Gilgamesh felt the pain of losing a friend, thus sending him into a self destructive episode sparking a search for eternal life for Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s value system had completely changed since the establishment of his character earlier in the poem.  He had never cared about life in general, but now it suddenly became the only thing for which he cared.  The suffering he endured because of the loss of a friend (a pain only felt by humans) dealt another strong blow to the god in Gilgamesh.

        Gilgamesh’s new obsession with life drove him to embark on a journey to find the means to reviving his friend.  As he suffers throughout his journey, he becomes evermore human, and loses the remainder of his godlike qualities.  One defining characteristic of a god is the glow of their skin.  This is noticed in Gilgamesh before his full fall from god status by one of the scorpion people, “The scorpion man recognized/ In Gilgamesh the flesh of gods” (57).  However, after further suffering, the god in him had been totally destroyed by the power of human suffering. “If you are Gilgamesh and did those things, why/ Are you so emaciated and your face half-crazed?” (63).   At this point, the man who once was a great god is unrecognizable.