The Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

The poem of Gilgamesh tells the tale of an actual king that lived more than three thousand years ago. The deeds of the once heroic king were etched on stone tablets in the ancient language of Sumerian. The actions of this once great king are told in the poem. This included the building of a great city wall around Uruk, a city that existed around 2700 B.C. Many of Gilgamesh's actions were heroic but some of them brought harm to his people. Gilgamesh's story has many features that would classify its telling as an epic tale but near the end of the poem it becomes one of tragedy.

Gilgamesh displayed many characteristics that would label his deeds as heroic in literature. His ability to talk to the gods and gain information from them is one of these traits. His forth knowledge, obtained from dreams and the gods, makes people gravitate towards him. Another is that the god's did not make Gilgamesh completely human, for "Two thirds they made him god" (13). His stature of divinity further separates him from the ones he rules, raising him above the level of common man. When he actively seeks out opponents and defeats them would be another way he could be construed as heroic figure. He even goes as far as defeating a mythical giant, Humbaba, to prove his bravery. These defining qualities establish Gilgamesh as an epic hero of his time and beyond.

The journey to the Forest of Cedars has a significant impact to the direction of Gilgamesh's life. Although Gilgamesh has been very successful in battle before the arrival of his friend Enkidu, he feels he needs to do something that is truly epic. Some time passes after their friendship before they travel to Humbaba's forest which is seen when Enkidu's makes this comment, "I am weak, my arms have lost their strength, the cry of sorrow sticks in my throat, I am oppressed by idleness" (17). A journey to the Forest of Cedars to kill the evil giant Humbaba is undertaken to end the idleness they feel and further immortalize Gilgamesh's story. The confrontation with the guardian of the forest is the first time they work together in combat, reinforcing their companionship, and gaining the attention of the gods. The actions that take place when they defeat Humbaba sets in motion the events that will cause this epic poem to turn towards a story of tragedy.

Soon after the defeat of Humbaba, Gilgamesh is confronted by the goddess of Ishtar. Ishtar asks Gilgamesh if he will marry her but instead of just saying no he chastise her by saying "Which of your lovers did you ever love forever?" (24). This becomes the catalyst for the story to start becoming more of a tragedy. Had Gilgamesh accepted Ishtar's offer of marriage the story might have stayed as an epic poem. After Gilgamesh insults Ishtar, she goes to ask for the help of her fellow gods to bring down the Bull of Heaven and a sickness of death upon Enkidu. These events throw Gilgamesh into extreme state of sorrow. He has now lost the only person that was equal to him, a blood-brother and he knows he is the cause of Enkidu's suffering. After Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh is filled with sadness that he can't even bring himself to bury his friend until the sight of worms on his friend's corpse reminds him that the time has come to say good bye. This intense grieving makes him realize that he too will pass away and needs to find a way of staying alive forever.

Gilgamesh's heroic personality changes extremely after Enkidu's death. He seems to start to lose his sense of reality when he promises his dead friend, "I will wander through the wilderness in the skin of a lion" (30). Another sign is when he chooses not to cut his hair while wearing the lion hide. These are signs that the poem is changing from being an epic poem to one of filled with tragedy. Through his intense pain with the sense of loss still fresh, he chooses a path that appears to be quite impossible. In what is to be his last adventure in the poem, he sets out for his quest to avoid death.

One starts to pity Gilgamesh when he sets off to his quest for immortality while still grieving for his friend. Even during the journey to seek out Utnapishtim, who the gods granted everlasting life, he is given advice along the way that does not give much hope for success. He first meets a Man-Scorpion who states, "No man born of woman has done what you have asked" (31). This would serve