The Epic of Gilgamesh
Original Title: He who Saw the Deep
(Sha naqba īmuru).
Original Title: He who Saw the Deep
(Sha naqba īmuru).
A Short Summary of
Gilgamesh's Story A poem from Mesopotamia, written on a 12 clay tablets in the
library collection of the 7th century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. It is a
Sumerian legend, presenting the mythological Character of Gilgamesh introduced
as a tyrannical ruler, yet a hero and lord of Uruk, “The Butting Bull”.
His pure despotism attracted
the wrath of the gods which led to the creation of a brother equal in physical
and mental powers as Gilgamesh named Enkidu. It represented the gods hope to tame Gilgamesh cruelty and terror and show him the importance of
compassion. We conclude that The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet I-III) displays
clearly the relationship between Gilgamesh who is riddled with guilt, lust and
arrogance and his friend, Enkidu, who is half-wild. And as the story evolves we
notice that the characters are diverging from ruthless animals and rivals to
companions for life, but also to humans.
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet
I-III) Keywords: Despotism, Civism, Rivalry, Finding oneself, and True
friendship.
Who Is Gilgamesh?
Gilgamesh represents a living god on earth, he has put
his desires before his kingdom leaving no man nor woman with their pride. He's
was known as the "One Third Man two thirds God", he saw his life on
earth with the eyes of the gods, and as a demigod he treated everyone the same
with no exceptions. His divine prowess and wisdom but also his infinite
arrogance made him king of Uruk. But when came the great fight with Enkidu that
he put to the ground , he acted as a true god showing mercy and forgiveness which made him win a companion that he proselytized to follow him in his quests.
Who Is Enkidu ?
Enkidu the wild beast, born to
hunt, his roar is louder than the lion's . He is the a divine mixture of true
power and innocence, Being set aside in the wild he carried a sole life in the
woods among the beasts, and in a deliberated way he met the priestess with whom
he naturally had a carnal embrace, where his mind went through changes from his
wild beast state to a normal human that listens to others and who is less lethal
to his entourage. Yet , Enkidu felt weak but unsatisfied, which led him to
Gilgamesh that he fought, so that he feels alive again.
Analysis of the Poem The need to change and act through a loved one.
In the beginning of the
poem Gilgamesh is described as a forsaken character with no real companion or
equal in his life which led him to drown in his own self-centeredness making him
aggressive and destructive to his kingdom’s people. He was divulged to the gods
as an outrageous monster devoured by lust and desire. But when Enkidu enters
his life, an important change occurs into Gilgamesh’s way of living. With a
friend on his side, Gilgamesh begins to feel compassion and respect to others
which puts an end to his dreadful behavior.
A different
interpretation of the poem might explain that the gods are dangerous and that
they are not absolute good entities that act in reasonable ways. They are
irrational and their acts are spontaneous and based on their emotions as
humans.
Examples of a hero in the modern days
Gilgamesh was a hero, and a
hero is generally defined as someone showing qualities of courage and physical
and mental strengths. He should be the one maintaining loyalty and limits. But
modern day hero is a bit different but still applicable. We can illustrate the
example of Razia Jan, from Afghanistan she was a true hero in a situation where
185 attacks happened in schools and since Afghanistan is an "Islamic"
country it was strictly forbidden for normal people and especially for girls to
enroll in schools, and Razia Jan dedicated her life insuring the
education of thousands of children on her own expenses. We can also talk about
Doc.HENDLY who implemented a program to promote and support water projects
worldwide and by doing so he helped thousands in Africa to enjoy drinkable
water. Visions of heroism changed now days, but the basics are same. It's not
about legendary prowess but more about being human, and having the will and the
dexterity to help others. A hero doesn't necessarily save people by drwing his sword or leading a war, It is about being human and solving the problems of the
poor and the destitute.
Morals presented in the Epic of Gilgamesh Tablets (I-III)
In this poem three main dominant morals are shown.
- The first one shows that being
strong, powerful, feared and filled with lust, offers a person an infinite
amount of privileges as for the poem ( Being a King ), and this example is even
noticed now days.
- The second one is that no
matter how strong you are , there is always someone that is stronger than you.
- The third one is that the gods
where more human than divine entities, and theirs action can be destructive,
irrational and filled with human emotions.
- And the last moral that we can
extract from this text is that women are the weakness of every man, and it works also for demigods.
Gilgamesh's Poem, one of the main pillars of literature.
By examining the poem, we can
notice the presence of some themes that are frequently used in modern stories.
The Epic of Gilgamesh poem is defined as the substratum for almost every story
based on a quest a hero must accomplish. However, one of the most impressive
factors about this story is that even though it was written long ago, it can
still be read and enjoyed by readers of the modern time.
