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The story of gilgamesh summary
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Gilgamesh: The Epic Hero Unlike the heroes of Greek, Gilgamesh actual has existed. He is a mighty king who rules over the Sumerian city-state of Uruk around 2700 B.C. (Jager 1) The Epic of Gilgamesh tells a story of a rattled young king who travels to the end of the world in search of wisdom and immortality. While searching for wisdom, Gilgamesh realizes that he needs to accept human mortality and gain courage to lead a compassionate and fruitful life. (Jager 1) Gilgamesh is also a brave and adventurous character who exhibits unique characteristics. (Abusch 2)The elements of an Epic Hero Cycle reveals that Gilgamesh is an epic hero. The elements of an Epic Hero Cycle are elements consist of being a main hero who possess supernatural abilities, …show more content…
(Olivier 4) When the gods creates Gilgamesh, they give him a perfect body (Sandars 1). Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull (Sandars 3). Two thirds they made him god and one third man (Sandars 3). Enkidu also describes Gilgamesh as a “man like no other who comes down from the hills, who is the strongest in the world, he is like an immortal from heaven.” (Sandars 3) Gilgamesh face challenges since he is two thirds god and one third human. He struggles with supernatural abilities and qualities. Due to Gilgamesh being an epic hero, he is charged with a quest. (Olivier 4)He begins to seek immortality and eternal life for him and his best friend Enkidu. “In his bitterness he (Gilgamesh) cried, ‘How can I rest, how can I be at peace? Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now, I shall be when I am dead” (Sandars 97). Gilgamesh believes that the journey to the Cedar Forest is his fate and he will …show more content…
(Olivier 4) Gilgamesh encounters Humbaba, gods and goddesses, Utnapishtim, and the scorpions. While in the presence of Humbaba,Gilgamesh he enteres the Cedar Garden to battle. Gilgamesh and Enkindu conceitedly defeats their opponent. (Sandars) Gilgamesh also converses with Ishtar, the goddess of love and fertility. She becomes angrily upset with Gilgamesh after he offends her by dismissing her thoughts of marriage. While on his quest for immortality, Gilgamesh approaches two scorpions on guard. One scorpion then states, “Only a god would dare approach us,” “Two thirds god,” corrected the other. “One third man.” “Why have you traveled so far,” demanded the first scorpion. (Sandars) Gilgamesh informs the tarantulas that he is passionately in quest of Utapishtim. Once Gilgamesh finishes chitchatting with the scorpions, he soon discoveries Utapishtim. Utapishtim is a wise king that survives the legendary flood and is guaranteed to live forever at the mount of rivers. While chatting with Utapishtim, Gilgamesh questions how he was granted with immortality. Utapishtim then expresses his views and tell the story about the flood. Later in conversation, Utapishtim tells Gilgamesh that he must stay awake for seven days to become immortal (Sandars 30). He also tells him how to retrieve the herb. (Sandars
In the beginning, Gilgamesh is a fantastic athlete and warrior. As one would expect from an individual who is two thirds god and one third man, his beauty, strength and courage surpassed all others. He built great walls for his city and temples for the gods. Gilgamesh's flaw, however, is that he is a poor king. He is known for sleeping with virgins before their wedding night, stealing children, and exhausting his men.
Gilgamesh was destined to perfection from birth. He was created as a divine mortal, two thirds divine and one third human (5). He was a man destined to live a lavish life with all the riches a man could ever want. Unfortunately his arrogance and superior strength got in the way (Foster5). Gilgamesh was created by the gods to be perfect in every regard. But what the gods couldn't prepare him for was life and human emotions, instinct etc. Gilgamesh built a wall that protected Uruk, his home (3). He was destined to live a life like a god among his people. Gods played tug a war for the lack of better words with Gilgamesh's life. They controlled every aspect. This is where all Gilgamesh journey's began and where they would all bring him back to in the end.
Gilgamesh has to cut one-hundred and twenty poles to push the boat with, for each one can only be used once in order to avoid touching the "waters of death" (IX.196-217). Against all odds, Gilgamesh makes it to the other side of the sea and meets Utanapishtim. Twice Gilgamesh is given the opportunity to gain eternal life, and twice he fails. Utanapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for "six days and seven nights," but Gilgamesh falls asleep almost immediately (XI.210-17). Out of pity, Utanapishtim tells Gilgamesh about a plant that has rejuvenating powers.
Merriam- Webster online dictionary defines an epic hero as, “ A grand and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or effected by grand events.” The same dictionary also defines an epic poem as, “a story told about a hero or exciting events.” The Epic of Gilgamesh is often considered the oldest story on earth; which would make Gilgamesh, the story’s controversial main character, and the world’s oldest epic hero. This epic set a precedent for all epics to follow; it displayed most of the traits that society commonly perceives an epic hero and epic poem should have. The Epic of Gilgamesh exhibits tendencies of an epic poem through its inclusion of an epic hero, multiple gods and goddesses, and it’s vast array of settings across the world. Additionally, Gilgamesh presents attributes of an epic hero through his quest for immortality, his noble birth and his battles with superhuman foes.
Gilgamesh is a character that evolves throughout The Epic of Gilgamesh. The lord of wisdom, Gilgamesh realized he did not know everything. He humbled himself to lessons of life. As Gilgamesh progresses he becomes less interested in worldly pleasure and more in tune with the value of life and the reality of death. Gilgamesh evolves into a better king because he allows all his challenges in life to make him better and more humbled. Gilgamesh says before his death, “For myself I have gained nothing; not I, but the beast of the earth has joy of it now.” (Gil.
This journey in particular was a hard one for Gilgamesh, not only because he was without his best friend but because it was just a physically demanding journey in and of itself. At several points during the journey it is easy to tell that Gilgamesh is growing afraid of death, and is frantic of sorts to find immortality. He is faced with many tests along the way, but in the end reached Utanapishtim, the survivor of the flood, and is at the verge of finding immortality. However things just do not go his way. Utanapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to a week without sleeping in order to gain the coveted virtue of immortality, however Gilgamesh fails almost instantly. Gilgamesh will not become immortal that way, but there is one other way. There is a plant that Gilgamesh can find and gain immortality from if he is pricked by it. However, after Gilgamesh finds the plant, he goes for a swim and a snake steals his plant and gains the immortality instead of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is simply not cut out for immortality like he thought he was. Gilgamesh is heartbroken about not gaining immortality and letting his best friend down, so he returns to
While Gilgamesh was a hero thought to be more beautiful, more courageous, more terrifying than all of the people of Uruk. Even though his desires, attributes, and accomplishments were just as there’s, he was still mortal.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story depicts the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried “vainly to dissuade” (18) Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their voyage to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him.
The first part of the hero’s journey is the call to adventure. This is the voyage that the hero is asked to go on in order to accomplish greater good for human kind. This is the hero’s chance to help his or her community, family or friends by embarking on a long journey and challenging his, or herself. Gilgamesh does not go on a journey to help others, he goes to make himself look better. “ I have not established my name stamped on bricks as my destiny decreed, therefore I will go to the country where the cedar is felled” (page 70). This passage shows that the only reason that Gilgamesh wants to go on a journey is for fame and popularity.
The beginning of his birth starts the origin of the hero's journey. Because of his unusual birth, it meant that he's still human and will eventually face death. But, Gilgamesh knowing that he can die any moment won’t stop him from going on adventures and completing his quests. Along with Gilgamesh being two-thirds god, it meant that the gods were always on his side. Whether it was making decisions for Uruk or helping Gilgamesh throughout his journey the gods were always there for him. As a result, Gilgamesh's birth is an aspect of him becoming a hero. The text states, “Gilgamesh was the renowned king of the city of Uruk. To his people, Gilgamesh was a tyrant who became a great hero” (175). In other words, Gilgamesh is known to become the king of Uruk. For that reason, the people of Uruk would praise him as a hero. Gilgamesh that was born to be a king was unusual for Gilgamesh
In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.
Gilgamesh is an example of someone who had many flaws and faced many struggles but, in the end, changed his attitude and became a better person. In the beginning of Gilgamesh, he is described as doing whatever he wants and being juvenile in a way. For example, in the text it says, “he was their shepherd, yet powerful, superb, knowledgeable and expert, Gilgamesh would not leave young girls alone, the daughters of warriors, the brides of young men.” With his second half, Enkidu, they entered into the first step in becoming a hero according to Campbell, the separation, by going on an adventure. At this point in the story, Gilgamesh is very arrogant. While traveling to Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh tells Enkidu, “let me go in front of you, and your voice call out: ‘Go close, don’t be afraid!’ If I should fall, I should have won fame. People will say, Gilgamesh grappled in combat with ferocious Humbaba… ensure fame that will last forever.” Next is stage two, the initiation, of the Campbell’s hero journey. Gilgamesh undergoes a trail to begin his transformation, he must fight the Bull of Heaven. Gilgamesh’s supportive side is starting to show when he tells Enkidu that they will win if they fight together. After killing the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh’s confident attitude is shown once again. The next trial he faces is the death of Enkidu. He starts to show emotion when he says, “for you Enkidu, I, like your mother, your father, will weep on your plains… I will lay you to rest on a bed of loving care… and I myself will neglect my appearance after your death.” At this point his character has been greedy and then he showed his fear and supportive side. The last stage in the hero’s journey is the return. Enkidu’s death sent Gilgamesh on an adventure to fight death. From this adventure he learned his biggest lesson from Utnapishtim. He learns to appreciate life, and
Gilgamesh, feeling the fear of his own mortality, sets out on a journey to search for a way to preserve himself. Although the journey that he endures is much larger than life, Gilgamesh comes to realize that he can never achieve immortality. Before the creation of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is a man without an equal match. He is an individual with overwhelming power, and it is because of this that makes Gilgamesh a very arrogant person.
Everyone has qualities that are heroic and noble, and everyone has their flaws. No matter who they are, or how perfect others think they are, people still have some negative qualities that can hurt their heroic ones. In the book, The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Benjamin Foster, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu had positive and negative characteristics that affected the outcome of their journey and their adventures they experienced throughout their lives.
As Gilgamesh cleans himself and his blood stained weapons, Ishtar, the goddess of love and beauty, takes notice of his beauty and offers to become his wife. Gilgamesh refuses with insults, listing all her mortal lovers and recounting the dire fates they all met with at her hands. Ishtar is enraged at the rebuff. She returns to heaven and begs her father, Anu, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city. Anu reluctantly gives in, and the Bull of Heaven is sent down to terrorize the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu, work together to slay the mighty bull. That following night Enkidu dreams that the chief gods met in a council and had decided that someone should be punished for the killing of Humbaba and the Bull of the Heavens. That someone is he. Enkidu commends himself to Gilgamesh, and after suffering terribly for twelve days, he finally dies.