Epic Of Gilgamesh Literary Analysis

Although The Epic of Gilgamesh was written nearly four millennia ago, its principle values – namely in relationships – can be seen in many contemporary works, such as the American sitcom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Albeit the respective mediums of the works are vastly distinct, there are three main themes that can be traced throughout each of these works. The first theme is found in a seemingly tense, yet somehow lovingly personal, relationship between the main character and an authority figure. The second theme is that the main character seeks out a form of glory or immortality. Finally, in both works, the hero possesses a so-called “second-self” that lies at the end opposite the hero on the spectrum of order and chaos. It is in these specific types

of relationships that we see the key connections between Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Because the relationship between the hero and the authoritative figure can be seen as almost familial, the hero often questions the rule of the authoritative figure. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s brief lineage is explained: “[s]on of Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh, perfect in strength, Son of the lofty cow, the wild cow Ninsun.” The author goes on to state that “Belet-ili designed the shape of his body.” Gilgamesh is said to be handcrafted by the gods and is two-thirds divine. This is often his excuse to act as if he were three-thirds divine. In his killing of Humbaba and dogged pursuit of immortality, Gilgamesh is committing sacrilegious acts, even though he is said to be closely related to the gods themselves. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake is often seen as the hero and sometimes even the office clown. Not only does this cause the captain quite a bit of grief, it also causes discourse among the other detectives on occasion. Jake continues to disobey orders, even after he almost admits he sees the captain as the father he never had. This can be seen several times throughout the series. For instance, in the beginning of the episode known as “The Apartment,” Jake accidentally calls Captain Holt “dad.” Another example of this occurs in the episode known as “Captain Peralta,” in which Jake, when Captain Holt pulls out money to pay for drinks at the bar, mistakenly gets the idea that the money is an allowance, like a father would give a son. Even though Jake makes these slightly embarrassing slip-ups, he does not let that stop him from blatantly ignoring the Captain’s orders. For example, in the show’s season one finale, “Charges and Specs,” Jake digs into a case he was told explicitly to leave alone. Moreover, he enlists the help of Amy Santiago, who possesses more respect for and admiration of the captain than anyone else in the office. This overt disrespect prompts Captain Holt’s anger.
In both Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero looks to immortalize himself by means of great acts.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh seeks out a way to cheat death and live forever, like the gods. In fact, most of the events in The Epic of Gilgamesh outline a quest for eternal life, so it could be seen as the central plot of the entire work. After the untimely death of his good friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh seeks out Utnapishtim, the only man ever to be granted eternal life, and works with him to gain immortality. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that he must stay awake for six days and seven nights in order to gain eternal life. Instead of successfully achieving this feat, Gilgamesh does the exact opposite; he sleeps for six days and seven nights. Once he fails, Gilgamesh finally settles for the idea of immortality through the glory of his acts. The walls surrounding Uruk are a prime example of the pride Gilgamesh takes in his work. It is through these types of acts that he will find his immortality. On the other hand, in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake Peralta is a wisecracking police officer who simply lives for being the hero. He is always first through the door of a raid, and prefers the gory, tough-to-crack homicide cases to anything else. It is easy to determine throughout the series that Jake Peralta wants to be remembered as a good cop. In the episode known as “The Chopper,” Peralta tells Captain Holt: “[s]ir, with all due respect, this is an epic case. It’s the

reason I became a cop. Hunting down a murderer, recovering millions in stolen money rappelling out of a chopper with a knife between my teeth.” It is fairly evident that Jake Peralta is in the detective business for the glory. This is, in his own way, a means of achieving immortality.
In each of these works, the hero’s second-self pulls the hero to the opposite end of the spectrum and helps to bridge the gap between their opposite attributes.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero’s second self is named Enkidu. The gods specifically created Enkidu to be Gilgamesh’s match. After having many of what some may refer to as “misadventures,” the two form a deep bond. The trouble that Gilgamesh and Enkidu cause begins to upset the gods. The pair collectively slay Humbaba, Ellil’s personally appointed Cedar Forest guardian, and the Bull of Heaven who was sent to punish Gilgamesh for rejecting Ishtar’s advances. Their destructive fun does not last, though. Before long, by the will of the gods, Enkidu falls ill and passes away. Enkidu’s death causes the usually orderly Gilgamesh to leave some of his kingly attire behind for a more chaotic look. In his grief, Gilgamesh instructs the citizens of Uruk to weep. Distraught, Gilgamesh strips off his finery, puts on the skin of a lion, and roams the wilderness. In addition, this wild-man look is what he dons on his quest for immortality. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake Peralta has a similar relationship with a man named Doug Judy, also known as the “Pontiac Bandit”. Their relationship is first brought to fruition when Doug and Jake have to work together to solve a crime. The pair might seem a bit mismatched, seeing as how Jake is an orderly detective and Doug is a chaotic criminal. Jake Peralta, with the help of his girlfriend,

Amy, does his best to resist the allure of the Doug’s lifestyle; however, no matter how much Jake tries, Doug starts to pull Jake to the chaotic end of the spectrum. The two end up making quite the dynamic duo until Doug’s plan to lead the cops on a wild goose chase goes through. Doug ends up slipping through Peralta’s fingers yet again. For the short amount of time they worked as a team, they were the best of friends. Although they exist on opposite ends of the spectrum, they have excellent chemistry and would likely have been long-lasting friends in another life.
Through The Epic of Gilgamesh and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it is decently easy to see how ancient Babylonian culture and contemporary American culture share some similar values. Stunningly, the relationships humans possess with authority figures, friends, and even themselves seem to have remained nearly the same throughout the centuries. These central themes aren’t confined to these two works, either. It is likely ancient Babylonian culture, which possesses some of the earliest written works, has influenced countless other works for the duration of history. Despite the fact that The Epic of Gilgamesh is no longer casual reading material, it was once an incredibly popular work. It was not uncommon for cultures to adapt stories from other cultures, especially when both were within a close geographical vicinity. The particular themes addressed in this paper transcended nearly four millennia. This may seem like a solid argument for a sort of absolute parallel relationship, but this is not the case. In spite of this large amount of connections, there are some obvious discrepancies. Jake Peralta never sought out eternal life, nor did he have actual relation to Captain Holt, and Doug Judy did not lose his life. Additionally, Gilgamesh never fought to win the approval of his parental figures. There is a simple explanation for these differences, though. The job of the entertainment industry is to create relatively original content for the viewers. Brooklyn Nine-Nine may not be an exact duplicate of The Epic of Gilgamesh, but the types of relationships depicted in the hit television series undoubtedly bear a striking resemblance to the ancient Babylonian epic.