The “oldest story in the world,” Gilgamesh, tells a story of a man’s life and how he struggles with the fact that he is not immortal and that his life will someday come to end. The poem portrays evil, innocence, love, and even history. With all of these factors taken into consideration, there are literary devices like figurative language, mood, symbolism, and plot used throughout the entire reading. All of these literary devices play a huge role in Gilgamesh, but the ones that seem to portray and affect the poem in the most accurate ways are point of view, characterization, and theme. The poem Gilgamesh portrays point of view as it is told in third person omniscient. Third person omniscient is a method in which the narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of all of the characters in the piece. For example, at the beginning of the piece the narrator states, “He saw what was secret, discovered what was hidden, he brought back a tale of before the Deluge” (George 62). This typical “he saw, she saw” is the basic usage of third person omniscient and can make the reader feel as if he/she is only viewing the story from the “outside.” By using the third …show more content…
person omniscient method, the writer also has the opportunity to bring “life” to her characters by giving them not only meaning, but depth. Third person omniscient allows the reader and narrator to be able to “look in” on the action and take us inside of the characters’ thoughts. By doing this, it gives the story an edge because the reader is able to relate and obtain some information about each character that some characters might not even know about. As proven, the point of view of Gilgamesh is in third person omniscient and it portrays and affects the reading as a whole. Characterization is another literary device that is used in the story of Gilgamesh. Throughout the reading, characterization is revealed through both indirect and direct usages. Indirect characterization is when the reader infers a personality trait from the text. An example of indirect characterization is when the narrator begins to talk about Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh the tall, magnificent and terrible, who opened passes in the mountains, who dug wells on the slopes of the uplands, and crossed the ocean, the wide sea to the sunrise; I 40 who scoured the world ever searching for life, and reached through sheer force Uta-napishti the Distant; who restored the cult-centres destroyed by the Deluge, and set in place for the people the rites of the cosmos. (George 63) This is considered indirect characterization because the readers are able to obtain an insight of Gilgamesh’s character through his upstanding actions.
This affects the story as a whole as it gives the reader a chance to get to know Gilgamesh from an individual’s point of view. The other type of characterization is direct characterization. Direct characterization is when the audience is told what the personality or a trait of a character is. An example of direct characterization is when Shamhat states, “You are so handsome, Enkidu, you are just like a god!” (George 69). This statement is direct characterization because Shamhat compares Enkidu’s looks to a god, which gives the reader a visualization of the character. Indirect and direct characterization both play a role in this story about Gilgamesh and his
conquests. Finally, the literary device theme affects the story of Gilgamesh. Throughout the entire piece of literature, there are many themes expressed. The story follows the epic hero as he takes on many conquests to obtain a goal of immortality. All twelve tablets play a role in Gilgamesh’s final goal of immortality, which results in this being the main theme. The story follows him as he trucks on through his journey until he finally comes to term with what life has given him. Gilgamesh finally accepts that his is not immortal and that his life will one day come to an end. Theme plays a huge in this piece of literature as the narrator takes us along Gilgamesh’s journey of acceptance. In conclusion, there are many literary devices to consider in the story of Gilgamesh. As readers are tugged along through his journey, they are able to feel what Gilgamesh feels due to the story being told in third person omniscient. The readers are also able to make predictions or be told about a character through indirect and direct characterization. At last, the theme is the most important factor as it sets a role for the entire story. Taking that into consideration, the literary devices point of view, characterization, and theme seem to portray and affect the poem in the most accurate ways.
A characterization a process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterization is revealed through direct characterization and indirect characterization. A direct characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is. An example would be, “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered and did not disobey their mother” In this quote the author is directly telling the audience the personality of the two children. That the boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.” Another example would be, “Karen is bright, energetic, and helpful.” This quote is directing us by telling us that Karen is both bright, energetic, and helpful. Another example is, “Joe was motivated by money.
The ancient Mesopotamian writing, The Epic of Gilgamesh, gives readers insight into the traditions and customs of the people who wrote it. Like all epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a heroic national figure: this epic gives the story of the life of Gilgamesh from his birth as two-thirds god, one-third man to his death. Throughout the epic the importance of loyalty is addressed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh readers see that loyalty is the most important aspect of a Mesopotamian relationship and that there are always consequences for violating trust.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Benjamin R. Foster. Text. Martin Puncher. New York: W.W and Company, 2013.Print.
Rosenberg, Donna. "Gilgamesh." World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 3rd ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1999. 26-57.
"The Epic of Gilgamesh." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton & Compnany, 2012. 99-150. Print
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Foster, Benjamin R. New York: W W Norton & Co Inc, 2001. Print.
In many literary works we see significant transitions in the hero's character as the story is developed. This is also true in the Epic of Gilgamesh with its hero, Gilgamesh. In this narrative poem, we get glimpses of who Gilgamesh is and what his purposes and goals are. We see Gilgamesh act in many different ways -- as an overbearing ruler resented by his people, a courageous and strong fighter, a deflated, depressed man, and finally as a man who seems content with what he's accomplished. Through all of these transitions, we see Gilgamesh's attitude toward life change. The goals he has for his own life alter dramatically, and it is in these goals that we see Gilgamesh's transition from being a shallow, ruthless ruler to being an introspective, content man.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Gilgamesh's journey is larger than life, yet ends so commonly with death. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed.
Gilgamesh is one important piece in the understanding of our past, and understanding what societies were like millenniums ago. Gilgamesh is the basic tale of a hero and it’s adventures, with a unique aspect that the outcome of the story is that the main character does not obtain what he is looking for.
The stories of the hunt for immortality gathered in the Epic of Gilgamesh depict the conflict felt in ancient Sumer. As urbanization swept Mesopotamia, the social status shifted from a nomadic hunting society to that of a static agricultural gathering society. In the midst of this ancient "renaissance", man found his relationship with the sacred uncertain and precarious. The Epic portrays the strife created between ontological nostalgia for a simpler time and the dawn of civilization breaking in the Near East. In this Epic, Gilgamesh is seen trying to achieve immortality through the methods of both the old and the new. His journeys through the sacred and the profane in many ways characterize the confusion arising from the unstable social climate. Therefore, the society, by writing the story of Gilgamesh, guarantees not only his immortality, but the immortality of the new order being established.
During my Analysis of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Ramayana, I have noticed that these two tales have been greatly influenced by religion. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, there are 5 main religious themes which are allusions to the Bible.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
As known that characters individually affect the course of the story. Not only their individual characteristic features, but also their contributions to story cannot be disregarded because in the events characters always affect each other negatively or positively. Most of the time characters are like a messenger of fate. They try to give a message to help him/her or mostly they try to convince or motivate others to do somethings. We face in our readings such situations because most of the time characters cannot do anything and they need help or some courage. At this point, other characters come and speak somethings and in this way, they intervene in the actions.Until now, we examined deeply The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest text in history. Gilgamesh is a powerful king and an awe-inspiring warrior who is 2/3 divine and 1/3 human. I think it is interesting that the epic has so many factors that I can relate to in our current time. There are a lot of lessons that can be gained from reading the epic. The text relates to me as a college student in a various ways. It has a few key experiences that reminds me of my own personal life experiences. The epic is an important text that should be read because it has life lessons for modern humans from centuries ago.