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Character essay on the epic of gilgamesh
The concept of power and its importance
Character essay on the epic of gilgamesh
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The epic Gilgamesh was translated by Herbert Mason and is about a king named Gilgamesh who wants to have power and authority over everything in his life. During Gilgamesh’s life journey he learns important lessons about the outcomes of this yearning for power over life. Gilgamesh’s journey demonstrates that humans find that control is necessary to succeed on the journey of life. It also displays that curiosity is a key trait that drives humans to push boundaries. Gilgamesh learns that the ability of humans to control their surrounding has may have unintended consequences.Humans seek to conquer and subdue the natural world, and make it fit to human needs and desires, which end up destroying the world. On the journey to success, humans think …show more content…
it’s necessary to have control. Humans, from the beginning of their existence have learned that the only way to acquire what they desire is to conquer it. When conquering humans find it necessary to show force. This can be seen in American history with the first European settlers that came to North America. The settlers at first had enough land to satisfy them, however, as the population grew these settlers needed more land. As a result of needing more land, the settlers took land until they had complete authority over it. Having complete control over the land they aquired lead the settlers to have successful communities. In this poem, Gilgamesh wants to display to the people of his kingdom that he is powerful. “We go to kill the Evil One, / Humbaba. We must prove/ Ourselves more powerful than he” (Mason 27). This first quotation emphasizes the idea that Gilgamesh believes that to gain power or success he must have authority. This viewpoint on control also implies that if one proves to be powerful, people will believe that person is mighty. Once people start believing this, there is greater support from the people. Gilgamesh’s second quotation demonstrates that he believes control is worth dying for. The concept of control being worth dying for suggests that life without control isn’t a life. Humans believe that success is based on having control over everything. Curiosity is a key trait of humans that drives them to push boundaries.
Since humans are curious creatures, they push to gain knowledge at any cost. This can be seen in human history when people thought that knowing was better than the unknown. For example, in scientific fields people are always pushing to discover new things and create new inventions. Discovering the earth was not flat and thus ships would not sail of the edge of the earth relieved the fear of the unknown. Knowing is also perceived to be better because the unknown terrifies. The unknown frightens people to the degree that they are willing to break rules to attain knowledge needed. Near the end of the poem, Gilgamesh wants to bring Enkidu back to life at any cost. “I only want to bring him back to life” (Mason 67) This quotation shows the belief that pushing limits is a way to gain control. Gilgamesh, in this part of his journey, has a desire to bring his friend back to life because he does not want to be alone. He is willing to push the boundaries of the cycle of life to obtain immortality for Enkidu. “ ‘There is a special knowledge you must have if you’re going to rule the world,’ ” (Quinn 155) Emphasized in this quote is the idea of power in knowledge. Knowledge is viewed as a way to attain power and keep it, because with knowledge comes ideas that can be successful. Successful ideas can then be kept because of the knowledge gained. This success was only reached by pushing the limits to there fullest extent. Human curiosity and desire for knowledge drives them to push
boundaries. Unintended consequences often result from humans having the ability to control their surroundings. Humans on their journey towards success have created many problems that would not have existed if humans did not try to have authority over nature. One example of this is farming because farmers. Farmers have the ability to manipulate the environment and plants. At first this was a good idea to grow more food because the population was growing rapidly. Over time the manipulation of the plants resulted in the spread of new allergies. An example is the growth in gluten intolerance as a result of genetic engineering of wheat and grains. This consequence was not seen when the manipulation began, which shows that actions can have an adverse reaction. In Ishmael, the student and Ishmael discuss how humans when trying to accomplish something good can end up causing something bad. “...The world was given to man to turn into a paradise, but he’s always screwed it up, because he’s fundamentally flawed. He might be able to do something about this if he knew how he ought to live, but he doesn’t-and he never will, because no knowledge about that is obtainable. So, however hard man might labor to turn the world into paradise, he’s probably just going to go on screwing it up.” (Quinn 89) This quotation highlights that humans since the beginning of time have been trying to conquer the natural world. Despite the fact the natural world is not something that can be controlled. The result of this pursuit is that many things were harmed unintentionally.If humans continue to try and control the natural world, the effects will reach the point of no return and the damage of the world cannot be undone. Thinking that control equals success, knowledge equals power, and there are no consequences from human action will ultimately wreck the world. People should stop seeking authority or domination over everything because these desired actions are not without adverse consequences.
Harris, Stephen L. “Gilgamesh.” The Humanist Tradition in World Literature. Ed. Stephen Harris. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1970.
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.
The whole reason Gilgamesh takes this journey to search for eternal life is due to the death of Enkidu, with whom he was close with. Before all of the events occurred, Gilgamesh had never thought about the topic of death. It’s as if it never crossed his mind; as though he would live forever. He went through phases along his journey. The first was not accepting reality, the second was fighting for eternal life, and the last was accepting reality. Now, his aspirations for immortality are no longer apparent as he enters the last stage.
Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, is the protagonist of The Epic of Gilgamesh, where the audience is brought through the story of a tyrannical king 's transformation to become a mature king. He would learn that his responsibilities as king come before any of his wishes for fame and acknowledgment. As a being who was two-thirds god and one-third human, he desperately tried to gain the attention and later on the immortality that only deities would have. In the Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Andrew George, Gilgamesh believed that in order to be a great king, he would have to complete heroic tasks such as killing Humbaba, the guardian of the Cedar Forest and going to the netherworlds to find the source of immortality.
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.
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.
He exudes pride in a manner only rivaled by Enkidu, his best friend. Gilgamesh and Enkidu relish in their brotherhood through fighting Humbaba and the Golden Bull. Their shared life is not permanent however. After they defeated the Golden Bull, the gods look down upon Enkidu and Gilgamesh, in which they decide one of them needs to die. As the book carries on, Enkidu is struck with a deathly illness and inevitably passes on. This changes Gilgamesh’s mindset towards death. In Mitchell’s translation, it reads,“If my grief is violent enough, perhaps he will come back to life again.’ For six days and seven nights I mourned him until a maggot fell out of his nose. Then, I was frightened, I was terrified by death” (Mitchell 167). Gilgamesh, who before was enthralled with the idea of dying a hero, suddenly became terrified of death. This growth, albeit not positive growth, was a direct result of the prior circumstances. The heroes’ shared hubris angered the gods who struck Enkidu down, causing Gilgamesh to lose his best friends. This loss causes gilgamesh to grow by fearing
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.
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.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the oldest story to ever be written. The story is presented in the Sumerian language on a set of eleven different tablets. The tablets have now been translated for the modern reader. Two of probably many versions of this epic tale can be read by the translations of either Stephen Mitchell or Maureen Kovacs. By putting Stephen Mitchell’s and Maureen Kovacs’ translations of Gilgamesh side by side, a similarity in use of metaphors, motifs, and repetition, is easily seen.
Gilgamesh, The Epic of. Vol. A. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2012. 95-150. Print.
Throughout time, people of all cultures have told stories of heroes and kings. The most ancient story we have on record is the tale of King Gilgamesh. This story is an account of the King's journeys and accomplishments. Although it was written over four thousand years ago, many comparisons can be made between the society in which the story was written and our own modern society. In this essay, differences and similarities between the two societies will be examined.
One of the main themes in the epic is that death is inevitable, which is shown through Enkidu's death. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh becomes very worried, because he realizes for the first time that everyone is going to die at some point in time. The fact that Enkidu is a close friend makes it even more visible to Gilgamesh that everyone is mortal. Then, along with this realization, comes the theme of denial. Gilgamesh does not want to accept the fact that he will die. He denies the truth, because he does not want to think about the truth or cope with the tragedy that has struck him. "And he-he does not lift his head. 'I touched his heart, it does not beat'" (Tablet VIII, Column II, 15-16). "'Me! Will I too not die like Enkidu? Sorrow was come into my belly. I fear death; I roam over the hills. I will seize the road; quickly I will go to the house of Utnapishtim, offspring of Ubaratutu. I approach the entrance of the mountain at night. Lions I see, and I am terrified. I lift my head to pray to the mood god Sin: For...a dream I go to the gods in prayer: ...preserve me!'" (Tablet IX, Column I, 3-12).
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.