How Is Gilgamesh A Journey Of Self Discovery

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The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Journey of Self-Discovery In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see a significant transition or development of the main character as the story progresses. Throughout the epic, we see Gilgamesh act as a tyrant, fearless warrior, depressed man, a man filled with fear, and a man who has finally accepted his fate. The epic begins by describing Gilgamesh as a king who tyrannizes his people. “He will couple with the wife-to-be, he first of all, the bridegroom after” (pg 15). We see that Gilgamesh abuses his power as king and terrorizes the people. The people of Uruk plead the gods to ease Gilgamesh’s burden. The gods answered the prayers created an equal to match Gilgamesh. Enkidu a wild-born chimera, part animal and part man, would …show more content…

Utnapishtim explained to Gilgamesh that man cannot achieve immortality because it requires too much sacrifice, which is simply unattainable for any human, but he still gave Gilgamesh a chance to prove himself. However, Gilgamesh failed miserably and was told to return home (page 97-99). But before he left, at the request of Utnapishtim’s wife, he told Gilgamesh about a plant that will make him young again. After acquiring the plant, he decided to the elderly in Uruk to see if it truly worked. Unfortunately, Gilgamesh lost his chance toward immortality when a snake took the plant while he was bathing. Gilgamesh learns that being human entails accepting one’s fate of death and not trying to run from it. This allows him to be content with what he has and understand that his city and the people are what matter not fame. As Gilgamesh is telling Ur-shanabi about Uruk he is saying it with pride and joy, unlike in the beginning of the epic where the tone of the description was as if the city of Uruk wasn’t good enough and he needed to accomplish more to leave a legacy behind (page 99). We can tell he is content with what he has and that he has transitioned to a hero-king by taking pride in his

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