Poem Analysis - 'Epic of Gilgamesh'

Most of the ancient civilizations that have peen present throughout history, produce artifacts, stories, poems or other forms of literature that we can learn from and are passed down from generation to generation. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one piece of literature that really takes us back in time and helps us dissect the events of its time. A poem which was written over four thousand years ago The Epic of Gilgamesh can be used as a true historical narration of the Mesopotamian culture. The discussion of religion and cultural aspects, which include their attitudes towards gods, death, heroes and also the social and political organizations, also allows us to not only see, but also feel the experiences of such events. The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays to its readers how rich the ancient Mesopotamian civilization actually was and helps us in figuring out what the true meaning of life is.

The poem is about a Sumerian king named Gilgamesh, who encounters a lot of obstacles and adventures in his quest for eternal life. Gilgamesh was a strong leader, and the builder of their great city called Uruk. Although Gilgamesh was brave and posessed supernatural qualities, he was plagued by human weaknesses like pride and immortality, one thing he desired most. Even though Gilgamesh was the main character in this book, readers can still decipher a lot about the Mesopotamian civilization. For example, during that time the class system was rigid and unfair. The power of the king was unmatched in the Mesopotamian government to the point where Gilgamesh had no consequences for his wrong doings. In the beginning of the poem before Gilgamesh had met Enkidu, Gilgamesh had executed many erroneous acts, but since he as the almighty king, he was never penalized...

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...to punish him. The society is also cooperative as the trapper’s son cooperates with the prostitute so that they can trick Enkidu and make him human. The trapper’s son also relates well with his father as he goes to him to seek for advice.

Conclusively, the epic poem has shown the relationship between gods and human through the history that has been narrated. The humans have always had a fearful attitude towards their gods. King Gilgamesh, who has been the main character in the poem, has been used to describe the effects on mankind in the Gilgamesh tyrannical leadership in the ancient society and how they affected the society. It has also described how the ancient society gods were arrogant and how their decisions affected the human society. This shows the analysis of the relationship between the ancient religion and its effects on mankind in The Epic of Gilgamesh.