The Use Of Force In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

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Conflict is constant. It is everywhere. It exists within one’s own mind, different desires fighting for dominance. It exists outside in nature, different animals fighting for the limited resources available, and it exists in human society, in the courts. It can occur subtly, making small changes that do not register consciously, and it can occur directly and violently, the use of pure strength, whether physical, social, economic, or academic, to assert dominance and achieve one’s goals; this is the use of force. Yet, with the use of force, the user of force is destined to be one day felled by it. “He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.” Before getting into specifics, it is necessary to put down the general theory behind the assertion. …show more content…

Among the oldest surviving literature today is the Epic of Gilgamesh, and it illustrates this point perfectly. Gilgamesh, created by the gods, two thirds god and one third human, to lord over humanity, has no compassion. In his Kingdom, Uruk, Gilgamesh rules like a despot. Any woman he fancies, he rapes. His people are oppressed. The gods, not intending such a travesty, send Enkidu down to both fight and befriend Gilgamesh. After the fight, Gilgamesh stops being a tyrant and becomes friends with Enkidu. Even just in this first part of the story, Gilgamesh has already “died by the sword.” Gilgamesh lived his life by powering through everything, building large monuments, and oppressing his people, whether they wanted to be oppressed or not. It is not a coincidence that the plan the gods chose was to create a man equal to Gilgamesh and have them both fight. Gilgamesh, unable to listen to anything but power, was changed by someone of equal power. The old Gilgamesh, the one who oppressed and raped as he liked, is effectively dead after Enkidu befriended him after their fight. Later on, Gilgamesh and Enkidu go on an adventure to a forest they should not have gone to. Apparently, convinced not to use his power on his own people, Gilgamesh wants to channel his strength elsewhere, by challenging the gods. After Gilgamesh spurns the advances of the goddess Ishtar, she sends the Bull of Heaven to punish him. Even knowing that he has offended the gods, Gilgamesh scoffs at the punishment and crushes the Bull. Angered at this defiant action, the gods punished Gilgamesh by killing Enkidu, his only friend. And thus, Gilgamesh breaks. Reminded terribly of his own mortality, Gilgamesh goes on a journey for immortality, and along the way he learns that humans are not meant for it. At the end of the story, after a long journey, Gilgamesh is a changed person, his old

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