Paper One

Ashley Yanchuck

Paper One

English 225-IN

The Epic of Gilgamesh proves to be an exceptional piece of writing that all should enjoy in their lifetime. There are many themes that one can grasp and cherish through their analysis of this work. A deeper dive into the words and their true meaning will uncover these. Through reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, one may encounter themed life lessons in the form of death being inevitable, love and friendship holding high value, but most importantly, morality being a larger part of basic survival than it is sometimes considered to be.

In this original piece, The Epic of Gilgamesh, there is no known author. This makes the piece even more interesting as there is a mystery to be solved within the lack of knowing where this work came from. It is known that Gilgamesh is the oldest poem from the early Babylonian times. Understanding the time frame, being that this piece is so ancient adds to the excitement in discovering the takeaways that still apply to human life today. To briefly summarize The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, part god, part human, holds a reputation for having a sexulized character with tyrant appeals. He befriends, Enkidu, upon who he ventures off with to slay Humbaba, a monster guarding the woods. They continue to slay the Bull of Heaven. After doing so, the goddess Ishtar defeats Enkidu with a deadly illness that ultimately sacrifices his life. With the tragic loss of his dear friend, Gilgamesh embarks on a journey, not only over physical land, but also of self, to find his new purpose and reason for not only being king of Uruk, but part human altogether.

Death is an inevitable part of life. That is known to all, however we tend to split the population into those who are afraid of death, and those who laugh about it. Enkidu, on their journey to the Cedar Forest, expressed his concerns about death to Gilgamesh, who laughed at the sort of fear Enkidu allowed to portray about such a topic. Gilgamesh speaks, “Where is the strength?...It is Gilgamesh who will venture into the Forest and cut the Cedar down and win the glory,” indicating that he is only out to win the fame and glory of his people, not fearful that death will overtake his soul. As Danielle Allen from the Washington Post indicates in her article, “What We Can Learn From the World’s Oldest Literature”, “Death is the great equalizer”. Given that Gilgamesh is part mortal part god, he does seem to exempt himself from the thought of dying. It is only until after the death of his dear Enkidu, does he learn that death is something to be feared and follows suit with that idea. He exemplifies this during his conversation with Utnapishtim stating, “The life of man is short”. Gilgamesh develops a full understanding that his life very well may end at any time, therefore changing his outlook on his perception on many aspects of his own life.

Relationships prove to be an essential piece of the pie of life. Gilgamesh knows and understands that life is no longer a game, rather a sacred gift, as are the ones he is presented with throughout. He rejects the goddess Ishtar, basically stating that the love she could offer means nothing since she is old and ragged. He doesn’t understand that love holds more than simply beauty. Micah Sadigh from the Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, in his article, “The Foundation of Existentialism in the Oldest Story Ever Told,” states that it is “[t]rue that relationships can be very much like a two edged sword, they are also critical in helping us in the process of self-discovery,”. Gilgamesh does not accept and digest the importance of love and relationships until Enkidu is taken from him. He cared so deeply for his companion, that now he was lost without him. The repetition of the line, “My friend, whom I love deeply, who went through every hardshin with me,” demonstrates the ultimate sacrifice that not only Enkidu endured, by losing his life, but also Gilgamesh, for losing someone he truly did care about. Enkidu was meant for Gilgamesh in the aspect of learning about himself, and how to properly love, as is a key aspect to developing morality.

What does it mean to hold morals close to one’s heart? Gilgamesh questions:

“For how long do we build a household?

For how long do we seal a document!

For how long do brothers share the inheritance?”

These questions and exclamations deliver the cliche message that life is too short, but also the more impactful message calling the reader to not sit around waiting for death to come, but to engage in life, develop and grow from it, for how long do we wait for death, before we die from waiting? The journey that Gilgamesh encountered after the death of Enkidu sculpted him into a new king, “[h]e discovers that his existence is not about his kingdom, his possessions, but the possibilities that await his discovery,” (Sadigh). While traveling and discovering himself, Gilgamesh journeys both physically and spiritually in becoming a ruler that is designed to be an insanely powerful message that many can hold true to and ponder on today.

Oppositionaly, The Epic of Gilgamesh may be transcribed to believe that is simply a story of two gay lovers, and one finding his true self. B.B. Smith in his article “On ‘Gilgamesh’ and Gilgamesh”, suggests that Spencer Reece composed his poem “Gilgamesh” in 2010 as a response and comparison to a modern day Epic of Gilgamesh. Reece paints side by side a picture of his life as a gay man with his lover, traveling through a journey together and ultimately being stripped of his lover, ultimately because his lover desired someone new, as Gilgamesh was stripped of Enkidu. A story, nonetheless, is being fabricated and told with readers of Reece’s poem ultimately assuming that The Epic of Gilgamesh relates to no other than two gay lovers finding each other. There is lack of many key elements in Reece’s poem, those being: no true internal battles in the realization that death is inevitable, lack of an Ishtar figure demonstrating relationships are more than external beauty, and finally no life changing journeys to increase morality. Although Reece does capture the love and relationships aspect of a theme from the ancient poem, it is found to be a “profound male-bonding, a fact which is often found with men's friendships on the battlefield”, indicating that the relationship Enkidu and Gilgamesh held was not romantic, but deep enough to spark an internal change in Gilgamesh. (Smith)

Life is fragile. While The Epic of Gilgamesh holds many truths and lessons, Karen Emmerich from Comparative Literature, states that the  “epic signifies the importance of societal or cultural continuity in the face of human mortality,”. The reader must understand the fragility of life and how our actions are perceived and affect one’s daily life is key. An ultimate inevitable death and cherishing relationships all lead to understanding as Gilgamesh stated, “seek life instead of riches,” demonstrating that understanding and appreciating morality is key to living a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Works Cited

Allen, Danielle. "What we can learn from the world's oldest literature." Washingtonpost.com, 16     Nov. 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A562476870/OVIC?u=edis78478&sid=OVIC&xid=ce6d3499.

EMMERICH, KAREN. “‘A Message from the Antediluvian Age’: The Modern Construction of the Ancient Epic of Gilgamesh.” Comparative Literature, vol. 68, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 251–273. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1215/00104124-3631557.

Sadigh, Micah. “The Foundation of Existentialism in the Oldest Story Ever Told.” Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, vol. 21, no. 1, Jan. 2010, pp. 76–88. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.middlesexcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=49226490&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Smith, B.B. "On 'Gilgamesh' and Gilgamesh." The American Dissident, Summer-Fall 2012, p. 27+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A331687603/OVIC?u=edis78478&sid=OVIC&xid=8c6fb0fb.