...Aylin Sipahi CMLT C110 Final Essay for Epic of Gilgamesh February 19, 2013 The Epic of Gilgamesh serves as a great looking glass into a long lost culture in which most artifacts are lost. The story centers on Gilgamesh, a ruthless king who is two thirds god and one third man. As king, he does not meet his potentials of leadership as he is often self-centered and sometimes depicted as inhumane. When his dear friend Enkidu dies, he sets off to find immortality. He eventually fails, but during his journey, he came to terms with his mortality and became a more compassionate person. Even though the main characters are men, the women play small but vital roles along his journey. The women in this epic reveal that they are solely responsible for the civilization of Gilgamesh and Enkidu by means of dream interpretation, sex, and motherly instincts, because the men of this epic do not have the ability to do them on their own. As king, Gilgamesh does things of his own accord and with his own judgment. He terrifies his city with his ruthless behavior, and even upsets the gods. He takes away sons from families, and has his way with newly wedded brides on their honeymoon before the grooms. As Gilgamesh sees women as merely sex objects, it’s difficult to imagine that when he needs direction he goes to his mother, Ninsun “who is well-beloved and wise (page 66).” It is interesting to see that Gilgamesh sees every other woman as a sex object, except his mother. Some theories to support...
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...Introduction The epic poem dubbed the Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the earliest surviving literature on the face of the planet. The poem came from Mesopotamia in its original cuneiform script comprising 12 tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a chronicle detailing the classic adventures of Gilgamesh, a historic king of Uruk. Over the years, historians have eliminated the 12th tablet for alleged inconsistencies. The poem depicts a wide range of themes such as the inevitability of death, which is portrayed when Gilgamesh’s struggle to be young backfires. Other themes include the struggle between humanity and divine power, necessity of friendship, oppression, and the enduring struggle for power along with the conflict between the rulers and the ruled. Relationship between the Ruler and the Ruled The conflict between rulers and their subjects is perhaps the most enduring historical trend known to humanity. As Machiavelli, Hobbes, Karl Marx and other realist theorist of power politics concur, this longstanding conflict manifests itself in terms of oppression and suppression where the ruling class seeks to dominate the masses financially, socially and politically. This trend is no more today as it was then. It is a reflection of survival for the fittest as envisioned in Darwin’s evolution theory (Foster 45). Looking at the epic of Gilgamesh, which was created at around 2500 BC, oppression emerges as one of the mainstream themes. This is portrayed in the eminence of the king...
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...Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is epic poetry from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story,Gilgamesh, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much later. The most complete version existing today is preserved on 12 clay tablets from the library collection of 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. It was originally titled He who Saw the Deep (Sha naqba īmuru) or Surpassing All Other Kings (Shūtur eli sharrī). The story revolves around a relationship between Gilgamesh (probably a real ruler in the late Early Dynastic II period ca. 27th century BC)[1] and his close companion, Enkidu. Enkidu is a wild man created by the gods as Gilgamesh's equal to distract him from oppressing the citizens of Uruk. Together they undertake dangerous quests that incur the displeasure of the gods. Firstly, they journey to the Cedar Mountain to defeat Humbaba, its monstrous guardian. Later they kill the Bull of Heaven that the goddess Ishtar has sent to punish Gilgamesh for spurning her advances. The latter part of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's distressed reaction to Enkidu's death, which takes the form of a quest for immortality. Gilgamesh attempts to learn the secret of eternal life by undertaking a long and perilous journey to meet the immortal flood hero, Utnapishtim. Ultimately the poignant words addressed to Gilgamesh in the midst...
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...the mountain, which was the father of the gods that decreed the destiny of Gilgamesh. Enlil gave Gilgamesh the power to bind and to loose, to be the darkness and the light of mankind. 2. What understanding of the afterlife does the epic suggest? The Epic of Gilgamesh states, “I saw the kings of the earth, their crowns put away for ever; rulers and princes, all those who once wore kingly crowns and ruled the world in the days of old…now like servants to fetch baked meats in the house of dust, to carry cooked meat and cold water from the water-skin.” The epic suggests that no matter you economic and class status everyone was going to be in the same predicament. It shows that even the gods weren’t privileged especially since it sates those who had stood in the place of the gods like Anu and Enlil are not servants. 3. What philosophy of life comes across in the Gilgamesh story? The Epic states, “Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.” Siduri, the tavern keeper, was trying to remind Gilgamesh not to look for immortality and enjoy the life he has now. 4. How does the Epic of Gilgamesh portray the gods and their relationship to humankind? The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays the relationship between the gods and humans like the gods have all...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Book of Job can be thoroughly analyzed containing many similarities and differences. These two works of literature were written in different time periods. Fiero states that The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem that precedes the Hebrew bible (19), while The Book of Job is religious text that is an actual excerpt from the Hebrew bible. Both originated from the region, Mesopotamia where it was common for people to have negative views on everything and believe that the evil in the world outweighs the good. Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh and Job in The Book of Job shows these views in both works. Utnapishtim says to Gilgamesh, “There is no permanence” (Fiero 37). This shows how Utnapishtim believes that good things won’t last forever. God blesses the main characters in both works. Gilgamesh is blessed with a perfect body, beauty, and courage. “Two thirds they made him God and one third man” (Fiero 19). Job was blessed with flocks of animals, a large family, and protected land. Job is said to be “blameless and upright” (Fiero 34). Although blessed both men were pushed to their mental and physical limits to see what they were made of. “Job and Gilgamesh are tested by superhuman forces, and both come to realize that misfortune and suffering are typical of the human condition” (Fiero 37). Gilgamesh is tested when Ishtar, the Goddess of love, takes the life of his companion Enkidu for rejecting her affections for him. “Because I am afraid of death...
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...human authors also included those who were great leaders, such as Joshua, and those who were chosen of God to be prophets, such as Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Some of the authors were like David, who began as a shepherd but became king of Israel. David wrote many of the Psalms, forming a rich poetic background for much of the biblical truth. Some of the writers were farmers, some were warriors, some were fishermen. There was little that tied them together except that they all wrote a portion of the biblical truth as said in the Bible. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible Gilgamesh is believed to have been a Sumerian king from the city of Uruk who ruled around 2500 B.C.E. Little is known about this actual historical figure or his mythical equivalent. What we know about the mythical Gilgamesh comes primarily from one of the oldest works of literature known to human kind: The Epic of Gilgamesh . The written story of Gilgamesh possibly finds its...
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...04/27/12 ENGL 175 Major influence Although the narrative or story of Noah and the flood is one of the great stories in the Bible, many question its originality. The biblical version of the flood in Genesis 6-10 is “quite close in many respects to the Mesopotamian flood stories” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible pg 19), which were written beforehand. As much as they are similar, there are significant differences that distinguish the two tales and their reliability. The epic of Gilgamesh, written by the Sumerians between 2700 B.C. and 600 B.C., is the most famous parallel to the story of Noah in the bible. It focuses on the king of Uruk Gilgamesh, and his quest for immortality after the death of his friend. This quest leads him to Utnapishtim, (character equivalent to the biblical Noah) who is the “immortal flood hero” (Wikipedia). Utnapishtim then recounts to Gilgamesh the story of how he survived the flood. There are seven main similarities between the flood in the epic of Gilgamesh and that of Genesis. The foremost and obvious is that both of the characters were warned to build a boat to escape a flood. Secondly families of both Noah and Utnapishtim were saved along with the sampling of animals they were instructed to gather. Third, both floods are believed to have occurred on or in the Mesopotamian plain. Next come the fact that both boats were sealed with tar, and during the flood both men sent out a dove and raven to determine the conditions of the flood...
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...The Sumerian tale of Gilgamesh is the oldest to have survived into the modern era. Thus the greatest value of Gilgamesh is that it opens a window for modern readers into their collective past. The tale’s content reveals much about humanity’s earliest social and religious concerns, while its form reveals equivalent insights about the relationship between instruction and entertainment in an oral culture. The story of Gilgamesh reveals both a desire to commemorate the hero’s greatness and an obligation to learn from his flaws. The first thing the audience learns from the story is that Gilgamesh builds protective walls around the city, a great gift to his society. When the audience next learns that the king has been abusive to the young men of the city and has deflowered young maidens, their disapproval of these acts is tempered by their initial approval of his great accomplishment. Overall, the early portions of the story demonstrate that the abiding criterion for judgment is not the happiness of the individual, even if that individual is the king, but the good of society as a whole. When Gilgamesh exercises the kingly privilege in deflowering maidens, his actions may be legal, but they fail to provide any benefit for Uruk and are therefore condemned. Thus does the audience learn that greatness entails responsibility, not just strength. Crucial to the lesson of the story is Gilgamesh’s status as two-thirds god, one-third human. Kings are more than human and therefore are revered;...
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...The Epic Tale Of Gilgamesh Gilgamesh is presented as the heroic, yet cruel, figure responsible for creating the city of Uruk. Seemingly invincible to mortals, Gilgamesh is presented as a powerful leader who is known to rape women at will and rule his kingdom with violent, cruel power. He is unchallenged until the creation of Enkidu, a being almost as powerful in strength as Gilgamesh. After engaging in violent combat with one another, Gilgamesh and Enkidu form a friendship that sets them apart from ordinary mortals. I suppose that this relationship is typical of their strength, showing them both as equals, and is used to praise and escalate their characters in the poem to show them as heroic figures in the tale that are capable of doing more than just the regular mortal has power to do. In this tale, Gilgamesh feels the need to be the first to have sex with a bride after she is married and take their virginity before the groom even gets a chance to do anything of the sort, which further shows Gilgamesh’s lust for not only women, but also power; however, it is important to note that Gilgamesh is not picky with the women that he sleeps with, but rather, is open to sleeping with everyone out there, showing that he doesn’t really care for the women. Enkidu Comes into the story and at first is disgusted with Gilgamesh’s actions with these women. Enkidu eventually ends up challenging Gilgamesh after hearing about his unpleasant activities, but just hardly loses the battle. They...
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...Within the two readings of “The Flood” from the “Epic of Gilgamesh” and excerpts from Genesis 6:5-9:17: “The Flood”, one has distinguished several differences between both articles. The first major difference between the two readings is that the “Epic of Gilgamesh” has a council of gods who sends the flood while one God sends a flood in Genesis. The name of the man in the “Epic of Gilgamesh” was Utnapishtim and the man in Genesis was Noah. Ea told Utnapishtim to build a boat while God told Noah to build the ark. The size of the ark/boat in both stories were different. The boat in the “Epic of Gilgamesh” was a square while the ark in Genesis was a rectangle. In the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, the gods gave loaves of bread and wheat to the man while God told Noah to collect his own food for the ark in Genesis....
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...Gods words to Noah on a fateful night long ago. A flood was the only way to cleanse the earth. The thought process of the Gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh was very similar; they also felt the need to rid the earth of humans. The biblical story of the flood was influenced by The Epic of Gilgamesh because the Gods had similar incentives, both characters were told to do related tasks, and both had kindred outcomes. The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh were disgusted by what they saw from human beings. The sheer wickedness of their souls was unbearable. In “The Story of The Flood” God saw how his earth had become sin stricken. In both stories the Gods...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts the relationship between humans and gods as a dependent relationship. This relationship helps us understand what it means to be human by establishing the limits of humanity and the duties of the Gods. Humanity is defined by the inevitable cycle of favors between humans and the gods. The Epic of Gilgamesh establishes a profound sense of interdependence between humans and God. Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, embarks on a journey that exemplifies the intricate connection between mortals and deities. Although he possesses immense physical strength, he is depicted as vulnerable and subject to the divine. His quest for immortality explores the dynamic between humanity and the divine realm. Gilgamesh journeys to the Cedar Forest...
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...There will always be evil in the world. In my favorite Television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. the evil hydra agents always resurfaces no matter what happens to get rid of them. In a book I can’t remember the name of, a man named Hercules had fought Hydra the creature, but until he crushed it i wouldn’t stop. Another example is the flood after the flood evil resurfaced. In every culture, people believe evil will always resurface. In most early flood stories, the culture’s god is displeased by the evil abounding. In the epic poem, Gilgamesh, the flood story the war god Ea was displeased with Anu. In the Hebrew version of the flood, In the Hebrew and Islamic versions evil was abounding, God was displeased about all the evil on the earth. In the Islamic version of the flood, Allah was displeased about the evil that roamed the earth and destroy all evil. Clearly humans are concerned with the evil in the world regardless of where they come from....
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...from one story, or that there really was a great flood that covered the earth. The first and oldest story documented is the Epic of Gilgamesh. The flood in this story was...
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...Throughout the history of human existence, scholars have wondered what characteristics found in ancient literature exemplified in their corresponding ancient societies and how these classical works influenced said cultures. One way to answer these questions is to look at famous literary works and the epic heroes that comprise them. Characteristics of epic heroes such as those found in Beowulf, Gilgamesh, the Iliad, and the Odyssey often reflected traits that were seen as favorable within the societies in which they were written, which, in turn, led to these archetypal heroes greatly impacting surrounding societies. When comparing and contrasting epic heroes such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Hector, Achilles, and Odysseus, it becomes evident that...
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