The
Epic of Gilgamesh
This legend was
about the King of Uruk in
Babylonia. King Gilgamesh was two-thirds
god and one-third man. The Epic
of Gilgamesh was written approximately 2700 B. C. As he traveled around the world with a young-man
and a god, Enkidu, he performed great deeds as a hero. Enkidu taught Gilgamesh the meaning of love, compassion, and
humanity. When Enkidu died, King Gilgamesh became devastated in sorrow. Gilgamesh experienced that his love for
Enkidu allowed him to feel the human pain of the loss of a love one. Gilgamesh searched a way to live forever to
lessen the pain he felt after Enkidu died. This legend emphasized the nature of man. As King Gilgamesh relentlessly searched to
live forever, Utnapishtim gave him a
test in which he had failed. He learned
that eternity was only for the gods. Also,
Gilgamesh discovered that the gods were dangerous for mortals. Unfortunately, he ascertained that he must
experience and endure the death of Enkidu for him to understand his significance as
King. King Gilgamesh eventually realized
that nature’s power was to remind him of his place on earth. When he returned to his city Uruk, he understood
how mortal he was, and now, he visualized his city as splendid and
glorious rather than horrible and dreadful.
Finally, The Epic of Gilgamesh embarked on the
assertiveness of the gods and displayed the roles of the humans in
society. This legend displayed the
struggles of a hero, Gilgamesh’s stubbornness to fight for eternity. His quest led him to his place back to his
city in Mesopotamia. Thus, he finally
understood what Enkidu had taught him from the beginning which was life, and in
the end, which was death. Also, The Epic of Gilgamesh taught Gilgamesh
the two worlds, uncivilized and civilized.
No comments:
Post a Comment