Ancient history tells many tales - some created on dream and some predicated on truth. Ancient Mesopotamia has its share of reviews and several tales focus on a man named Gilgamesh. The "Epic of Gilgamesh, " tells this man's life tale. Throughout the tale, Gilgamesh battles with the idea of his own mortality and refuses to assume that his life should come to an end. Being two-thirds god, he perceives himself as a god-like creature. Eventually however, Gilgamesh benefits wisdom on his voyage to find immortality and painfully realizes that his goal is unattainable. His grim outlook on life forces him to simply accept his worst fear - that someday he will die.
In Gilgamesh's junior, he was a ruler and was, generally, praised by the inhabitants of metropolis of Uruk. At this time, death did not concern him. He lived as if he were invincible. Later in the epic, a robust man named Enkidu shows up in Uruk and helps put Gilgamesh's power into balance. Together Enkidu and Gilgamesh set out on journeys and achieve many feats; however, one cannot neglect why Enkidu was made to begin with. Enkidu was sent to Gilgamesh because his vitality was overstepping its bounds and "Gilgamesh wouldn't normally leave [young women alone]" ("The Epic of Gilgamesh" 50). Although overall a favorite ruler, Gilgamesh reaches one point portrayed as a demanding ruler that disregards the wishes of his subjects and rapes women as he pleases. In this regard, does Gilgamesh are entitled to immortality to begin with? This deeper philosophical question must be tackled before one starts to understand why immortality is an impossibility for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh may have asked himself this question, which might have made him ponder his own worthiness to be immortal. These thoughts helped catalyze his fear that he'd die just like the people he ruthlessly ruled over. Quite simply, the questionability of his morality may have driven his search for eternal children.
During one trip, Enkidu and Gilgamesh go to the Cedar Forest and Humbaba, a monster tasked by the gods with guarding the forest, confronts them. After a long have difficulty, Humbaba begs for his life, but Gilgamesh, prompted by Enkidu, eliminates him in any case. The gods find out and are upset at this defiance and finally destroy Enkidu as abuse. After all, Humbaba was innocent and did not deserve to pass away. When Enkidu dies and "has considered clay" in Gilgamesh's hands, Gilgamesh, petrified that he will experience the same destiny, "roam[s] open up country for long ranges; [as the] words of [his] friend Enkidu weigh upon [him]" ("The Epic" 104). When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh switches into a melancholy and cannot stop mourning the increased loss of his friend. He talks to Enkidu's body as if it was still alive and won't bury him. Gilgamesh is stressed out and fearful for his own life for several reasons. He has already established very few good friends in the epic that we know of and when his best ally dies, Gilgamesh will not know what to do without Enkidu and becomes delusional about his situation. Gilgamesh becomes more aware of his mortality because Enkidu's durability matched his own when he was killed. Gilgamesh resolves to conquer death.
Gilgamesh is determined to live permanently, and he starts to track down a mortal known as Utnapishtim who was simply granted eternal life. Gilgamesh overcomes many obstructions to attain this man, a few of which no mortal acquired ventured through before. Finally, when he matches Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh clarifies his desire to be immortal and his concern with death. Utnapishtim challenges him to "not sleeping for six days and nights and seven nights" ("The Epic" 116). He is determined to complete this obstacle and prove to Utnapishtim and himself that he deserves immortality, however "sleep breathes over him just like a fog, " and he's struggling to stay awake ("The Epic" 116). Eventually he is awoken and believes he has only been asleep for a few minutes. He's still full of despair comfortable that death is fast approaching. His journey ends in failing, but also contributes to an important epiphany. He discovers that it is better to die happily than reside in dread but it is unclear if he actually embraces this revelation. No matter, his journey makes him a wiser ruler.
Death itself invokes dread. We realize it exists however, not where it leads. The mystery of death, combined with Mesopotamian prospect, leave fear and sadness to cultivate in your brain of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh says, "no one sees the facial skin of Death. No one hears the tone of Death" ("The Epic" 108). He goes on, little or nothing that "death [is a] picture [that] cannot be drawn" ("The Epic" 109). This form or make that is fatality cannot be described. Gilgamesh thinks that something that cannot be observed or seen but that can hit and kill at any moment is something to be feared. Loss of life provides us no hints in regards to what happens after life. We can only speculate as to how this mystical element operates. Eventually, all we know is that our body decomposes. This grim view, this hourglass of life constantly being depleted, leaves Gilgamesh sense only unfilled and mournful.
Some claim that Gilgamesh has recently achieved immortality. Although he's physically lifeless, his stories and journeys live on through the written phrase. His tale has been copied and translated into many texts and languages. On this sense, he has indeed gained everlasting life. He lives on not through his body but through printer ink and paper. However, when Gilgamesh places out to find everlasting youngsters he is attempting to escape a physical loss of life so that he might exist on earth permanently. Living metaphorically wouldn't normally have been sufficient for Gilgamesh. A number of the legends portray Gilgamesh as a spiteful and violent ruler, yet Gilgamesh is no longer alive and cannot impact how his reports are interpreted. With this sense he has no control over his presence. Although we read about him today, he was ruler of days gone by, and is no more alive in the present.
Gilgamesh prepares to leave Utnapishtim, still unsuccessful, afraid, and upset. However before he bids farewell, Utnapishtim discloses a magic formula of the gods. He informs Gilgamesh that there is a thorny vegetable in the Apsu that restores youngsters. Upon experiencing this Gilgamesh weighs himself down and dives into the sea to recuperate the plant. Despite the fact that Gilgamesh detects this seed, he will not consume it at that moment. He decides to hold back and "give it to an elder to eat, and so try the herb" ("The Epic" 119). However since it was never analyzed, one cannot be certain that the place will do as it pledges in the first place. When he discovers the place is taken, sadness takes over him as "tears flowed over his cheeks" ("The Epic" 119). Except for the death of Enkidu, this is the only time that Gilgamesh cries. Only and scared, Gilgamesh realizes that his last chance to find immortality has approved. However, there is absolutely no confirmation that the plant restores youth, so one cannot say with certainty that immortality is available in that form. Although Gilgamesh had not been able to try the seed himself, the snake which stole the herb may have experienced the plant's effects. The night time that the thorny herb was taken by the snake; "it had taken it away, [and] it shed its scaly epidermis" ("The Epic" 119). This quotation in the epic unveils an ambiguity. If the snake sheds its skin, it could be aging or getting more youthful. Because this is ambiguous, we cannot confirm that immortality existed in the form of a plant. Supposing the place was actually effective, Gilgamesh could have logically dived back off to obtain additional of the flower. This leaf of life is more symbolic and is also useful to show that immortality, like fatality, is not tangible. Gilgamesh is familiar with fighting pushes that he can easily see such as Humbaba, the Bull of Heaven, and other warriors. When he handles immortality which has no physical form, Gilgamesh is disappointed and ultimately unprepared to combat the unknown.
Evidence clearly shows that Gilgamesh passed on a fearful man, vainly clutching the dream of immortality. When he observed powerful Enkidu die, he understood that he would see the same destiny and attempt to change his destiny. However, does somebody who slays an innocent beast and rapes innocent women really have earned to live permanently? There is no substantiation in the epic that he admits his wrongdoings or that he feels any remorse. No matter, he packages out to find Utnapishtim and prove to himself that he has a right to be young again. On all of his journeys, Gilgamesh can see himself ageing, and he spends countless time looking for something that will not exist. One can only ponder why Gilgamesh sought so highly to be immortal when his life as a ruler, a judge, and an adventurer was in the end successful.
