The epic of Gilgamesh was an important part in the history of literature. To begin, the book describes Gilgamesh as a two-part god and one part man (pg.21). His mother was a goddess and gave him beauty, strength and restlessness. His dad gave him mortality, which causes this hero to lose sight of himself and focus on the immortality of a god (pg. 21). Gilgamesh’s first focus is creating a name for himself but then he accidentally finds himself in a friendship with Enkidu (pg. 69). They go on a journey and end up defeating Humbaba and then killing the Bull of Heaven. As revenge, Enkidu becomes sick and Gilgamesh watches over his friend for 12 days until he dies (pg. 93). Gilgamesh is struck with heartbreak; he lost his brother and focuses on how to find immortality. He finds Utnapishtim, the first mortal man, and hears the story of the flood. Gilgamesh retuned to Uruk and then reached the end of his life.
Some messages
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You also see many different feelings throughout the story. For example, love and ambition. Gilgamesh’s love for Enkidu was a brother love. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh was lost and afraid of death taking over (pg. 101). Instead of hiding, he let his ambition carry him to find a way to live without a fear of death. He was the first mortal man to make it to the garden by the sea and he crossed the waters of death (pg. 106). He lists all the things he has done and everything he has left behind, but he doesn’t care, he’s too focused on finding the everlasting life (pg. 106). After consuming his himself with finding immortality, Gilgamesh’s fate ended in death. I believe that the end of this story gives you a sense that you can’t get caught up in focusing on one thing. If you do, you could miss out on important parts of your life or not fulfill your potential. This story was created during the early civilizations, but the lessons haven’t changed for people