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Gilgamesh Challenges

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Challenges in Life “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is an ancient story by William Ellery Leonard that we have a written record and was recited for generations before it was inscribed on the clay tablet in cuneiform script(6). Leonard presents challenges and experiences encountered by the most powerful man Gilgamesh, who ruled the city of Uruk in ancient Sumer, between 2700 and 2600 B.C (6). This King was regarded to be half human and half god because of his power and strength. The society then called upon their god’s to make them another man who can take over from him (7). Engidu was chosen to be the person to overcome Gilgamesh, but the King challenged him to a fight and Engidu lost the fight (9). By reading this epic, we can learn more about: …show more content…

In the Content Section, the main ideas depicted are friendship, death, and anger of gods (10). For instance, it is represented that Gilgamesh and Engidu become comrades after their wresting. This is an indication that good friendship existed among rivals during those ancient days within the entire society (10). The narrator also explains the anger of god’s that exist in the community. For example, gods were very angry at Gilgamesh with his friend Engidu because they killed “the king of the bull-of-heaven” (10). The gods then decided to kill Engidu as revenge because they were mad at him (10). Another lesson learnt also is the existence of death in the society. For example, Engidu died and his friend Gilgamesh was afraid that he might die too (11). He ran away across the sea to avoid death, but he later realized that death is inevitable and no one can evade it (11). In the citation part, we also get to know that a young English archaeologist discovered this epic in 1839 beneath the desert sand that belonged to the buildings or a library that was destroyed by an invading army of Medes and Babylonians in 612 B.C at the city of Nineveh (6). The type of the source of this epic is a primary historical source which was reconstructed and translated for the new generation to learn historical information that once existed in cuneiform tablet at the library

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Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.

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People of Uruk complain about the nature of Gilgamesh’ tyranny to gods as they can no longer tolerate the king’s unjust behaviors: “His companions are kept on their feet by his contests, [the young men of Uruk] he harries without warrant. Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father, by day and by [night his tyranny grows] harsher. (Gilgamesh, I.166-170)” People rely on the king to protect their rights and the country, but Gilgamesh does the opposite by taking away their sons and daughters for his personal needs. The people of Uruk feel oppressed under Gilgamesh’s rule as Gilgamesh gives himself the right to sleep with women on the first night of marriage and to take away sons from the household to appease his appetite for war games.

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However, the epic could not be true in general, but had some degree of honesty. Knowledge was increased regarding architectural craftsmanship of the Sumerian people, as well as regarding the gods and how the society function with their polytheistic

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Together, they balance out the tamed and untamed worlds and with Enkidu ’s help Gilgamesh becomes a hero king. Together they go on to defeat Huwawa, the monster in the cedar forest, they defeat the bull of heaven sent from Ishtar, and at the end Gilgamesh is shown to represent a real hero king due to the friendship of

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Gilgamesh is portrayed as a conceited ruler who is consumed by his own pride and desire for power. As King of Uruk, he exploits his power and disregards his citizens' well-being. His arrogance blinds him to the consequences of his actions and distances him from the needs and worries of his people. Pride and a desire for power cause turmoil and disaster in both Antigone and Gilgamesh. They emphasize the hazards of excessive arrogance and the importance of humility and self-awareness.

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In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).

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Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the start were bound to each other from their creation by the gods. To understand more you must learn of their similarity, difference and their experiences that take you to Enkidu’s death. From our reading assignments, I would like to have explored more past Enkidu’s death to learn more of how Gilgamesh had reacted. Each of our heroes brings much ado to the reality of friendship, love, and expression of men during their time.

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Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronting with painful circumstances in our lives, we often ask ourselves why is life so difficult and wonder if suffering is necessary. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both go through suffering either physically or mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ sufferings are the results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of to be remembered.

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A hero was a figure in a literature who went beyond the human’s limitation. Among countless heroic literature that were published, The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first Western Literature that portrayed an epic hero. Since the epic was written between 2150 and 1400 BCE, Gilgamesh was the Western Literature’s first known hero. Although each hero had similar characteristics, each hero had different situations and personalities, which led to different heroic archetypes. Depending on each situation and journey, the hero had different roles in literature such as either an epic hero or a tragic hero.

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These societies have developed inventions and ideas that have significantly affected today’s world such as, government, art, wheels mathematics, and many more (Garone). The cultures and themes from the story are displayed all across the text, and after studying Gilgamesh’s culture and story, it is evident that there are numerous cultural contribution to modern day society, such as gods, seeking revenge or love, and destroying enemies. More importantly, throughout the text, Gilgamesh was in a predicament trying to figure out the meaning of life and the value of human accomplishment (Mark). The culture of mankind has always been to seek the meaning of life, no matter the time period, religion, or community. From the times of Gilgamesh to

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