Preview

The Epic Of Gilgamesh Analysis

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
700 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Epic Of Gilgamesh Analysis
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem written on stone tablets between 2700 B.C. and around 600 B.C. The Author is an ancient authors of stories that compose poems that are anonymous. This poem is epic and the genre is heroic. All languages were written in cuneiform script. Tablet XI of Gilgamesh was translated and published in 1872.The point of view of this story is third person .Most of the story is told from Gilgamesh and Utnapishtim narrates the flood story in tablet XI. The major conflict of the story is that Gilgamesh struggles to avoid death. The theme of the story is love as a motivation, certainty of death, and the gods are very evil. The symbol of the story is the religious symbols.
Although Gilgamesh seem hostile towards Utnapishtim and even considered him his enemy,
…show more content…
The protagonist conflict is Gilgamesh experiences both external and internal conflicts. The external ones include conflicts with the gods, Humbaba, and the Bull of Heaven. The internal ones include his difficulty coping with the loss of Enkidu and overcoming the fear of death. The symbol is religious symbols and doorways.The god Ea, warned Utnapishtim and instructed him to build a massive boat to save himself, his family. He does so, and the gods brought rain which caused the water to rise for many days. When the rains moderated, the boat landed on a mountain, and Utnapishtim set loose first a dove, then a swallow, and finally a raven, which found land. The god Ishtar, created the rainbow and placed it in the sky, as a reminder to the gods and a pledge to manhood that there would be no more floods.Ea was giving him advice on what he should do. Overall, Gilgamesh comes to his senses to speak to Utanapishtim and learns that immortality isn't for everyone. Gilgamesh can't hope for the gods to make a similar exception on his behalf. Gilgamesh learns about the mysterious flower that will make anyone who eats young again. He even gets the flower but then a snake steals

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh is an epic poem and it is one of the earliest pieces of world literature. The epic of Gilgamesh is the greatest work of ancient Mesopotamia. There are several translations around the world, but the one that I came across with was translated by Benjamin R. Foster. Immortality was something king Gilgamesh always dreamt of, but a friendship was something he didn't have before. “ They kissed each other and made friends” (Ln 115). This text shows that it was just the beginning of a irreplaceable friendship between two different powerful men. This epic poem contains several themes such as the King Gilgamesh wanting immortality due to the things surrounding him. However, the theme that actually made king Gilgamesh to do such quest, was the…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh, suggests that the people of Mesopotamia expect their rulers to be strong, heroic, fearless, unselfish, and godly. Gilgamesh is said to be two-thirds god and one-thirds human, is described as being “strong, stately, and wise” and several times throughout the epic as “accomplished in strength”. However, not everyone sees the ruler as being great. Many believe that Gilgamesh exhibits many good characteristics but lacks generosity. The nobles at the beginning of the epic are one of those peoples who complain because Gilgamesh is acting tyrannically. They suggest that although they like how Gilgamesh is heroic and godly, they would like someone more democratic to be their ruler. In one part of the epic, Gilgamesh defeats…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Unit 4 I have learned many things about myths and rituals, the story of Epic of Gilgamesh, and the stages of the hero’s journey. These three things benefited me in different ways. I did not know anything about myths and rituals and going over the questions that you assigned in class helped me. The questions made me realize what kind of person I am. It made me answers about my rituals, and asked me about my myth opinions. It also talked about my favorite fairy tale and a mythology story that I can relate too. I am glad that you asked me these questions, because now I can tell other people about them and ask them also. Another thing that we discussed in this unit was the story of Gilgamesh. That story was interesting to me, because I have…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded epics ever discovered. It is written about Gilgamesh the ancient king of Uruk, located in modern day Warka, Iraq. His reign is believed to have occurred sometime between 2700 and 2500 B.C.E. It’s modern importance lies with the information it reveals about Sumerian society and culture; the most important themes in the story are the importance of love, the inevitability of death and the power of the gods.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    MLA Essay

    • 3214 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Version with an Introduction, Trans N.K Sandars. London: Penguin Group, 1972. Print.…

    • 3214 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    selfishness, so the nobles went to the gods for help with him, and they beg the…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story of The Epic of Gilgamesh is a western civilization historical poem that is mix of mythology and literature. It is to be believed was written around the first centuries of the second millennium B.C. considering one of the oldest, if not the oldest, ancient poem. It is about a hero who is desperate to become a god and goes an on quest for immortality. Within the pages of the old tale it reveals many hints of history, human nature, and myths of an ancient culture. Though the Sumerian Empire, the Mesopotamian culture, is long forgotten it has been told and retold by many for a reason. Is it because it’s similar views and culture? Is it because of its great story telling, its rich words? Or maybe because it enlighten the people historically? Though the tablets were founded by archaeologists in Middle East, it is a tale written by people of…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh is a third person journey about a man’s change from bad to good because of a character named Enkidu. Gilgamesh starts out a mean spirited, bitter, tyrant-like man and turns to a good humble like hero. Throughout the story different experiences and journeys lead Gilgamesh to this ending. On page 99, lines 2-50 Gilgamesh comes off as a cocky and selfish young king. In a way Gilgamesh cannot help but to be the selfish king that he is because, he came into this personality due to his upbringing and surroundings and his overall being. Gilgamesh is the handsomest, strongest, and most powerful man in the world. He also is two thirds god and his father was the king before him.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh by Donna Rosenberg revealed the tale of the two-thirds god and one-third mortal king, Gilgamesh, whose biggest fear was the common fate of all human beings - death. Throughout his journey to find immortality, the story portrayed various examples of different categories of archetypes that influenced the passage, and added to the overall meaning of the text. The most important archetypes that impacted the plot of the story include Gilgamesh’s heroic characteristics, Enkidu’s death, and the idea of immortality.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cause of Enkidu's Death

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As the world continues to evolve and advance in knowledge and time, one thing remains the same: the world’s first literary work is still as impressive and entertaining as any modern work today. The Epic of Gilgamesh retains the world’s first accounts of what life was like when the great King Gilgamesh was upon the earth. The title, which includes the author of the work, also reveals an extremely large variety human emotions and interactions. The experiences which take place in this literary work of art are still repeated in some form or fashion in today’s literature. One such event in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Death of Enkidu, encompasses human tragedy and the human involvement such as love, resentment, hope, confusion, and forgiveness. The Death of Enkidu reveals fault in Gilgamesh because of actions that couldn’t be avoided, but it also reveals consequential actions that were intentional.…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest primary document discovered in human history dating back to approximately 2,000 B.C.E. This document tells a story of an ancient King Gilgamesh, ruler of Sumer in 2,700 B.C.E. who is created gloriously by gods as one third man and two third god. In this epic, Gilgamesh begins his kingship as an audacious and immature ruler. Exhausted from complaints, the gods send a wild man named Enkidu to become civilized and assist Gilgamesh to mature into a righteous leader. However, Enkidus death causes Gilgamesh to realize his fear of immortality and search for an escape from death. On his journey, Gilgamesh learns that the gods will not grant his wish and that he must accept his destiny (In Search of Eternal Life, 1). . By analyzing this story, one is able to deduce the ways it has entertained, educated, and enlightened the Mesopotamian culture in ancient times. It provides examples of ideal leaderiship, proper lifestyles, and gender roles.…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Epic of Gilgamesh

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cited: Damrosch, David and David L. Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, 71-113.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The story of Gilgamesh was one of the world’s first literary works but most importantly the very first epic. “An epic or heroic poem is a long narrative poem, on a serious subject [that was] written in a grand or elevated style, centered on a larger-than-life hero” (Lynch). Because it was only recited orally for many centuries it was forgotten and vanished until “it was recorded at Sumer in the late third millennium B.C.E” (Fiero 19). The story of Gilgamesh is about an arrogant ruler, who changes because of an immense love and friendship with his companion Enkidu, it is a story about the wisdom he acquires with his journeys, and the inevitability of death.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The question I thought about while reading this text was what the role is for women, and how their actions and descriptions reveal Mesopotamian attitudes concerning gender. The female gender was not highly looked upon during these times. The only time you see a respected female figure is when the mother of a son is being talked about. Any other time females are being talked about, they are portrayed with vulgar characteristics and seen as simply being there to serve the man. I will go through both ways the women are being portrayed, and relate them back to how they reveal Mesopotamian culture.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of a legendary king of Uruk in South Baby-lonia (van Reeth 1994). He was the fifth ruler of Uruk after the deluge and possibly ruled Uruk around 2800 BCE (van Reeth 1994).…

    • 1532 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays