What Is Gilgamesh's Quest
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Gilgamesh is one of the earliest and well-known epics at the start of literature around the world. Like most epics Gilgamesh contains a quest on which the hero embarks upon. King Gilgamesh of Uruk is a strong, good-looking warrior who is two- thirds god and one-third man. Yet, he lacks one thing he desires, immortality. After the death of his friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh fears that he too may die and seeks to remedy his mortality. The theme of Gilgamesh is to accomplish the impossible as he sets out upon a worthy quest that ends up changing him through his many trials yet is ultimately unsuccessful in the end.
Gilgamesh seeks out to do the impossible, and grab immortality as he fears the unknown. This is the theme of Gilgamesh’s quest.
He seeks immortality as he watches his friend Enkidu die from a disease from the gods. He refuses to leave his friend “until a worm crawls out of his nose.” Desperate to avoid Enkidu’s fate he seeks out the man
Utnapishtim, the survivor of the great flood. There are many challenges that lie ahead of him, including facing the scorpion monsters at the entrance of the mountain and crossing the rivers of death. In the end he comes to where Utnapishtim dwells, but he fails the trial given to him by Utnapishtim who says “if you can survive eternity, then you can stay awake for a week.” Yet, as he turns in defeat Utnapishtim’s wife takes mercy on him and encourages her husband to tell of the youth-restoring flower. In the end
Gilgamesh realizes that not everything is possible and is more contented with life.
Gilgamesh is one of the earliest and well-known epics at the start of literature around the world. Like most epics Gilgamesh contains a quest on which the hero embarks upon. King Gilgamesh of Uruk is a strong, good-looking warrior who is two- thirds god and one-third man. Yet, he lacks one thing he desires, immortality. After the death of his friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh fears that he too may die and seeks to remedy his mortality. The theme of Gilgamesh is to accomplish the impossible as he sets out upon a worthy quest that ends up changing him through his many trials yet is ultimately unsuccessful in the end.
Gilgamesh seeks out to do the impossible, and grab immortality as he fears the unknown. This is the theme of Gilgamesh’s quest.
He seeks immortality as he watches his friend Enkidu die from a disease from the gods. He refuses to leave his friend “until a worm crawls out of his nose.” Desperate to avoid Enkidu’s fate he seeks out the man
Utnapishtim, the survivor of the great flood. There are many challenges that lie ahead of him, including facing the scorpion monsters at the entrance of the mountain and crossing the rivers of death. In the end he comes to where Utnapishtim dwells, but he fails the trial given to him by Utnapishtim who says “if you can survive eternity, then you can stay awake for a week.” Yet, as he turns in defeat Utnapishtim’s wife takes mercy on him and encourages her husband to tell of the youth-restoring flower. In the end
Gilgamesh realizes that not everything is possible and is more contented with life.