Preview

What Led To Gilgamesh's Downfall

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
940 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Led To Gilgamesh's Downfall
In Gilgamesh by Herbert Mason, Gilgamesh went on a journey to achieve a supernatural power. He traveled from place to place talking to people about how to achieve the power of immortality. Like a true hero, Gilgamesh went on a journey to achieve something and ended up where he started. However, he failed. Gilgamesh’s chance to gather the power of eternal life had been lost. Gilgamesh returned home to Uruk along with his achievement of grief, sadness, and failure. Gilgamesh came to the realization that life is not what he thought it was. From his journey, Gilgamesh learned that death is inescapable, humankind is limited because there are always problems, and humanity comes with responsibilities such as emotions and the ability to move on, …show more content…

Gilgamesh learns humans have limits because he noticed how success is not guaranteed. Revealing what happened to Gilgamesh to make him notice that success is not guaranteed the text announces, “The plant was gone” (Mason 87). This shows how success is not guaranteed because Gilgamesh tried but was not able to retrieve the flower. By losing the flower, Gilgamesh learns that humans have limits because he was not able to successfully retrieve the flower that would grant him immortality. Gilgamesh also learns that humans have limits because he now knows that judgement is clouded by personal thoughts. Revealing that Gilgamesh learns that personal thoughts cloud judgement the text expresses, “slip in [t]he water quietly until he [Gilgamesh] was refreshed, [l]eaving the plant unguarded” (Mason 86). This explains how Gilgamesh was distracted by his wanting of relaxation that he did not protect the plant. By Gilgamesh not protecting the plant it exhibits the idea that he was distracted because the plant was particularly important to him. Gilgamesh learned that humankind is limited because he now knows that success is not guaranteed and that emotions cloud

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
  • Good Essays

    Given the secret of eternal life, Gilgamesh dives in the cold water, finds the plant and brings it to the surface. He cannot. On his return trip, a serpent steals the plant. Despairing, Gilgamesh has an epiphany when he returns to his native land of Uruk. At the city gates, he has an epiphany and comes to realize the importance of living life, of cherishing the everyday things one tends to take for granted.Gilgamesh’s quest was one of personal insight and growth. Through the physical and psychological trials and tribulations of his journey and in being advised by Utnapishtim and Siduri, Gilgamesh comes to understand the meaning of life and the importance of cherishing the everyday moments that make up a person’s life. Siduri’s advice encases the outcome beautifully: “Remember always…Relish warm food and cool drinks. Cherish children to whom your love give life…simple pleasures in the lesure time of your short…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Does Gilgamesh Change

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    gains a friend, he makes a name for himself by killing Humbaba, and he tries to…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Code Of Hammurabi Essay

    • 2635 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches that human life is difficult and immortality is only for the gods. P15…

    • 2635 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gligamesh

    • 604 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gilgamesh is a man of little value, just like all the other men of his time. He is deemed peripheral, because he cannot procreate. He is told he is “two thirds a god but one third a man.” He wants to live forever and after witnessing the death of his beloved friend, Enkidu, he must do just that. He goes to the land of Dilmum to find the only immortal man, Utnapistum. He travels to the mountain of Mashu where he is questioned and ridiculed for his notion of being everlasting. The Scorpions guard the door from him, standing in the way of eternal life and him, but finally he is let in. Here he is again remind that his quest is unavailing, this time by Shamash the Sun God: “You will never find the life for which you are searching.” He meets Siduri, the goddess of wine she too reminds him of his vacuous journey and the common lot of men: “Be merry and rejoice, cherish your child and embrace you wife.” Not only is Gilgamesh again told his fate; she too locks her tavern, barring him again from reaching the next level to immortality. Eventually, Gilgamesh meet with the epitome of the male hope, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim gives him a speech that averages to “nothing last forever”. He…

    • 604 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh, I shall reveal a secret thing, it is a mystery of the gods that I am telling you. There is a plant that grows under the water, it has a prickle like a thorn, like a rose; it will wound your hands, but if you succeed in taking it, then your hands will hold that which restores his lost youth to a…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh Hero Cycle

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Later on Gilgamesh comes back home and has a New Life. Gilgamesh is no longer worried about having eternal life. Gilgamesh came back home, got married and has a kid named after his good friend Enkidu. Gilgamesh is no longer worried about eternal life because after all he has went through he notices that your memories, children, relative, or something that’s special to you about a person that has died or is no longer with you and will still be in your heart. Gilgamesh…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Herbert Mason’s retelling of the Sumerian epic poem Gilgamesh, is about a king who learns that he is not capable of having eternal life. Throughout his journey, Gilgamesh comes to realize the harsh realities of life, the power of acceptance, impermanence, and transformation. He discovers that moving on from death does not mean overcoming death, and because Gilgamesh has the blood of man, he will never have the ability to live like a god. Ultimately, although Gilgamesh has to learn to accept death as a part of life, he needs to first live life in the present, instead of living in the past with Enkidu, or in the fear of his future.…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gilgamesh was a very attractive masculine hero who was two thirds god and one third man. He was the powerful king of Uruk who went on a long, hard, and physical journey to achieve his number one goal, which was immortality. Through his journey Gilgamesh faced many obstacles and challenges that made it even more difficult in accomplishing his goal. There were many unimportant and important steps throughout his journey that showed the development of Gilgamesh’s true identity, and how he matured along the way.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did Gilgamesh Change

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh the main character is portrayed as the strongest and biggest in the land. He is the mighty king of Uruk and some events came into his life, causing him to change who he was. He encounters a man of the wilderness that is as big and strong as him, they eventually become great friends, but then the man of the wilderness, Enkidu, dies. The way Gilgamesh changes are from those impactful events that come into his life, causing Gilgamesh to change his morality and attitude about death, from having is best friend die, and actually seeing death makes him want to be immortal, when he used to think death came upon everybody and it wasn’t a big deal, and…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, this all changes when Gilgamesh’s newfound friend and carbon copy, Enkidu, dies. The king is deeply saddened by his death and also faces the fact that he too will eventually die. So, in order to cheat death, Gilgamesh decides to search for Uta-napishti and ask how he can live forever. He tells Gilgamesh to do different tasks, but Gilgamesh fails every time. Gilgamesh realizes that if he cannot complete these tasks there is no way he can beat death. Gilgamesh accepts his fate and returns home. Gilgamesh’s story concludes with him seeing his city’s walls which “will be his enduring monument” (George 88). It is important to note that The Epic of Gilgamesh, quite possibly the earliest work of literature, has a central theme of mortality, because it is at the very core of the human experience. This story greatly depicts a dilemma that most humans will eventually face in life. Death is something that is guaranteed and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. However, there is something that one can do; something that will metaphorically make one live forever. That something is making a notable impact on the…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 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

    personality, causing Gilgamesh to be reborn with new values. While the plant is being stolen, Gilgamesh is bathing in a pond, oblivious to the possibility that it could be taken (197). Because he isn't more cautious with the rare plant, it can be inferred that Gilgamesh still believes he is God-like, and that no one would dare challenge him. His assumption that he can leave the item unattended is evidence he is still reckless, and he hasn't learned humility. “When Gilgamesh saw what the snake had done, he sat down and wept”(197). The only other time Gilgamesh cried was for Enkidu’s death. Crying over the plant is a different sort of emotion though. The plant…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Gilgamesh Morality

    • 1954 Words
    • 8 Pages

    An unstable compound of two parts gods and one part man, Gilgamesh suffers most from immoderation. Although he is indeed a mortal, the deity at the core of his nature seeks the gift of the gods: immortality. Knowing that at some point he must shake this mortal coil and move on the eternal deity that comprise 2/3s of him seek eternity. He is the greatest of all men, and both his virtues and his flaws are outsized. Gilgamesh is exemplary regarding physical stature with nobility beyond reproach, although the latter came after a tragic loss that led to a complete paradigm shift. He is the fiercest of warriors and the most ambitious of builders. These traits further bolster conjecture that he is looking to create a name for himself as warriors are prideful and competitive and for him to be the best would mean that he has bested, already, the warriors of his day and course, his being king cements the conjecture. The traits needed to Gilgamesh a candidate for “immortality” are the same that would drive great athletes of today. These traits are as follows: motivated, takes imitative, lacks excuses, full of determination, strong willed and willing to go that mile. Traits likes these are hallmarks of athletes that are worth remembering, and given the physical proewess necessary to be a great warrior, it is by no stretch of the imagination that Gilgamesh too, was an athlete and subject to the worries thereof. Immortality in his mind, was there for the taking and now was only the matter of achieving…

    • 1954 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Epic of Gilgamesh presents a fascinating interpretation on what means to be human, and informs us a great deal about how the ancient Mesopotamians saw themselves in relation to a seemingly chaotic natural order. An initial reading of the Sumerian epic presents a bleak and confusing outlook on the events of the story, was the story of Gilgamesh irrelevant? While his quest for immortality was ultimately in vain, and he would have to concede the uncomfortable fact of his own mortality, this is not the entire truth of the text. The story of Gilgamesh presents a much more optimistic view on humanity then this superficial interpretation; death is an inevitable part of all human existence, yet similar to Gilgamesh, we can all attain something meaningful with the time allotted to us. Gilgamesh learns this universal of the human connection through his relationship with Enkidu; their friendship is a source of joy for Gilgamesh, a relationship which enables him to accomplish great things and create a lasting legacy. The Epic of Gilgamesh serves as reminder, not only to the ancients to whom recited the tale but to the modern reader, that while we are destined to perish, what we do with what little time we have should define us, not the fear of the inevitable, thus the epic depicts human life as a thing of consequence, an end in itself.…

    • 1632 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays